Page 126 of Steel

She sobbed a couple of times, allowing me to hold her. The entire time her body was tense, but at least she wasn’t fighting me. “I don’t blame you. I just overreacted.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not, Steel. I just realize over and over again what a terrible mother I am. He needs my full-time attention right now and I haven’t been able to give it to him. Let’s just keep going. Please?”

I wasn’t going to change her mind. She was determined to blame herself. Sighing, I scanned the forest with the flashlight, taking a few seconds to listen for any sounds.

“Let’s head closer to the river.”

“Okay.”

We continued going. Another fifteen minutes passed.

“Report in,” I said on the communications radio.

“Nothing,” Denver reported.

“Not a thing,” Viper added.

One by one the team reported in. “Keep going.”

When I turned around, she wasn’t standing where I’d last seen her.

Shit. Why did I think she’d follow my rules?

“Violet. Where did you go?” Hearing nothing, I turned in a full circle, sweeping the beam in a complete arc. There was no sign of her. “Violet. Answer me!”

“Right here. I found something.”

Jesus. The woman was trying to give me a heart attack. I found her crouched over something on the ground. “What did you find?”

“One of Zorro’s toys. Damon took a toy with him. He couldn’t bear to give them all away.”

Crouching beside her, I pressed my hand on her back as she pulled the toy to her face. “That means we’re close. We’re going to get him, baby. It’s Steel. We have a sign of him. Head this way,” I said into the radio.

“Will do,” Bart answered first.

“Come on. Let’s go. The river attracted him.” The water was fifty yards away and while it was shallow where we were, soon it would become a raging river as it flowed further downstream.

We had to get to him before he was thirsty.

There was no holding Violet back. With the stuffed toy in her hand, we moved in the same direction we’d been going. With no sign of him at the water, within another fifteen minutes, I was beginning to get a very bad feeling.

“What is that?” Violet asked when she came to a sudden halt. She sniffed the air and froze. “Smoke. That smells like smoke?”

I flanked her side, taking a deep breath. Ah, fuck. “Do not move. Stay right here. Let me call this in. Be advised we smell smoke. As of yet, we’re unable to see signs.” No visible flames.

“I’ll call it in, Steel,” Viper said, adding, “Get back here.”

“No can do. We’re not leaving Damon out here alone.” I ended the communications and by the time I turned around, she was gone.

Again.

“Damn it, Violet.” This time, I could hear her footsteps as she raced through the forest. Within seconds, I was able to follow the beam of light. She’d managed to get several yards ahead of me. By the time I was close to catching up to her, the smoke was thicker, swirls sliding through the trees like a thick blanket of fog.

“Damon. Damon!”

When I caught up to her, I stopped her from going any farther. “You can’t do that. You can’t run off from me. Don’t you know what it would do to me if anything happened to you? It would gut me. Plus, Damon needs his mom.”