Page 28 of Searching Blind

Grant’s scowl only deepened. “Who else do you suggest? Ethan?”

Ethan grunted. “I’m not leaving my tower.”

“Okay, well, Chuck’s not an option. Neither is Joel. Bea could do it, but she won’t go anywhere without Theodore, and he’s all but useless. And you can’t go with her either, Sawyer. You’ll just slow her down more.”

Sawyer straightened, his usual good-natured calm shattering. Fury snapped in his eyes. He obviously wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. He could do a lot despite his blindness, but the disability made him a slow hiking partner. And speed was critical.

Lucy saw the muscles along his jaw work as he ground his teeth together. She touched his arm, felt the corded muscles tense under her fingers.

“He’s right, Sawyer,” she murmured. “I’m going alone. I know the terrain better than any of you, and I’m the fastest.”

His head jerked in her direction, his pale eyes blazing with disbelief. He looked like a man about to spring into a fight. But instead, he let out a long sigh and nodded, accepting defeat.

“I don’t like it.” He paused, rubbing at his forehead again. He definitely had a headache he was trying to hide. “But we can’t sit around waiting for rescue, and you’re the best one to go.”

chapter

nine

They were running out of room.

Rylan Cross studied the packed community center at Redwood Coast Rescue. In the hours after the quake, he’d helped Zak and Anna set up cots in neat rows and prepared to receive those displaced by the disaster. Now, every inch of the place was filled with a mix of locals and tourists, all seeking shelter, medical aid, or news from loved ones. Men and women with cuts and bruises, some with broken bones wrapped in makeshift casts, huddled together. The air buzzed with low murmurs of conversation, the strain of worry audible in every tone. The hum of anxiety was a living, breathing thing in the crowded space. It was like a war zone.

And there were still more survivors pouring in.

Rylan moved through the center, providing what comfort he could to the injured and scared, directing the flow of traffic to try to keep some semblance of order.

“Over here, folks.” He waved the newcomers through the door. Everyone looked exhausted, their faces ashen with dust and shock. Some staggered, relying on the support of friends or strangers to stay upright. “We don’t have any cots left, but there is plenty of food and blankets to your right. If you’re injured, we have medics set up in the back. If you’re missing a loved one, there’s a sheriff deputy stationed in the office down the hall taking reports.”

He’d given up his office space so Deputy Isabella Delgado had a quiet place to record missing person reports.

He didn’t envy her task.

Every hour or so, she emerged, her pretty face grim as she shared the growing list of the missing with her boss. Even from across the room, Rylan could see the deep creases in Sheriff Ash Rawlings’ forehead. Ash was a stern, taciturn man, a workaholic who had gotten only slightly better about taking time off after marrying his wife, Rose, last year. Ash was known for his unshakeable stoicism, but even he looked overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster.

Just then, Rylan’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him from his thoughts. Surprised that the cell network was still functional, he dug it out and saw his dad’s name. Guilt stabbed through him. He should’ve known his folks would be worried. He should’ve tried to contact them before now.

He started to answer, but a soft tug on his prosthetic arm distracted him. Looking down, he saw a small girl, maybe four years old, with tear-stained cheeks. She wore a Disney princess dress and had a grimy teddy bear clutched tight in her tiny fist. She tugged on his arm again, her gaze locked onto his with an intensity that went straight to his heart.

He slid the phone back into his pocket without answering and knelt down to her level. “Hey there, princess. That’s a cute teddy bear. What can I do for you?”

“I lost my doggie,” she whispered and there was so much fear and sorrow in those four words that his heart ached for her.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. What’s your dog’s name?”

“Bo. He’s really big and fluffy and he’s scared of thunder.”

“Tell you what— I know just the people to help you find Bo.” Rylan scooped the girl up onto his hip and scanned the crowd. He didn’t see a frantic mother looking for a child, and dread settled like a rock in his gut. Maybe the girl was missing more than just her dog. He spotted Anna Hendricks’ red hair in the crowd and weaved through the rows of cots toward her. As a co-founder of Redwood Coast Rescue and a mother herself, Anna was undoubtedly the best person suited for the task of finding Lily’s family.

“Anna,” he called, raising his voice above the drone of hushed conversation and the occasional wail of a baby. She and her teenage daughter, Bella, both turned, their faces pale and drawn. But at the sight of the little girl in Rylan’s arms, Anna’s expression softened, and she moved to their side swiftly.

“We’ve got a missing pup,” Rylan said, shifting the little girl on his hip. “Bo— big, fluffy, scared of thunder. And maybe a missing mom,” he added in a lower voice so the girl wouldn’t hear.

Anna briefly closed her eyes as if asking for strength from some unseen power. Then she opened them again and smiled at the girl. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

The girl buried her face in Rylan’s neck. He felt her hot tears seeping through his shirt collar.

“Lily.” Her tiny voice was muffled against his shoulder.

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