Page 57 of Shelter for Sharla

“What’s going on?” Edwards asked, blinking rapidly.

“Nothing. Go home. Or go out on patrol. But stay away from the office,” Carter ordered.

“But, sheriff?”

“GO!” Carter bellowed, and the young officer grabbed his belt and his jacket and high-tailed it from the office.

Cruz wheeled on him and glared. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“Yes. I’m leading you guys straight to them.”

“But you’ll be the sacrificial lamb. If we swoop down on them and you’re with them, they’ll kill you on the spot and won’t think twice.”

“But Sharla and the kids will be safe.”

“But without you! Fuck, Carter, there were so many other ways this could’ve gone! We could’ve played it dozens of ways that would’ve been safer for you!”

“But not for them.”

Cruz sat down hard on the edge of the desk and sighed. “I hope you don’t have anything you’ve left undone, because I don’t think you’ve got much time left.”

The office grew silent, and Carter sat down behind his desk. So many things he wanted to do… He’d done a lot with his dad before the elder Melton had died, but after his father’s death, Carter had started to make his own bucket list. It was pretty short too, not to mention simple.Stay on an isolated tropical island. Sit in front of the fire in a lodge in the Rockies. Throw out the ball at the opening of baseball season for one of the big teams.Those were the only ones he could think of. Well, there was one more.

Dance all night with the woman I love in my arms.

He’d thought that one had no chance of ever happening, and of all of them, that was the one that might’ve actually happened. Now it never would. Cruz was right, and he knew it?as soon asLaTana delLupohad the information they needed, they’d kill him. But that was okay. Sharla and the kids would be safe.

That would just have to be enough.

* * *

“Yeah. Okay. See you then.”Cruz turned to Carter, who was sitting at his desk, linking paper clips together mindlessly. “They’re about three hours out. They just got the team completely assembled. Bad news. The guys from Lexington aren’t coming. But they’re sending some from Cincinnati, although they probably won’t get here in time.”

“Um-hmm.” Carter didn’t even look. Why should he? It was just a matter of time.

Cruz pulled up a chair in front of his desk and leaned in. “Buddy, give me the coordinates too. At least two of us will have them, and that will buy you some safety.”

Carter shook his head decisively. “No. No way am I endangering anybody else.”

Dropping back in his chair, Cruz let out a sigh Carter was sure was pure irritation. “You are the most determined son of a bitch I’ve ever seen.”

“Yep.” His phone rang and he glanced at the screen. Sam. “Yeah?”

“We’ve got a problem.”

Carter sat straight up in his chair. “What? What’s happened?”

“I can’t locate my guys at the school. They’re not responding by radio or phone.”

Carter was already grabbing his coat. “We’re on the way. You hear me? We’ll be there as fast as we can. Let me know if you find them.”

“What? What’s going on?” Cruz demanded.

“The guys watching the kids. Radio silence. Nobody’s seen them.” He needn’t have asked Cruz to come. The tall Texan was right on his ass all the way to the cruiser.

Lights flashing and siren blaring, Carter drove like a maniac through Cadiz and kept going at over one hundred miles an hour. He whizzed past one state resort park, through Canton, flew over the bridge there, and tore into the LandBetween theLakes National Recreation Area. As soon as he crossed the bridge over KentuckyLake, Highway68 turned, but he headed straight in on Highway80 toward Murray, his tires barely touching the pavement. He glanced briefly over at Cruz, but the agent showed no signs of fear or anger, so he kept going. There was no choice but to slow down when he reached the junction of 80 and 641, but he made the turn on a green light and floored the cruiser for the end of the trip to the school.

Pulling up close to the faculty building, he was stunned. There were cruisers everywhere, officers everywhere, and… an ambulance. “Oh, shit. We’re too late,” he whispered.

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