Page 96 of Silver Sanctuary
Nash’s eyes left the road for one second. “Always. I’ll always believe you.”
His bloodied knuckles tightened back around the steering wheel, and her mind went to Embrie. She had to be so scared. Someone had tricked her, and by now, Lacy was sure her brilliant girl had figured that out.
It was her mother—it had to be. She didn’t pay the blackmail, so this was her punishment. Her mother hadn’t even hidden the threat. She’d told Lacy flat out that she wasgoing to take Embrie. She was going to do the most painful thing possible to Lacy, and she made good on her word.
Her eyes wouldn’t focus, black and white dots dancing dangerously in her vision.
“Baby, please, just try and breathe.”
Lacy’s chest ached as her body jerked at the command. God, why was it so hard to hold herself together. She needed to be strong. She needed a clear mind. They hadn’t talked about what happened at the school—not about him hitting a deputy, or her saying thank you. Because she did want to say it, but she couldn’t. It was like she was trapped in her mind, behind the panic that was growing stronger with each passing second.
Nash’s hand squeezed down on her thigh. “Breathe, Lace. I want to get to that field, but I’ll pull over this truck if I need to.”
No! They had to get there. She forced herself to take in a shuddered breath. It hurt—a million times worse than when her ribs were battered and bruised.
“I’m sorry. I—I’m trying. Drive. I’m fine.” She winced at her words. “Not fine.”
“I know.”
She focused on her breathing, because if Nash could hold it together, then she could too. They would find Embrie, and then she could fall apart. Once she knew her daughter was safe. Once she had her back in her arms.
“I just want to get there. I want to know what they found. If they found…”
Nash nodded, the fingers around the steering wheel turning white from his grip. They rode the rest of the way in silence, every second ticking by a sick reminder of how far her mother could have gotten with Embrie. And if Adam was with her…
“Right there.” Nash flipped on the turn signal as they rounded a corner, red and blue flashing lights and a dozen or more sheriff’s department vehicles sat scattered around the shoulder of the road.
Hank Porter, the Clarence County Sheriff, was standing alongside several deputies, Embrie’s backpack being passed in front of two search-and-rescue dogs.
Lacy moved, but this time Nash was faster. His hand clamped down on her arm, holding her in place until he was able to park on the shoulder of the road. That was all the time she’d given him though, because the next second she was bolting out the door, sprinting full speed at Hank.
Until Hawk stepped out into the road and wrapped his arms around her. It wasn’t until that moment, until she saw the look on Hank’s face but couldn’t reach him, that she let herself even imagine the worst case scenario.
“Let me go! Let me go, Hawk!”
His hands let go, but his eyes went right over her shoulder, to Nash, while he blocked her path.
“Lacy, you have to listen to me.”
“Where is she?! That’s her backpack! EMBRIE?!” she screamed. “Embrie!”
“They don’t think she’s here.” Hawk’s admission had her fighting even harder to get over to the deputies. She needed answers. There had to be something that they knew.
“They have the SAR dogs here, though?” Nash questioned.
“Are they… are those the dogs that search for bodies?”
Her knees gave out, but Nash moved to wrap his arms around her just as Hawk did the same.
“Whoa. No. I mean, these dogs are trained in that, yes. But that’s not… they just want to see if they can get a trail. That’s all, Lacy.”
Nash pulled Lacy out of Hawk’s half hold and tucked her into his chest. “They just want to get a lock on her scent, sweetheart. They’ll sweep the field and see if they pick up a trail, but most likely, her backpack was dumped here.”
“They knew about the tracker?”
“More than likely they just suspected it, knowing Embrie’s ties to us and what we do,” Hawk admitted.
The sheriff walked away from his deputies.
