Page 72 of Peaches & Pistols

“That was two and a half fucking hours ago,” I snap.

“Grey.” Reid’s booming voice carries through the den. “We know you’re worried. We all are. But you’ve gotta keep your head.”

Izzy reaches into her back pocket and what she hands me stops my heart.

“We found it in the snow outside the stables.”

Mia’s phone.

Fully charged. Dozens of notifications of missed calls from the school, texts and calls from the group.

Blackness closes in. The woman I love is somewhere alone, freezing, and likely injured. And she doesn’t have her phone to call for help.

What if Carter found her? Will he come back for Everly?

“Goddamn it!” I shout.

“Greyson,” Izzy hisses. “The girls are in the kitchen.”

My hands dig into my hair, nails scraping my scalp as I pull on the strands until the pain grounds me.

“Listen up.” Reid takes over. “The road from the ranch to the highway is just shy of nine miles. We each take a vehicle and stagger, searching for tire tracks or any clue to where she is.”

“We called the sheriff, and they have squad cars heading our way, and an ambulance on standby,” Connor adds.

“Livy texted,” Delilah says meekly, not wanting me to bite her head off again. “James and Walter are picking her up and they’ll canvas town before heading to the ranch.”

It’s not enough. Not enough eyes. Not enough time.

Armed with the plan, we scatter to our vehicles and head down the road. One by one, we pull off to the side of the road, staggered a mile or so apart.

I park my truck and leave it running in case I find her and need to get her warm and to help as soon as possible.

The wheel creaks each time I bash my head into it. This can’t be happening.

Not my Mia. I just got her. I can’t lose her.

25

Iwake up shaking. My eyes strain to focus and the more the lids open, my head pounds.

Something’s pushing tightly on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

The interior of the car becomes clear. I’m draped over the airbag, my seatbelt digging into the side of my neck and between my breasts. My back is exposed and cold. Winter wind whips in through a broken window.

What happened?

The girls! Who picked the girls up from school? Everly must be so scared.

The windshield is obscured completely by snow. Turning my head to the right, I confirm that the passenger window is shattered. A small snowdrift is forming inside the car.

My neck is stiff, but I feel like I can move it safely, so I turn to the left. Out the driver’s side window is more snow.

I have no idea how far down the road I am, what time it is, or how long I’ve been unconscious.

What do I do? Do I stay in the car and wait for help? The car could be unstable and fall further, or if something leaked, could explode. If I try to get out, my weight could shift the car, and it could roll and land on me. But if I stay, I could freeze to death.

Nothing else matters but my daughter. I have to get to Everly, no matter the risk. She can’t grow up without a mom, and she can never fall back under Carter’s control.