Beautifully Broken Pieces (Sutter Lake, #1)(45)

A twig snapped even closer, and I froze. My breathing and the wind were the only things I could hear before a crack filled the air. Bark spit back from the tree mere inches from my face. What the hell? On instinct, I reared back. Something went whizzing by.

Holy crap. Someone was shooting at me. Bullets. Real, life-ending bullets headed straight for me. I didn’t think, I just ran. Skirting the edge of the ravine, I kept my hands out in front of me in an attempt to protect my face from the onslaught of branches.

The sounds of someone crashing through the underbrush came from behind me, and I pushed myself harder, not looking back. I begged my legs to not give up on me now. My harsh breaths cut through the mountain air.

I turned my head just slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of how close my invisible attacker was when my foot caught on a tree branch and I began to fall.





25





Walker





I gripped my phone so tightly, I worried it might break. “What do you mean you think Taylor might be missing?”

The sound of Jensen clearing her throat drifted across the line. An old, anxious habit. “Well…she called early this morning. Said she wanted to get in a hike before she tutored Noah and asked if she could push back our meeting time. I said that was fine, but she was supposed to be here over two hours ago.”

My stomach churned. This was not fucking good. Jensen kept talking, a nervous vomit of words. “I’ve called, and it goes straight to voicemail. I even put Noah in the car and drove over to the guest cabin. Her car’s gone. And I, uh, let myself in. I know it was invading her privacy, but I was worried. She wasn’t there, but all her stuff is, other than her keys, phone, and the basics.”

I squeezed the foam back of my office chair. It wasn’t fulfilling the need I had to break something, though. I hissed a breath through my clenched teeth, and the forced air made a whistling sound. “You knew she was going hiking alone?” The words were low, a guttural threat.

“I-I wasn’t sure. You know she’s been pulling away from us, so I didn’t want to push. And it isn’t like she’s not a grown adult.”

I shot my chair across the room. “But she didn’t grow up here, J. She grew up in a fucking city. She’s only lived in fucking cities. You grew up here. You know the kinds of trouble someone can get into while hiking alone.”

“I’m sorry, Walk.” Jensen’s voice was ragged and resigned. “I fucked up. And if we don’t find her without a hair on her head harmed, I’ll never forgive myself.”

The guilt in Jensen’s words took all the bluster out of my sails. “It’ll be okay, J. We’ll find her. Did she mention an area specifically?”

“No. And I’m kicking myself for not asking.”

“All right,” I grabbed my desk phone off the receiver. “I’m going to put out an APB on Taylor and her car, see if we can find out what trail she’s on. I’m also going to call Tuck and have him put the word out with the Forest Service guys.”

“Okay. I’m going to trailer two horses so that you and I can search on horseback whenever we find her car.” There was steel in her voice now.

“Thanks. But, J?”

“Yeah?”

I swallowed roughly. “Be fucking careful. Taylor isn’t the only girl missing. Caitlin’s parents and friends haven’t seen her in over three days.”

“What the hell is going on, Walker?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure as hell going to find out.” My mind began compiling all the things I needed to do. “I gotta go, but careful, yeah?”

“I’ll be careful. Promise.”

“’Kay. I’ll keep you in the loop.”

“Thanks.”

I punched end on my screen and immediately dialed dispatch from my landline. After getting the word out for yet another APB in a thirty-minute period, I called Tuck. He didn’t answer. “Call me whenever you get this. It’s important. I’ll have my cell.”

I slammed the phone down in its receiver. “Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn, Taylor?” My office gave me no answers. I ground my teeth and tried to think through where Taylor would have gone. The possibilities were practically endless.

She needed to be back in time to tutor Noah, so she wouldn’t have driven more than thirty minutes away, an hour tops. I drummed my fingers against my desk and pulled out a map. I drew a large circle over the area she’d most likely stick to and then studied my options.

Taylor loved the water. Gravitated towards it as if she’d been a mermaid in a past life. That narrowed the possibilities down to three options. I picked up my desk phone again and hit the extension for dispatch. “Send officers to check the trailheads at the lake, the falls, and the Creek Line trail for Taylor Lawson’s car. It’s a navy Mercedes SUV with California plates. Thanks.”

I studied the map more closely. Was there something else I was missing? My cell buzzed in my hand. I answered without looking at the screen. “Cole.”

“Walk, it’s Tuck. What’s up?” He sounded slightly winded.

“I need your help. Taylor’s missing.”

“What?”

“She went for a hike this morning and didn’t come back when she was supposed to. I’ve narrowed it down to three likely areas. The lake, the falls, and Creek Line. Probably not the lake because there’s a lot of people there, and it’d be easy to get help if something went sideways.”