“Daisy?” I call out. My voice echoes back at me, flat and empty.
I move through the cabin fast. Bathroom empty. The hook by the door where I keep the spare truck keys is bare. The black truck. The one I showed her yesterday in the garage. My heart slamsagainst my ribs now. I spot the note on the counter, propped against the salt shaker like she wanted to make sure I would see it. My name is written on the front in her neat handwriting.
I read the words once, then again, slower, as if that will change what they say.
I’m sorry. I love you. This is the only way to keep you safe. Please do not follow me. Tell the others I am grateful for everything. I will never forget any of you.
My hands start to shake. The paper crumples between my fingers. She left. She took the truck and left. Dominic must have gotten to her somehow. Or her father. Or both. The thought of her out there alone, scared, driving straight into danger makes something savage rise in my chest. I love her. I haven’t said the words out loud yet, but I feel them in every beat of my heart. She walked into my life bleeding and terrified and she became everything. I can’t lose her. Not like this.
I yank on my boots, grab my coat and gun, and dial Silas before I even reach the door.
He answers on the first ring. “Eli?”
“She’s gone,” I say, voice raw. “She left a note. Took the black truck. I think her father or Dominic got to her. I’m heading to the lodge now.”
“Get here. I’ll wake everyone.”
I run the short distance, boots pounding the snow. My breath fogs in harsh clouds. The cold bites at my face but I barely feel it. All I feel is the hollow panic clawing at my gut. She thinks she is protecting us. That’s exactly the kind of thing she would do.Brave and selfless and so damn stubborn it makes me want to roar.
The lodge door flies open before I reach it. Silas, Rafe, Gavin, and Boyd are already inside, pulling on coats and checking weapons. The rest of the men file in behind them, faces grim. Harper stands in the doorway to the kitchen with Poppi on her hip, eyes wide with worry. Hannah and the other women hover close, silent but alert.
I slap the note down on the table. “She left this. Said it was the only way to keep us safe. She took the black truck from the garage.”
Silas reads it fast and passes it to Rafe. “We need to move. Boyd, check the garage and confirm the truck is gone. Gavin, pull every camera feed from the gate and the lower road. Harlan, get on the radio with my deputies. Tell them we have a possible abduction and we need every available unit.”
The room explodes into motion. Men grab gear. Radios crackle. I stand at the center of it, fists clenched, fighting the urge to run straight down the mountain after her. I love her. The realization hits me again, sharper this time. I love the way she smiles when she thinks I’m not looking. I love how she asks questions about my workshop like she really cares. I love how she fits against me at night like she was made to be there. I can’t lose her. I won’t.
Boyd comes back in at a jog. “The black truck is gone. Fresh tracks in the snow heading south toward the old logging road.”
Gavin already has his laptop open. “Pulling footage now. Gate camera caught her leaving twenty minutes ago. She was alone. Driving fast.”
We crowd around the screen. The black and white video shows the truck rolling through the open gate. Daisy’s face is visible for a split second behind the wheel. Even in the grainy image I can see the tears on her cheeks. My chest tightens until it hurts to breathe.
“She’s heading straight into them,” I say. My voice sounds wrecked. “We have to go after her. Now.”
Silas nods. “We are. But we do it smart. Rafe, you and Chase take the east road. Boyd and Wyatt, west. Eli, you ride with me. We’ll cut her off before she reaches the highway. Harlan, Thorne, stay here and guard the women and kids. Gavin, keep feeding us live updates from the cameras.”
My phone buzzes. I yank it out. Unknown number. I answer on speaker so everyone can hear.
A man’s voice comes through, calm and cold. “Eli Mason?”
“Who is this?”
“Dominic Garcia. I have your girl. She’s safe for now. But that can change. Tell your men to stand down. If I see a single truck from that mountain coming after us, I’ll put a bullet in her head and send you the video.”
Rage explodes through me so hot I see red. “You touch her and I will hunt you down myself. I will burn every place you own until there’s nothing left.”
Dominic laughs softly. “Big words for a medic. She made her choice. She came to us to save you. Let her. Stay on your mountain and she might live. Come after her and she dies. Your call.”
The line goes dead.
The room is silent for half a second. Then I slam my fist on the table. “We’re going. I don’t care what he said. I’m getting her back.”
Silas grips my shoulder hard. “We’re all going. But we do it right. No suicide runs. We use the back roads. We stay off the cameras. We get her and we bring her home.”
Gavin’s laptop chimes. “New footage. She pulled off at the old logging road pullout. A sedan was waiting. Two men grabbed her. She fought. They used something on her, a cloth over her face. She’s in the sedan now heading south toward the highway.”
I’m already moving toward the door. “Let’s go.”
