Page 51 of Among the Innocent

Dalton looked at Leah. “Call Sugar. Get the description out to all the law enforcement agencies around the county.”

She made the call.

“We’ll continue to have a police presence outside your home,”Dalton told the family. “Not that I believe you’re in any danger,” he assured Noah before he could voice the question. “It’s just for my peace of mind.”

Noah inclined his head.

“If you need anything at all, please let the officers know. As soon as we have more information, I’ll stop by. I’m so sorry for your loss. So very sorry,” Dalton said in a voice thick with emotion.

Leah and Dalton quietly left the family and headed out to the SUV.

After Dalton got in the vehicle, he gripped the wheel tightly. “I have a bad feeling about this, Leah.”

She looked into his eyes. “Me too, Dalton. Me too.”

Eleven

Dalton pulled onto the overlook he’d noticed just outside of town. The twinkling lights from the streetlights and shops penetrated the darkness. The mountains were black shapes in the distance, but they were always there. Just as God was. Even in the darkest moments when it was hard to feel his presence.

Leah shifted in her seat. “Why are we stopping?”

He killed the engine and sighed. “It’s been a gut-wrenching day. I thought we could take a minute.”

Her expression softened. “You’re right, it’s been a horrible day.” The word ended in a sob. He put his arm around her shoulders.

He held her without speaking and wished for a different time. When death wasn’t shadowing them at every turn. A time when the past wouldn’t stand between them.

“What aren’t you telling me about Harrison?” she asked so softly he almost didn’t hear.

She deserved to know the truth, no matter how hard.

Leah pulled away. “You two were close. I understand that, but there’s something else, isn’t there? Please, just tell me.”

Dalton rubbed his palm across the front of his shirt before answering. “Harrison is my brother.”

She searched his face. “But you aren’t Amish.”

“No, my family lived next to Harrison’s. We’d played together since we were toddlers. When I was around ten, my mother died and my father, well, I guess he decided he didn’t want to be strapped with a kid. He took off.”

“Oh, Dalton.” She touched his shoulder.

Talking about his old man was hard. It brought back the pain he’d gone through at the time. Losing his mother had been devastating. But to have his father take off like that ... “Harrison’s mother and father took me in and raised me like their own.” He swallowed a couple of times. “I owe them and Harrison everything. Who knows where I would be if they hadn’t taken me in?”

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Something shifted in her eyes while a soft breath escaped.

He leaned in and searched her face. Dalton cupped her cheek and brushed his lips against hers. A tender moment shared within the darkness closing in.

“Chief, you copy?” Sugar’s transmission broke them apart. Dalton couldn’t look away from Leah. He wished more than ever they had met at a different time. “Chief, the tribal police have located a dark green truck fitting the description.” Sugar gave him the address.

Dalton expelled a breath. Their gazes still tangled as he responded. “I copy you, Sugar. Leah’s with me. We’re heading there now,” he said in a rough tone.

He wasn’t sure what to say to Leah. Should he apologize?

She placed her finger over his lips. “Don’t you dare. That was a nice kiss, and I don’t regret it for a second.”

Dalton chuckled. He didn’t either. His attention went to her lips regretfully. He hit the lights and sped down the road.

“That location is nowhere near the Amish community.” Her voice appeared unsteady. Was she remembering their kiss? He sure was.

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