Page 30 of Searching Blind

His sister?

Rhiannon wasn’t supposed to be here for another week. He’d cleared a long weekend off from his duties with Redwood Coast Rescue so they could spend time together.

He put the phone back to his ear. “What are you talking about, Ma? Rhia isn’t here. She’s still in Japan until next week.”

Silence echoed through the line for a moment before his mother replied. “What do you mean she’s not there? She was coming early to surprise you.”

Ice trickled down his spine.

Had Rhiannon been in Steam Valley during the earthquake?

“When?” he demanded, his voice coming out harsher than he intended. “When did she get here?”

“She landed in San Francisco yesterday and rented a car. She was going to take a few days driving up the coast. She should have arrived at your place this afternoon.”

Fear clawed its way up his throat, choking off his words for a moment. His little sister, his Rhia, looked at the world with wide green eyes and chose to see the good in it, even when the darkness threatened to swallow her whole.

She could be anywhere. Buried under rubble or trapped, alone and scared. If she lost her hearing aids, she’d be unable to hear rescuers calling out for survivors.

She could be hurt. Worse, she could— No. He wouldn’t let his mind go there.

His grip tightened on the phone. “I’ll find her,” he croaked out, struggling to keep his voice steady.

A muffled sob sounded from his mother on the other end of the line followed by soft, fervent prayer whispered by his father. He wished he could take away their fear. He’d already put them through so much—the endless hospital visits, the worry in their eyes when he spiraled into PTSD and depression, the murmured reassurances that he was okay, even though they all knew it was a lie.

After all that, he couldn’t, wouldn’t, let them lose Rhiannon.

“Go, son,” Clayton said firmly. “We’ll be praying for you both.”

His parents’ faith was unshakeable in moments like these. His? Not so much. He’d been raised a good Southern boy, attending church every Sunday and reciting his prayers dutifully every night. But after that FUBAR mission where he’d lost his arm, most of his team, and his sanity, after all the nights filled with terror and cold sweats, he’d learned that sometimes life kicked you down and kept you there, regardless of how hard you prayed. If there was a God, He didn’t give one hot damn about what was happening here on Earth.

But now…

Now, he wished he could borrow a bit of his parents’ unwavering belief.

“I will find her,” he promised again. “I love you both.” He hung up before his parents could say anything else. His world had just narrowed down to one single mission: finding Rhiannon.

As if on autopilot, he barreled toward his office, where Deputy Delgado had just finished with another tearful family.

She looked up as he burst through the door. “Oh. Rylan. Did you need your office—” She broke off, her dark eyes widening when she saw his face. “What’s wrong?”

“My sister.” Was that his voice, all hollow and broken? He couldn’t recognize it. “She was on her way here. She was... she’s missing.”

chapter

ten

“This is everything we have,” Grant said, dumping the last of the backpacks onto the table.

Lucy catalogued the meager pile of supplies.

Food: trail mix, jerky, granola bars, and the six packages of ready-to-eat meals she’d packed for the weekend.

Multiple First Aid kits of various sizes.

Four flashlights.

Climbing gear from Grant.

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