As Leopold guides his car, sirens blaring, toward Linda’s house, I torture myself with every single moment leading up to this one. How did I not see it coming? How did any of us miss it?
“There were no signs,” Weston says. “The guy was a snake, but we couldn’t have known. How did we miss it?”
“We shouldn’t have,” I snap, barely controlling the fear pulling me under. Even Zane, who is a master at reading people, missed it.
How?
God, please keep her safe. Please let Linda be okay. Please, Lord. Please save them both.
Blood splatters the pavement where Anastasia was shot.
It’s smeared where she fell.
Droplets of it leave a crimson trail toward where his car was parked.
Linda and Officer Shultz were both taken to the hospital an hour ago. She’ll survive, thank the Lord, but Shultz is in critical condition. Even as they loaded him up, the guy apologized constantly.
But why should he? We all trusted Jack.
We all let ourselves be fooled.
And now Anastasia may pay for that with her life.
My heart begins to race as images of her lying in the dirt, her body twisted and broken just as Violet’s was, assault me. I can’t get them out of my head. Can’t forget.
“Sawyer, we’re headed to the hospital to meet with Zane and make a plan,” Garrison says.
“I’ll meet you there later.”
“Sawyer—”
“I said later,” I snap. Then, I take a deep breath to calm myself. “Sorry. I’ll meet you there.”
“Do you want a ride somewhere?” he asks.
“No. I need to walk. Call me with any news.”
“You’ve got it. Brother, we’ll find her.”
I clench my jaw because, for the first time, I’m not sure this is a mission we’ll win. If Jack was this far ahead of us this entire time, why should I have any confidence we’ll find him now? What if I lose her?
Then I will hunt him down to the ends of the earth.
“Yeah. Thanks.” Without waiting for a response, I head down the street, walking past houses I’ve driven by countless times on my way here for dinner.
Will I ever get the chance to attend one of those with Anastasia? Will I get to propose to her? Marry her? Start a family? Will she get to hold our child in her arms? Will I? Panic shoves through, trying to drown everything else out.
Be still and know.
Those words echo through my mind, and I stop as every other sound fades away.
Be still and know.
“Sawyer.”
Glancing up, I’m surprised to see myself standing just outside the church doors currently being held open by Pastor Reeves.
When did I get here?
