Page 65 of His Reluctant Savior

“I’m coming with you.”

It took only a beat to decide, and I nodded. “Get dressed… quickly now.”

It didn’t take us long to reach my room. I unlocked the door as Easton and I ran in. I looked around the room, blinking and processing why Dalton wasn’t where I’d left him, sleeping in bed, and the bathroom was dark with the door open.

“Where the fuck did he go?”

“He’s gone,” Easton said flatly.

Stupidly, I called out his name before I pulled out my phone and texted him.

Me: Where the fuck are you?

“Fuck, I bet Savannah called him. When he didn’t find me, he left.”

I ran outside and looked at the parking lot. Sure enough, our car was gone. I hit my hand on the cold metal railing. “Goddammit!”

“You should have told him where you were.”

I glared at Easton as I rushed back to our room, grabbed a few guns, and tossed one to Easton. “We’re going to get him and Owen. Now. Did you bring yourBeamer, or did you rent?”

“I brought my car.”

I held out my hand. “Keys. I have a lot more driving experience than you.”

He handed them to me, and we rushed to his car, jumped in, and took off with screeching tires.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been afraid, though I tried to hide it in front of Easton. My hands gripped the wheel as I cut sharp turns and drove west on the highway toward Middletown, which was a twenty-minute drive I could make in ten at the speed I was going.

“How did they find the boy, dammit? How?” I hissed.

“You can only hide for so long, Sid. You know this.”

“We were fucking careful with him. I had most of Dalton’s and Savannah’s history removed.”

“You’re asking questions which you know the answers to.”

He was right. With all the data in the world, if you dig deep enough, you can find what you’re looking for. It’s all about finding threads and connections. And Dalton and I had been running for far too long, waiting on our own threads. Perhaps DerrickMeckes, Dalton’s co-worker, found that thread with Savannah at Matthew’s funeral.

“You need the family,” Easton said calmly.

“No time. I need to reach the farm. Dalton can’t be that far ahead. Fuck, I hope Savannah and her family are okay. Once we save them, we’re coming in with Dalton and his son.”

I ignored Easton’s stare, probably questioning my rationality. Rarely did I give a fuck, but the Duvalls were good people for taking a risk to protect Owen.

As I wound around the country road not far from the farm, I tried to take deep breaths to calm my heart and fears. Fear caused mistakes. Fears blurred logic and rationality. I had to stay focused.

We drove along the driveway, passing the car Dalton had driven to get here. The house was dark, with all the lights out, making it hard to see anything other than the moon's dim glow.

I stopped the car and put it in Park as Easton and I both got out.

“It’s too quiet,” he said.

“I don’t see anyone here. Where are the other cars? Are we too late?”

I pulled out my gun and ran to the house. I tested the door to open it, but it was already cracked open, clearly not shut all the way. A lump formed in my throat, which I swallowed thickly and stepped inside with my loaded gun drawn.

“Dalton? Owen? Savannah?”

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