Page 34 of Rectify

“I wish I’d listened to my gut when you said you were leaving,” he told her.

Brown eyes watched him questioningly.

He smiled at her. “It was screaming at me not to let you go.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because I didn’t think it would matter. I figured you would still go.”

“You’re probably right. I thought I could handle anything. I thought I was so strong.” Her voice was bitter.

He cupped her cheek with his hand. “You are, Lovely. But being strong doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. Got me?”

“I know. Believe me, that’s one lesson I’ve learned.”

Aedan glanced up as Tanner entered the room. He momentarily froze at the look on the other man’s face. Shit. He glanced down at Natalya, who hadn’t seen him yet.

“Tanner. You have some news?” he asked as Natalya turned to look at the other man.

“Yes.” Tanner’s face was grim. “There’s been a sighting of a little boy matching Mateo’s description.”

“Where?” she asked.

“Lake Medina.”

“What? But that’s miles away from Hondo. Why would he be there?” Natalya asked.

“I don’t know. That’s not the only thing. The woman who saw him called the police. She thinks the little boy fell into the lake.”

“No, no, no, no!”

The pain in her voice nearly broke him. He would do anything if she didn’t have to go through this.

“Natalya, I’m so sorry,” Tanner told her. “They’re getting divers ready to search the lake.”

6

“Ijust don’t understand. I don’t understand,” Natalya muttered to herself as she stood huddled beside Aedan behind the police barricade. The cops had blocked off this portion of the lakefront from being accessed by the public.

Aedan was glad they couldn’t get any closer. The divers had been searching for hours now. If they did find Mateo’s body, the last thing Natalya needed to see was him being dragged up from the water.

“Lovely, why don’t we go back to Rogan’s house and wait?” Aedan tried again, but Natalya just ignored him. She’d been like this since Tanner had told them there was a possibility Mateo had fallen into the lake. She’d pulled into herself. Aedan could understand it, but he didn’t like it. He wished she’d share a little of her thoughts with him, so he could try to ease her terror.

Natalya looked up at him as though fully seeing him for the first time in hours. They’d all tried to talk her out of coming here, but there had been no talking her around.

“Why would Diego bring him here, Aedan?” she asked, pressing her wrists to her temples. “Why would he leave him?”

“I don’t know, Lovely. It may not have been Mateo.”

Please don’t let it be Mateo.

“But it could have been. The report said a woman saw a small boy, about two or three, with dark hair and a blue T-shirt. Mateo had on a blue T-shirt when he was taken.”

Natalya placed her arms around her waist as though trying to hold herself together. Aedan watched her worriedly.

“Mateo hates the water. He doesn’t even like to take baths. He wouldn’t go in the water, Aedan. He just wouldn’t.”

Screw this. He couldn’t take much more of her pain. Aedan grabbed her, tugging her in tightly against him.

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