Whispers of You (Lost & Found #1)(87)

Lawson started toward the barn. “There could be something here that helps.”

My teeth gnashed together, the urge to simply start running through the forests to find Wren so strong. But I had to play it smart—no wasted time.

Shadow let out a low whine. It was a sound I felt in my damn soul.

My fingers sifted through her fur. “We’re gonna find her.”

I followed Lawson into the barn, Nash at my side. I steeled myself for the sight that greeted us, but Nash cursed. Lawson just stared, his gaze boring into Amber’s fallen form as if this were all his fault.

After a few moments, my eyes adjusted to the low light. I scanned the space, searching for anything that might help us. I tracked footprints from one side of the barn to the other, drag marks trailing behind them.

My stomach roiled with acid. Jude had dragged her as if she were nothing more than garbage.

“Looks like there was a struggle.”

Nash’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I spun around. “What do you mean?”

He pointed to an area closer to the door. “Here.”

I surveyed the dirt where he’d indicated. There were deep divots as if someone had taken a hard fall.

Striding over, I crouched. I narrowed my eyes and searched the space for anything. A small patch of earth caught my attention. I crouched, my throat constricting. I reached out and pressed two fingers to the dirt. As I lifted them, a telltale reddish-brown color caught the light.

“Blood.” Lawson grimaced.

“It looks like there’s some here, too,” Nash said, bending and pressing a thumb to the dirt. It too came away red.

As he straightened, Shadow let out a series of loud barks and whines, pulling at the leash.

“It’s okay, girl,” Nash soothed.

My pulse sped up. “Let her smell the blood.”

Nash looked at me like I was crazy. “What?”

“Just do it,” I clipped.

He lowered his hand to Shadow, and she sniffed like crazy, then started pulling on the leash.

I hurried to her side. “You want to find Wren?”

Shadow barked.

Lawson sent me a wary look.

“She’s got good instincts with scents. Not perfectly trained, but the best option we have,” I argued.

Lawson looked down at the dog. “All right.”

“Let her sniff your hand again,” I ordered Nash. The second she did, I gave her the command. “Find Wren.”

Shadow’s nose dropped to the ground, and she began to follow a trail we couldn’t see. Pain tore at me, knowing the source of it. This wasn’t some airborne scent we might get from someone’s clothes. This was blood. And it was most likely Wren’s.

Shadow pulled us toward the trees, away from the lake and Wren’s cabin. I had to hope it was right and that she wasn’t taking us farther away. I would’ve promised anything, given it all if I could just know that Wren would be safe.

Nash kept a firm hold on the leash, letting Shadow pull him along at whatever pace she set. Lawson and I scanned the forest, looking for any signs of a trail.

Shadow began circling, letting out another whine.

Nash’s brow furrowed. “I think she’s confused.”

That little flicker of hope I’d been holding onto burned to ash.

And then a scream split the air.





44





WREN





I couldn’t help the scream that slipped from my lips as Jude jammed the gun into my ribs. I didn’t want to give him the power that came with knowing that he’d hurt me, but the pain was too great. White-hot, blazing pain ripped along my side and pulsed deeper with each shove Jude gave me.

“Shut up,” he snarled. “You ruin everything. I should’ve known. That’s the way it’s always been.”

His words barely penetrated. I was too focused on trying to breathe through the pain.

“Walk,” Jude barked.

I struggled to get my legs to obey, but they shook with the effort. “I can’t,” I wheezed.

Something was wrong. A rib had to be broken. A punctured lung, maybe. It was too hard to suck in air.

Jude sneered at me. “You can, and you will. I’ve worked too hard for this to have you screw it up now.”

“How long have you been planning this?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Longer than you can imagine.”

He shoved me forward, back toward the barn, and I stumbled, the ropes on my wrists digging deeper. A fresh wave of agony swept over me.

“I really didn’t think lover boy would be able to stay away from you for as long as he did. Guess he didn’t love you that much, after all. Really had to work to get you two back together so he’d feel the pain of losing you all over again.”

A few weeks ago, Jude’s words would’ve cut. Now, they simply glanced off me. Because I knew that Holt had fought hard to stay away because of how deeply he loved me. It was misguided and dumb, but Holt had thought he was doing the right thing. And I saw that now.

“I had to get creative to get him back here, too. Couldn’t let him get past the ten-year mark.”

My steps faltered.

He only grinned wider. “Did you know that monkshood can cause heart attacks and is virtually untraceable in the blood?”