Page 82 of The Last Promise You Made

There, down the hill to the right—rustling that had nothing to do with animals tucked away as the snow came down.

I took off again, trying to keep as quiet as possible while still moving quickly.

“Will he have to cross the creek?” I whispered.

Ryder shook his head. “Not from this angle. He’ll hit the emergency fire road first.” He pointed the way we were going farther through the trees.

Screw quiet. I had to catch him before he slipped out of our grasp.

I ran as fast as I dared, pushing through the brush, swiping at tree branches, desperately trying not to trip over rocks and downed limbs. The burglar’s footsteps were hard to follow here as the snow hadn’t made it past the dense blanket of foliage overhead, but we kept going in the direction Ryder had pointed.

When we finally broke out onto the barely visible fire road, there was a dark truck parked several hundred feet away. It roared to life, and I planted my feet, took aim, and let loose. The first shot pinged along the tailgate. Crap. I needed a tire. I aimed again, lowering my sight to the black rubber, and pulled the trigger just as the truck turned a corner. A weak ping let me know I’d hit metal again. Damn it. This is when being a SEAL versus an analyst would have come in handy—where my basic training didn’t quite cut it.

I yanked my phone out, calling Enrique. “Where are you?”

“Stuck behind the damn Escalade on the bridge.”

“Go back. He escaped in a dark-gray Ford F150. It has a bullet hole in the tailgate and the right rear fender. No license plate.” I looked at Ryder. “Where does this come out?”

“State Road Fifty.”

I repeated it to Enrique. In the distance, we could hear sirens—Maddox coming in blazing.

Ryder called his brother, repeating what I’d told Enrique.

We headed back the way we’d come, Ryder leading the way this time.

By the time we made it to the house, Enrique and Maddox had both called. There was no sign of the truck, but Maddox put out a Be On the Look Out, or BOLO, for it.

At the front door, Ryder went to go in, and I yanked him back, tossing him the keys to the Escalade. “I’ll clear the house. You move the car.”

His jaw worked. The debate clear on his face. I could practically hear his protective instincts clamoring at the idea of letting me go in without him, but I didn’t wait to argue about it. I eased into the entryway, peeking around the corner into the kitchen and great room. We’d only seen one person entering the house, but I still had to be sure. I slid with my back to the wall down the hall. Ryder’s study was empty. I continued toward the bedrooms. The door to my room was open, but it was empty and looked undisturbed. The bathroom and closet were just as clear.

I moved to Addy’s room, and my breath caught. It had been tossed. Clothes and toys were strewn everywhere. The mattress was shoved off, bedding dangling from the sides. Anger filled me followed by a wash of grief. She couldn’t find out about this, not after she’d just begun to feel safe enough to sleep in the damn bed. She needed to believe she’d be okay here.

I had to fucking make it the truth. Somehow, someway, that little girl would be protected here.

My eyes went to the nightstand where she always left her backpack. She hadn’t had it with her today, but it wasn’t there either. I did a cursory search of the room and didn’t see it. Maybe she’d brought it down to the game room this morning?

I left and headed up the hall to Ryder’s room. I hadn’t entered his space since I’d been there. And I was surprised to find it full of teak furniture reminiscent of Caribbean hideaways. The vibe echoed in the soft blue-and-tan of the linens. It was soothing and yet somehow masculine at the same time. The windows took up two walls. Gorgeous views of the valley in the west. The room would be full of golden rays and strokes of color in the evenings. I made my way into his enormous bathroom with a sunken tub and a shower with a bench seat and dual shower heads.

Unbidden, images of Ryder’s muscled body naked in the shower, an open palm leaning on the beige-and-blue tiles as water sluiced off him, hit me.

I swallowed hard, pushed it aside, and finished clearing the room before forcing myself to leave.

As I was coming down the hall, Ryder showed up with Enrique.

“No one upstairs,” I said, heading for the basement.

The men followed me. We searched all the unfinished rooms and found nothing.

I put my gun away, making my way to the entertainment center and cupboards where I’d put the games away the night before. Relief flitted through me when I found Addy’s Switch sitting right where I’d left it. I let out a shaky sigh and met Ryder’s gaze.

“Her room… It’s tossed. They took her backpack. But they didn’t get this.”

Fury crossed his face as he raced up the stairs. “Don’t touch anything yet!” I hollered after him.

“What’s on that?” Enrique asked.

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