Page 124 of Love in the Wild

“Let us handle this.”

Blood pumped in heavy waves through Gage’s body, pushing him into action he couldn’t take when he hadn’t found her yet. “I’ll burn this whole place down to find her. Do what you have to do, but don’t get in my way.”

“Gage–”

“Who’s coming?” His boots crunched over leaves and limbs as he followed the trail of disturbed dirt. It looked like something had scraped across the ground, and Gage didn’t allow his mind to linger on that harrowing piece of evidence.

“We have officers out on calls. She’s been missing for less than an hour.”

“Every second counts, Asa. Bring more. I want everyone in Blackwater out here.”

“We’re doing everything we can. We’ll find her.”

Gage’s breaths came quicker. “I have to find her.”

Asa’s tone was softer, missing the tension from seconds before. “I know. We will. Tommy is being tracked by his ankle monitor. He should be at home, but we have officers en route to check.”

Dread landed in his gut like a rock. “What about the Wilsons?”

“Bobby and Zach are locked up and far away. We’d know if they’d somehow escaped federal prison.”

“Rome. Where’s Rome?” Surety fueled his search as soon as he spoke the name. Rome was behind this, and knowing the danger did nothing to suppress the adrenaline pumping through his body.

“We haven’t seen Rome in years. Last word we got about him was from your interview.”

“He’s behind this. I know it.” Gage swallowed hard. Rome took too many notes from the Howards’ playbook, and he had a thirst for vengeance. “He wants me to find them. It’s why he didn’t cover his tracks.”

“Why?”

“The same reason they didn’t kill Thea. They wanted Brett to find her and…” The knot in his stomach rolled, burning the sickness into fury. “He wants me to watch.”

“Shoot. I’ll call in reinforcements.” The line went dead as soon as Asa finished his sentence.

Gage called over his shoulder, “You two armed?”

Both Mr. Benson and Travis confirmed. No one went out into the woods without a weapon, but he had to make sure they were ready for a different kind of predator.

“Don’t hesitate. It’s Rome Wilson.”

Travis mumbled something, but everyone kept going. The Wilsons were almost as infamous as the Howards and Pattons. Rome was a household name, but not one you’d bring up in good company.

“I’ve got a trail over here.” There wasn’t much sense in splitting up if the path was laid out for them in plain sight. Rome was leading him straight to the trap, and there wasn’t anything Gage could do to stop it.

The flat land began to rise, leading them to a blind peak. “Where does this lead?” Gage asked.

“There’s a bluff and a creek below it. If we want to cross, we have to go that way.” Mr. Benson pointed to the right where the hill led down into a valley.

Rome could have taken her to the top, realized it was a dead end, and followed the bluff down to the crossing. If he did, they were wasting precious time climbing the hill.

“You two head that way. I’ll follow the trail.”

Travis picked up his pace since he didn’t have to follow the trail anymore.

Gage turned to Mr. Benson. “You head toward the middle and see if you can spot the trail leading down. If not, call Travis and have him come back up.”

Mr. Benson veered off with a nod. They didn’t have time for thanks or apologies, but Gage owed the man both. Both men had jumped into the search without a second thought, despite the danger they were headed toward.

Gage stuck to the trail with his heart beating out of control in his chest. If he didn’t calm down, he wouldn’t be able to hear any movement over his own fear.

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