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“This all may be nothing,” he told his brother. “I could be grasping at things that aren’t there.”

“Until we know that for sure, I think we need to head back to New Journeys. No harm in checking on Marilyn and the kids and standing guard there until we have multiple eyewitness accounts that Ellis is, in fact, still in Denver.”

“I don’t want to get Marilyn nervous if there’s no reason to.”

Noah shook his head. “Believe me, I don’t want to either.”

They rode together in Tanner’s SUV to New Journeys. Both of them were checking the darkness for anything unfamiliar, person or otherwise, as they walked to the door. Tanner rang the bell, keeping his face clearly in range of the security camera so whoever was checking it would know it was him. Within just a few seconds the door was opening.

“Hi, Tanner,” Francis said. “Bree isn’t here.”

He smiled. “I know. Actually, we’re looking for Marilyn and the kids.”

“She’s not here either.”

Noah’s head shot around. “What? I just brought her back over here myself not even an hour ago.”

The woman shrank back a little at Noah’s tone. Tanner provided his most reassuring smile. “How about the kids? Are they here?”

Had they misread Marilyn? Had she decided to make a run for it since it looked like Jared might have made progress in attempting to escape his monitor?

“Yes, they’re both in bed asleep. Marilyn went back out to see Bree. Said something about how she wasn’t a marmot and that a good bottle of wine was a terrible thing to waste.”

“That’s good.” Tanner smiled again, and the woman relaxed just a little bit. “It’s good for Bree to have someone hanging out with her the night before her wedding.”

Francis nodded. “That’s what Marilyn and I thought too. Is everything okay?”

Tanner nodded. Noah had already gone back to staring out at any possible shadows in the darkness. “Yes, everything’s fine. Just do me a favor. Call it prewedding jitters or whatever, but just don’t open the door to anyone you don’t know personally, okay?”

Francis smiled. “Trust me, I never do. But I’ll make sure.”

“I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow.”

The door closed and locked behind him as Tanner turned and walked back toward his SUV with Noah.

“Maybe I’m looking for trouble that’s not there. Maybe—”

The phone rang in his hand. “That’s probably Marshal Brickman now. Telling me that Sowers requests that I stop being such an overprotective jackass and let him do his job.”

Tanner pressed the receive button. “Marshal. I’m sure I probably owe you an apol—”

Brickman cut him off. “Dempsey, you were right. Ellis had someone holding Sowers’s wife and baby hostage. Ellis is gone.”

Brickman kept talking, but Noah and Tanner were already sprinting for his car. Jared was out and no doubt wanted to get his hands on Marilyn. And Marilyn might have led him straight to Bree.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Bree opened her mouth to scream and warn Marilyn, but Jared was expecting that. She ducked as his fist flew at her face, missing most of the blow, but it still caught her and spun her around back onto the couch. A drop of blood dripped from her nose.

Right onto her wedding dress.

That bastard had just stained her wedding dress. Who cared if she didn’t like it—it was still her damn wedding dress.

“You keep the hell quiet.” Jared stormed over to the door and yanked it open. Before Marilyn could do so much as give a terrified little shriek, he yanked her inside and shut the door behind her.

Bree’s heart broke at the abject terror that carved itself into Marilyn’s features at the realization that she was once again in this madman’s power.

“Well, I guess this solves the whole problem on how to get you over here,” Jared sneered. “Hello, wife.”