Defending Everly (Mountain Mercenaries #5)(31)

Ball saw her worrying the ring on her finger, and it reminded him of a picture Me-Maw had shown him last night. A picture of Elise and Everly, standing next to each other. Everly had her arm over Elise’s shoulder, and her sister was holding on to her wrist. He’d seen the ring on her finger that looked exactly like Everly’s.

“Tell me about your rings?” he asked, to try to get Everly’s mind off the worst-case scenarios that were most likely going through her head.

“The day Elise was born, Me-Maw told me that Elise would be the one person I’d know longer than anyone else in the entire world. Longer than any friends I might have, longer than my mother, longer than her, and even longer than the man I’d hopefully someday meet and marry. She asked me if I accepted the responsibility that came with being a sister. The responsibility to look after her. To play with her, to laugh with her, to cry with her when necessary. To always be there for her, no matter what. Of course I agreed. Me-Maw gave me the ring as a physical reminder of my commitment to my sister.

“And when Elise was ten, Me-Maw got her a ring as well. I remember how happy she was, how grown-up she felt to be wearing that ring. Me-Maw made the gift of the ring a huge ceremony and party.

“I know people don’t understand our bond. I mean, I’m way older than Elise. But the second I saw her, something clicked. I helped teach her sign language when she was little, and I did whatever I could to be there for her. The rings bind us together, even when we’re physically separated.” Everly held up her hand, looked at her ring.

It was gold, with little squiggles around it that were fading with time. It didn’t look particularly expensive, but there was no doubt that it was absolutely priceless to her.

Her next words proved Ball’s thoughts correct.

“I never take it off. Never. It’s as though, as long as I’m wearing it, my sister is there with me.” She shrugged. “That probably sounds stupid.”

“Not at all,” Ball said. “I would assume it’s much how a wedding ring works. Yes, it tells others that you’re in a relationship, but more than that, it’s a commitment. If I had a wife, I’d want her to feel the same way about the ring on her finger as you do about yours. I’d want her to look at it and think of me. To know that I’ve got the same ring on my finger and I’m thinking about her. To know you’re that close to someone in this world is a beautiful thing, and I think your grandparents are pretty awesome to have given that to you and your sister.”

“I think so too,” Everly agreed.

They were both lost in thought for the rest of the trip to the station, and when they pulled into the parking lot, Ball finally said, “I’m going to find your sister, Everly. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I’m going to find out what happened to her so you can be at peace.”

“Thanks,” she said softly. “That means a lot.”

“Come on,” Ball said. “Let’s go see what Ramirez knows.”

Nodding, Everly climbed out of her side of the rental, and they walked into the station.

Thirty minutes later, they were sitting alone in an interrogation room with the file about Elise’s disappearance sitting between them. There wasn’t much in it, and even though Ramirez was doing what he could, he hadn’t found any information that they hadn’t already discovered for themselves.

“Shit, this was a waste of time,” Everly said in disgust.

Just then, they heard a commotion outside the room.

Everly stood up and went to the door. She opened it—and stepped back in surprise when Detective Ramirez almost bowled her over.

Ball was up and at Everly’s back in a second. “What’s happened?” he asked.

“A 911 call just came in. A man said he was walking his girlfriend’s dog and heard someone calling for help from a house he’d thought was vacant. The girl had broken out a window in the attic and was frantically waving her arm, screaming. A unit is on the way, but I thought you might like to know.”

“Did she sound funny?” Everly demanded.

“Sound funny?”

“Elise is deaf. If she was screaming, it would’ve sounded off to a hearing person.”

“I don’t know. But I’m on my way to the scene. I’ll be in touch and let you know.”

“We’re going,” Everly said.

“No, you’re not,” the detective told her.

“Look, it’s my sister who’s missing, and if this is her, and you guys go in there and start screaming directions at her, she’s not going to understand you. And if whoever kidnapped her is still around, she won’t be able to tell you what he looks like or anything. You need me.”

The detective looked undecided.

“She’s a cop,” Ball added. “She knows how to stay out of the way and what the protocol is. She’s not a regular civilian.”

That did it. Ramirez nodded. “Okay, but I’m leaving right now.”

Without a word, Everly sprang back to the table, gathered up the few papers they’d been looking at, and was back at Ball’s side. “We’re ready.”

Within a minute, they were in the back of Ramirez’s SUV. The siren was on, and they were driving hell-bent for leather toward the run-down neighborhood where the man had said the house was located.