Page 87 of Max's Mission

“I need you to track a phone. Berry took Tad and Emily.”

Asher muttered a curse. “Okay. You got a number?”

Max pulled the phone back and checked his texts. “Marchand, you’re amazing, thank you,” he muttered. The man had sent the number without question. Louder, he read off the digits to Asher.

“I’m on it. Give me a couple minutes.” The line went dead.

“Max? What’s going on? Did you see her?” Ford came up beside him.

“No. Marchand called.” Max turned, heading back up the hill. “Berry’s got Tad. And Tad found Emily.”

“Hell.” Ford fell into step beside him. “You call Sam and Dean. I’ll call Ezra and Edie.”

As they ran, they made breathless phone calls, rallying the troops. Everyone was on their way by the time they broke through the trees into the backyard.

Max dashed across the grass to the sliding door to the living room. When he entered, he quickly scanned the space and saw Margot sitting on the couch, her head in her hands. Brooke sat beside her, running her hand over Margot’s back. Lily was on her other side, clinging to her mother.

She looked up, and he knew Marchand had made contact by the bleak look in her eyes.

“We’ve got everyone coming.” He hurried over and sank to his knees in front of her. “Marchand said the phone line is still active. He was on the phone with him when Berry took them. Asher’s already attempting to track the vehicle. There aren’t many roads here. We’ll find him.”

She sniffed and nodded.

Max turned his attention to Lily, who stared up at him with her wide hazel eyes. “You doing okay, pumpkin?”

She nodded slightly, looking down. Her tiny fingers fiddled with the hem of Margot’s shirt. “I miss Sissy.”

“I know you do, honey. She’ll be home soon.”

The front door opened and Sam came through, Audra right behind him. They didn’t even get to say hello before Max’s phone rang again.

It was Asher.

“Go.” Max put the line on speaker.

“They’re at the marina.”

Ford was quickly on his phone. He had an office there, still staffed at this time of day.

“I’ll stay on it,” Asher said. “Call me back if you need something else.”

“Yep.” Max hung up, then looked at Ford. “Well?”

He held up a finger, listening. A moment later, he responded to the person on the other end in Spanish, telling them to keep an eye on things, that they were on the way. He hung up. “They’re boarding a boat. Let’s go.”

“You guys go ahead. Margot and I will take my car.” They needed a car seat for Lily.

Ford nodded, already backing toward the door. “We’ll see you there.”

Max scooped Lily off the couch. “Time to go, honey.”

“To get Sissy?” She wrapped her little arms around his neck, holding on as he headed toward the garage.

“Yep.”

Dashing through the house, Max snagged the keys to his SUV off the wall by the garage, as well as the keys to all of his boats. He might need them.

“Get in,” he told Margot. “I’ll buckle Lily into her seat.”

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