She Can Hide (She Can #4)(76)

They pulled away from the gas station. Derek resisted the temptation to check to see if Kenneth was coming after him. He kept his head down and thought invisible thoughts.




“Have you found the boy?” Ryland held his breath. Rain hammered his office window and blurred his view of the tumultuous water beyond.

“Yes,” Kenneth said.

Ryland heard voices in the background. “Where are you?”

“A gas station.” Fabric rustled on Kenneth’s end of the line.

Ryland refocused. “Where is he?”

“He is with me.”

“The boy and his mother are not to be harmed,” Ryland instructed.

“Now you tell me.” Static interspersed Kenneth’s words. Either the storm or his rural location was interfering with reception.

Shit. Ryland’s heart double-tapped.

“The boy is fine,” Kenneth clarified. “But it would have been preferable to have that information earlier this evening. Things might have gone differently.”

“I agree.” A chill slid into Ryland’s belly.

“Fuck.” Wind whistled through the open line, muffling Kenneth’s exclamation.

What now? Ryland focused beyond the raindrops, on the black water and the blinking green light bobbing in the distance.

“The kid gave me the slip.” Respect colored Kenneth’s voice, then regret. “I should have expected as much. He’s no coddled child. At his age, I certainly wouldn’t have given up so easily.”

“Can you find him again?”

“Maybe. I think Derek and I have much in common, including our present goals.” A car engine started as Kenneth spoke. “I will continue to look for him.”

“Abby is on her way back to Westbury to find the boy.”

“So Abby is looking for the child, who is looking for his mother, who is with the man trying to kill Abby.” Kenneth summed up the mayhem.

“Yes. And you still have no idea who is behind the current attacks and why.”

“That is correct,” Kenneth admitted. “But rest assured. I will find out the truth.”

Ryland had a few ideas. If Abby was being targeted because of him, there were only a few people who would dare take that initiative. He ended the call with Kenneth and dialed another number.

The line rang three times before Paul Medina answered. “What can I do for you, Ryland?”

“We need to meet.”

“I agree,” Paul said. “We have unfinished business to discuss.”

They settled on a time and place. Ryland ended the call and turned back to his window. He anchored his emotions to the shifting buoy on the water and gathered his resolve. In thirty years, his daughter had asked one thing of him. He couldn’t fail her the way he had in the past. She deserved better. She was his child. Unless she wanted to continue to keep her existence a secret, he no longer saw the point. Hiding her hadn’t protected her from his enemies. Yes, it had kept Ryland’s life clean and shielded his family from living with an ugly scandal, but that was no longer enough. Of course, he’d had other reasons for keeping Abby’s paternity a secret.

He would have to tell his sons and his wife. If the attempts on Abby’s life were a warning, the rest of his family could also be at risk.

Watching the water, Ryland breathed deeply. Would the boys forgive him? How would Marlene react? And when would he stop causing other people pain? He’d been a selfish man over the years. Unfortunately, everyone close to him was paying the price for his sins.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Abby stared down at the ruined sneakers and stained jacket hanging from the peg on the garage wall. “They’re Derek’s.”

Ethan turned to the homeowner, a thin man in his fifties. “What did you say was stolen, Mr. Hanes?”

“Coat, boots, gloves, and a hat. That wet stuff was left right there.” Mr. Hanes rubbed his bald head. “Boys’ size twelve. My son’s just about outgrown the boots and coat. If I hadn’t seen the clip about the missing kid, I would’ve thought maybe one of his friends borrowed the coat or he lost it. I certainly wouldn’t have bothered calling the police.”

“We appreciate that you did, Mr. Hanes.” Ethan put Derek’s jacket and shoes in a paper bag. “Did you want to press charges?”

“Hell no.” Mr. Hanes hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans. “I wish I’d seen the kid. I would’ve brought him in and fed him. I hate to think of him out in this storm.”

“Us too,” Ethan agreed. “Any idea how he got in?”

“I got home late from a job in Philly. All I can think is he followed my truck into the garage last night, helped himself to the gear, and went out the side door. He must have been gone before daybreak. I didn’t see him when I came out to get my wallet this morning. There really isn’t anywhere to hide in here. If only I’d noticed the missing coat then. Maybe you could’ve found him.”

“Thank you for calling us, Mr. Hanes.” Ethan shook his hand.

Abby and Ethan left the garage through the overhead door. The afternoon light was dimming as they walked down the driveway. They climbed into Ethan’s truck parked at the curb. The sandwich Ethan had forced her to eat for lunch balled up inside her stomach.