Page 54 of Stitch & Steel
Bella’s voice haunted me the entire ride. The panic in her tone when she called. The sharp edge of fear under every word. I’d only been gone a few days, just long enough to handle a job, and now the woman I swore to protect was out there, alone in the woods, in God-knows-what condition.
As the sun sank below the ridgeline, the air grew colder. Shadows deepened. The light on the horizon died slow, and all I could think about was how scared Gran might be, and how Bella must be pacing her porch, holding Scout back by the collar, waiting for the sound of my engine.
We rolled into town just as twilight turned to dusk.
Headlights swept across storefronts and closed diners. The general store was shuttered. The sidewalks were empty. Our tires crunched on gravel as I pulled into the lot across from the post office and killed the engine.
Bella was already there. Scout barked the moment he saw me, practically launching himself from the front seat of her car.
I caught the dog one-handed and wrapped my other arm around Bella as she collided into me.
“Nothing?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
She shook her head against my chest. “I checked everywhere. Grocery store. Library. Even the feed store. No one’s seen her.”
“She had the car?”
“Yes.”
“And no one’s reported an accident?”
“No.”
I clenched my jaw and turned to my men.
“Bullet, take Bear and check every back road and hiking trail on the south side. Tarak, you head up to Miller’s Hollow and circle back. River—hit the ranger station. I don’t care what strings you have to pull, get a grid map and start plotting every possible route out of town.”
“What about you?” Bullet asked.
“I’m going up the mountain,” I said. “I know where she likes to go.”
“And me?” Bella asked.
“You’re staying here.”
Her eyes flared. “The hell I am.”
“Bella—”
“No. I can’t just sit here and wait.”
I grabbed her shoulders, my hands rough but steady. “If something’s out there—if someone’s out there—I need to know you’re safe. I can’t have you running through the woods in the dark while I’m trying to find her.”
Her mouth pressed into a hard line. “Then let me help at base. Let me organize. Give me something.”
I nodded. “Okay. Stay here. Talk to the deputies. They’re cutting through red tape for me, but they’ll need someone local to work with.”
“I can do that,” she said, standing taller.
I kissed her forehead and turned to my brothers. “Ride hard. Ride smart. Call me if you see anything—tire tracks, fabric, a damn grocery bag in a ditch. We don’t stop until we find her.”
They nodded and peeled out in different directions, engines snarling like war drums.
I took the winding road up the north ridge alone, the sky dark above me, stars flickering like dying candles. My headlight cut through the brush, every tree branch a ghost, every shadow a threat. I rode slower now, scanning both sides of the road.
“Come on, Gran,” I muttered. “Talk to me. Where the hell did you go?”
At the first switchback, I stopped and climbed down, flashlight in hand. I scouted both sides of the trail, calling her name until my throat went raw.
