Page 82 of Mountain Refuge

“Was your friend rescued?” Mrs. West clenched her hands together in her lap.

“No. She became sick and died.” Tracy wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “But a lot more were rescued.”

“It shouldn’t take as long to find Lacey,” Taya said. “We know the ring is close. I’m fairly certain it’s the same ring we thought we shut down in Oklahoma.”

“But now they’re here.” Mr. West reclaimed his wife’s hand.

“We believe so, yes.”

He glanced at Ryan. “What’s your part in all this, Mr. Boyne? Yes, I recognize you from your books.”

Ryan gave a grim smile. “I’m the bodyguard.”

The visits with the other two families proceeded pretty much the same. Tracy gave them hope, and Taya had to go along with the promises.

By the end of the day, exhaustion weighed on her so heavily each step she took seemed as if her feet had been encased in cement. As they drove back to Misty Mountain, she reclined her seat and closed her eyes.

When they arrived at Ryan’s cabin, she woke and sat up. “I’d hoped to stop by the sheriff’s office.”

“If you really want to speak to him, I’ll call and ask him to meet us here. You’re too tired.” Ryan held out his hand to help her from the Jeep. “What’s so important it can’t wait until morning?”

“I think I might have an idea where the next girl might be taken from.”

Chapter Thirteen

As he placed the call to the sheriff, Ryan’s gaze never left Taya, his eyes full of questions, as she rummaged through the drawers for a map. “He’s on his way. Tell me what’s going on.” He peered at the map.

“I wish you had a map of Misty Hollow and the surrounding areas.”

“Let me ask the sheriff.” He dialed again, made the request, and disconnected. “He has one. Are you going to make me wait?”

“Yes. In the meantime, give me a list of where all the girls in the state have disappeared from. I know there’s three from Langley, but we’ll count that as only one.”

“The sheriff can tell you that better than I can.”

“Another reason to wait for him then.” She flashed him a smile, then returned to the map.

“It’s no use, Ryan. My aunt is like a pit bull when she’s focused on something.” Tracy plopped into a recliner and slung one leg over the arm of the chair.

“Ha ha.” Taya spared her a quick glance, then held out her hand. “A red marker, please.”

“I don’t know if I have one.”

“Any marker will work, although I prefer red. Where is the sheriff?”

“It’s only been five minutes.” Ryan rummaged through the kitchen drawers, then headed down the hall. When he returned, he dropped a blue marker on the table. “Sorry. No red.”

She circled Misty Hollow, then drew a bigger circle around Misty Mountain. Once The Boss found out where they were hiding, this would become the center of his operations. Her gut told her he already suspected they were on the mountain somewhere. It was only a matter of time before he found them. They needed to prepare this place like a fortress.

“Instead of sleeping, your mind was going over all…this?” Ryan waved a hand over the map.

“Yes.”

A knock sounded at the door, and he went to let the sheriff in.

“Brought the map.”

“Great.” Taya snatched it from his hand. “Now, I need a list of every missing girl in the last month.”

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