“Ms. Warrington,” a man said. His voice was clipped and urgent. “This is Thomas Greer, head of security at Cedar Ridge. We’re on lockdown. Someone is attempting a break-in.”
Chapter Four
Cal shoved his phone back into his pocket and hurried back into the kitchen with Sheriff Raines. “There’s a security problem at her brother’s facility. Alena and I have to go.”
“Go,” Raines was quick to say. “I’ve got deputies on the way here. We’ll manage.”
Cal hated walking out, leaving the sheriff alone with Arneson and Kara, but Raines could defend himself. David couldn’t.
Alena was still on the phone, the speaker carrying Thomas Greer’s voice into the room. “There’s no immediate threat to David. We’ve got him and the other residents secured in a safe room.”
Cal listened hard for any tremor in the man’s tone, but Greer sounded steady, professional. He believed him. Still, belief didn’t ease the knot in his gut. He and Alena wouldn’t breathe easier until they laid eyes on David themselves.
He met Alena’s gaze, and without a word they moved for the door, and then into the SUV, where Cal immediately got on the road.
Alena’s voice stayed calm on the phone even though Cal could hear the strain in it. “We’re on the way, Thomas. Hold tight.” She ended the call and slid the phone into her lap.
Cal pressed harder on the gas, the SUV eating up miles of highway. Cedar Ridge Sanctuary sat more than thirty minutesaway on the outskirts of San Antonio, and every second felt like a weight on his chest.
He gave his hands-free the voice command to call Noah. The system chimed, connected, and Noah picked up right away.
“I’ve heard what’s going on at Cedar Ridge, and I already got two operatives in place,” Noah said right away. “They stopped an attempted break-in by a delivery driver. From what I know, the guy showed up earlier with a package for one of the residents. For David.”
Cal’s grip tightened on the wheel until his knuckles burned.
“No delivery was scheduled, so Greer didn’t let him in,” Noah went on. “About a half hour later the guy tried to force his way through the back entrance. He fired a few shots and escaped.”
“Was it Dexter?” Cal demanded.
“I’m not sure,” Noah admitted. “We have the security feed, and at first glance it didn’t look like him, but he could’ve been wearing a disguise.”
A hot surge of anger burned through Cal, so sharp it made his vision blur for a moment. David was supposed to be safe, guarded, and cared for. Instead, bullets had come close to him.
“If it wasn’t Dexter,” Cal said, forcing the words past his clenched jaw, “then it’s someone helping him.”
The thought dug in deep. Dexter had already put Melissa in danger. Now he was reaching for David, too.
“Every security measure is being taken,” Noah spelled out. “David and the other residents are safe.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Cal shot back. “We’re going.” He drew a breath, forcing his grip to ease on the wheel. “We found Arneson tied up and beaten. Could’ve been Dexter, but it’s just as possible Arneson staged it himself.”
Alena leaned forward, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. “And Kara Whitfield showed up right after,” she added. “She’sbeen visiting Dexter in prison, and she swears he’s in love with her. We need someone to run her deep, Noah. If she’s helping him, we need to know.”
“I’ll get on it,” Noah said without hesitation. “And I’ll check with Raines, see how he’s handling Arneson.”
“Good,” Cal said. “Keep us updated.”
“Stay sharp,” Noah told them.
The line clicked off, and Cal pushed the SUV faster. The highway stretched long and flat, the distance to Cedar Ridge feeling like it would never end. Every mile dragged like an eternity.
Cal kept his eyes locked on the stretch of highway, the SUV pushing hard through the heat shimmer. Beside him, Alena sat rigid, silent, and he knew she was worried. He didn’t reach for her though, didn’t speak comfort. That wasn’t possible right now. They just had to get to Cedar Ridge and figure out what the hell was going on.
Once David was safe, they could turn their full focus on finding Melissa and Dexter.
Cal’s phone chimed with an incoming text from Noah. He tapped the screen and an image filled the display: a grainy shot of the delivery man who’d fired the shot.
Cal studied it, his gut knotting tighter. “Hard to tell,” he muttered. “Could be Dexter. Could be someone else.” His knuckles whitened on the wheel. “If it is him, then who’s holding Melissa?”
