Austin was silent, but from the hard line of his mouth, Emma was sure he had a few choice words to share with them in private. He probably knew more since he’d worked with Dean for a longer period of time than Reed had.
“Deputy Shadwick did a lot of work on Bonnie’s case.” She frowned. “His name appeared on most of the reports.”
“That’s because he headed up the investigation,” Austin said. “The former sheriff insisted on it. At the time, I thought it was odd. Dean had little to no experience investigating such a serious crime.”
Owen cleared his throat. “There’s something else. Dean bragged about working with someone higher up. Someone who would always protect them.”
Reed’s brows shot up. “Who?”
“I don’t know. He never would say, but he made it clear they wouldn’t be punished seriously if they ever got caught. It was how he convinced me to get in on some of the crimes.”
Reed’s phone trilled. He pulled it from his hip and answered the call. Aunt Bessie’s voice spilled from the speaker. Emma couldn’t make out the words, but they were rushed. Her spine stiffened. Nothing good could come from a call at nearly midnight.
She leaned closer to listen in. Reed took the hint and put the call on speaker. “Aunt Bessie, slow down and tell me exactly what’s going on.”
“I don’t know what’s going on.” She sucked in a big breath. “I went to bed early and woke up to someone in my room. He attacked me.”
Austin grabbed his phone. Within seconds he was snapping out orders in the corner of the kitchen.
“He must’ve hit me over the head because I don’t remember a whole lot,” Aunt Bessie continued. “I woke up locked in my closet. I managed to get out, but the trooper outside... He’s unconscious and bleeding, Reed.”
Emma’s body went cold. “Bessie, where are Lily and Vivian?”
Reed placed a hand on Emma’s arm, the warmth of his palm a stark contrast to the chills racing through her body.
The sound of running came over the line. Doors opened and closed as Aunt Bessie yelled their names. The panic in the woman’s voice added to Emma’s. She clamped her lips together to prevent the scream bubbling inside her from tearing loose.
Aunt Bessie started sobbing. “Reed, they aren’t here. Lily and Vivian are gone. They’ve been kidnapped.”
EIGHTEEN
Reed raced down the country road, lights flashing and siren blaring. After the phone call from his aunt, they’d received one from Deputy Kyle Hendricks. Aunt Bessie’s car—stolen from her house—was spotted on a rarely used back road. It was four in the morning, but still pitch-black outside.
“Hold on,” he said to Emma. She gripped the handle above the door as he took a right turn. His tires bounced over a pothole. Sadie, strapped in the back seat, swayed. Behind them, Austin followed in his patrol car.
“This is Old Man Franklin’s land,” Emma said. Her face was pale and her lips drawn tight. “Isn’t that the property Joshua mentioned he bought when I wouldn’t sell?”
“Yes.”
Reed’s hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. Someone had attacked his aunt. Assaulted a trooper. Taken Vivian and Lily. A blinding rage unlike any he’d ever experienced threatened to take hold, but he battled it back. There was no room for emotion. Right now, he needed to focus on getting Emma’s family back.
The road curved and the trees parted. A patrol car sat behind Aunt Bessie’s sedan. Kyle raised a hand to shield his eyes from the approaching headlights. Reed slammed on the brakes. He flipped off the engine but didn’t bother to take the keys out of the vehicle. His boots hit the dirt with a thump.
“There’s no one in the car,” Kyle said. The deputy struggled to catch up to Reed’s long strides. “I already looked.”
He didn’t care. At this moment, Reed wasn’t sure he could trust anyone besides his cousin and Cooper. He quickly walked around his aunt’s sedan. The outside appeared untouched. “How did you know the car was here?”
“I got a call from Dean Shadwick.”
Emma ran up, catching the last bit of his deputy’s answer. She inhaled sharply.
Kyle’s brows clashed together. “What’s going on?”
Reed had no intention of answering him. “When?” he barked. “When did Dean call you?”
“Right after the BOLO on your aunt’s vehicle went out. He mentioned he’d heard about it on his scanner.”
“He’s suspended.”
“He has a police scanner in his personal vehicle.”
Reed yanked on a pair of gloves and opened the sedan’s driver side door. The overhead light flickered on. Keys were in the ignition.
“I’ve got what looks like blood,” Austin said quietly. Reed’s gaze shot to the back seat. A dark stain spread across the leather, dripping down toward the carpet.
Emma cried out. Reed caught her as she rushed toward the vehicle. She wasn’t wearing gloves. He couldn’t let her accidentally disturb evidence they may need. She gripped his biceps, her fingers clawing into his skin through his shirt.
“Lily’s lamb.” Tears streamed down her face.
Austin reached in and pulled the familiar stuffed animal from the floorboard. Reed’s own knees weakened but he forced himself to block it out. His gaze swung toward Kyle.
“Did you check the trunk?” he demanded.
Emma slapped a hand over her mouth. Reed kept an arm around her waist, holding her up.
Kyle’s face was stark in the headlights. “Yes. It’s clear.”
Emma shuddered against Reed. He wanted to tell her to wait in his SUV, but there was no way she would listen. Not that he could blame her.
“What did Dean tell you specifically, from start to finish?” Reed asked his deputy.
Kyle straightened. “He called my personal phone and stated that he’d heard the BOLO on the scanner. Dean mentioned he was on his way back from a fishing trip and used this road to cut across town. He spotted the vehicle and said I should check it out because it matched the description.”
There
