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“Any sightings of it yet?” I glanced over at Maverick, who was listening intently.
Exhaling, I glanced out the windshield, studying the area where Maverick was going. He’d yet to lay out a plan of any kind and while it was April, snow still covered the majority of the mountains, the higher elevations with several feet.
Two days had passed. Two days of zero sightings. Two long stress-filled days of not knowing where she was, of not being able to breathe. We’d been to dozens of cabins but had yet to find anything.
“Nothing. My deputies have driven hundreds of mountain roads. I asked the Smokejumpers for their help through Phoenix. They haven’t spotted anything, but unless he’s on the open road, which I doubt, he’ll make certain he isn’t spotted. I’m having the interstates and other methods of transportation checked, but I just don’t have enough men. Besides, the FBI have taken over everything,” he said.
“Let me guess. You gave them the picture I texted you.”
“I had to! Jesus Christ. You’re not the Lone Ranger.” He exhaled, hesitating for a few seconds. “They’ve been all over the car. His fingerprints were confirmed, but we already knew that. And it was his blood inside the car.” Gage was as exasperated as I was. “The Feds seems to think they had a few leads.”
“Bullshit. Unless they know this area, they have no clue how many places there are to hide. I appreciate all the information. We’re going deeper into the mountains, closer to Sapphire Ridge.” I could hear his hesitation and sensed Maverick’s tension increasing. None of us wanted to talk about what had happened all those years ago, let alone face anything else that might resemble the horrible occurrence.
“Then I won’t be able to contact you.”
“So be it. This is far from being over.”
“Just so you know, Phoenix organized a group, including the guys from your unit. They’re all out looking.”
Phoenix had called once so I’d known. “Yeah, I’m aware. We need all the help we can get.”
“I’ll try and give you a call if anything is found. Good luck but don’t get yourself killed.”
“I have no intention of it.” I shoved the phone into my pocket, going over everything in my mind.
“A vehicle?” Maverick asked.
“Yeah. A Jeep. It won’t be found. This is far too personal for him. He’s enjoying his freedom, the time spent with her.”
“Then why bait you and provide nothing else?”
I rubbed my jaw, taking a quick look in the back. At least Apollo was sleeping. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to bring him. The snow was getting too deep, the terrain too treacherous. His paws weren’t designed to handle these kinds of weather conditions. “I don’t know. I keep thinking we’re missing something.”
“We’re going to need to do the next part on foot, which will slow us down significantly. We’ll be forced to stop for the night.”
“Fuck.” I smashed my hand on the dashboard. Then I leaned back in the seat, envisioning her face. “I gotta find her, Maverick.”
“I heard ya before.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
Rollington had been slick, ignoring the use of a phone or anything else that would be easy to track.
Except for his vehicle.
Damn it. He’d left a clue in the picture. I knew it. As I pulled it out, I sensed Maverick was watching me. Her face looked so serene. What had he forced her to endure? I fisted my hand around it, cursing under my breath.
“I do think about what happened on Sapphire Ridge,” he said a full minute later.
I slowly turned my head. “We did what we could to try and save her. You knew Belle as well as any of us. She was a free spirit.”
“Yeah, she was. A true beauty.”
“That’s what I think about Chasity.”
“Belle was carefree but reckless.”
“That too,” I said more in passing, thinking of how Chasity had run through the woods. The fact she’d been able to trust me was something special. More so than I’d originally thought.
“Belle could have gotten out of there.”
