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ChapterNine
Kiera frettedover Sarah all afternoon and evening. It took the focus off her head injury, or whatever was going on. She was fine. She’d had her share of head injuries with all the stunts she did. This one was no big deal. She was only a little cloudy and tired.
Sarah was not herself. Not at all. Nobody could blame her. Sutton Smith himself called and retrieved what information he could from Sarah, then promised his next call would be to her parents to flesh out this case. His ops in the nearby areas would start investigating, but he would also spread the word throughout America to his numerous contacts and agents.
Kiera thought that would make her friend feel better, but she seemed to pace and tremble and worry more. Kiera thought about how she would feel if it was one of her brothers, or any of her family, in danger. She’d known that fear almost constantly after her mum was murdered and the Rindlesbachers went on a rampage. The depraved people had tried to kill her family and take over the crown. It had been horrifying, and sometimes she still had nightmares about that time of her life. She could empathize with Sarah’s angst.
Mason and Josiah were great to stay close by, but she could tell they felt as helpless as she did.
“Do you want me to book a helicopter to Bern and charter you a flight home?” Kiera asked Sarah as they sat on the couches in the huge living area after dinner.
Sarah swallowed and looked away, murmuring, “Let’s wait and see what happens by morning.” She clenched her hands together, but they still trembled.
“Ah, friend.” Kiera wrapped her arm around Sarah and drew her close. If only there was more they could do. She kept praying in her mind for Drake to be found and for everyone involved to know how to help get him home safe.
Kiera had asked Sarah if she could tell her large family and have the strength of their prayers added to theirs, but Sarah didn’t want the news spread yet. That didn’t make sense to Kiera, but everybody dealt with things in their own way.
“I’m going to take a sleeping pill and try to rest.” Sarah broke from her embrace and stood.
“Oh … okay.” Kiera was confused again. She didn’t know that she could rest if one of her siblings was in trouble. When Tristan was in the hospital after a bomb burned the left side of his face, neck, and shoulder, Kiera remembered hardly sleeping for days. She’d been twelve and Macey had left Ray at the same time. Macey had been a surrogate mum of sorts as she’d missed her mum so deeply. It had been a horrific time.
“It’s two a.m. at home. If I sleep for a few hours, then I can get up when they’re up and hopefully there will be some news.”
“That makes sense.” Kiera stood and smiled at her friend. “I’ll keep praying.”
“Thank you.” Sarah grabbed her in a hug and held her fiercely. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured in Kiera’s ear.
“Sorry?” Kiera drew back. Why should Sarah be sorry?
“For …” Sarah swallowed and murmured, “all this stress.”
“Don’t you be sorry. None of this is your fault. Get some rest. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
“Assignment, sir?” Josiah asked when Sarah turned to go.
“Mueller is patrolling now; Silva is resting and will be on after midnight. Could you patrol the interior and I’ll assign them the exterior? I’ll spell you at midnight so you can rest.”
Sarah disappeared into the entryway.
“Will you rest now, Captain?” Josiah asked.
It was only eight p.m. Kiera hoped he didn’t want to rest, that he wanted to be with her, but he needed his sleep.
“I don’t think I could.” Mason exchanged a look with Kiera. She flushed from the longing in his blue eyes. He couldn’t rest because he wanted to be with her? Or was something else going on? Why was he upping the patrols? Mason and Josiah weren’t supposed to patrol. The cameras and sensors were all in place. Drake was the one in danger, not them.
“All right, sir. But please let me know if you’re ready to sleep and I’ll trade you off at any time.”
“Thank you.”
Josiah lifted a hand to them and disappeared into the entryway.
There was silence for a beat, and then Kiera turned to Mason.
“All right then?” he asked, his blue gaze sweeping carefully over her.
“I’m feeling a lot better, thank you.”
