Page 136 of Stolen for Keeps
Then I saw her in the back seat. The tint dulled the details, but I caught enough. I saw her leaning forward, her eyes scanning through the glass, trying to find one face. Mine.
I didn’t stop to think. I just sprang out of the truck.
Dom was out of the truck in a flash, circling the hood and slamming a forearm across my chest before I could take another step.
“Don’t make a mess of this, Lucas,” he snapped.
“I have to get to her!” I growled, twisting to break free.
But Dom held firm. “And you will. But not like this. Youstorm in there now, you’ll tank everything. She needs you calm, not reckless.”
I didn’t care. I was halfway to losing it.
And he read it in my face. He shoved me, hard, back toward the truck. “Get in.”
I cursed but obeyed. I sat in there, fuming, as Dom adjusted his tie and walked straight toward Harlow without an ounce of fear in him.
“Detective Harlow,” he said. “You’re in violation of a pending habeas corpus writ. Filed fifteen minutes ago, timestamped and signed by a sitting judge. If you continue past this point, you’ll be committing federal contempt.”
Harlow scoffed. “You think I give a damn about?—”
“You will,” Dom cut in. “Because your badge won’t shield you from this. She’s not going to Bozeman. She’s going back to Sheriff Colton’s office. And you’re going to sit down, shut up, and read the court’s response when it comes through. Or I’ll be calling every journalist I know and turning this into a circus.”
Deputy Granger didn’t say a word, but he gave me a reassuring nod. He’d always said he worked for the people of Buffaloberry Hill. He meant it.
Harlow swore under his breath and turned back toward the car. He and the Bozeman PD officer trailed Deputy Granger’s cruiser all the way to Hamilton, the county seat of Ravalli and home to the sheriff’s main office.
I didn’t let up, trailing them in my truck.
At the sheriff’s office, Maya was escorted through the narrow hallway toward the holding room.
“You’re gonna be okay,” I said, trying to get the words in before the door shut between us.
Dom blocked my path. “Stay out here. Let me do my job.”
“I need to be with her,” I insisted. “She’s probably trappedin that same nightmare again. Thinking it’s all happening just like before.”
Dom gripped my arm. “Then don’t make it worse by panicking. You want to help her? Let me work.”
I stayed.
I sat on one of the warped benches in the lobby with my head in my hands. The fan above creaked with every spin while I paced, checked my phone, and pictured worst-case scenarios until they stacked on top of each other, brittle and dizzying.
Finally, Dom walked out. His tie was crooked, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
He looked like hell.
“The hearing’s happening. Soon. But listen, she’s in danger of being denied bail. What with no ties to Montana and no family here. Her mother’s in Seattle, and she has no assets. Just a part-time job she could walk away from.”
“Family?” I snapped. “She’s got half the town.”
He didn’t argue. But the truth sat between us.
It wasn’t enough.
Not on paper.
“I know what to do,” I said.
