Page 119 of The Girl in the River

A sigh of relief escaped him when he saw she was in one piece, although he did see fresh bruises on her face.

The sheriff returned Ellie’s weapon and she tucked it into her holster, her glare of contempt toward Kincaid hot enough to burn rubber.

“Go back to Crooked Creek, Detective. And don’t leave the state,” Kincaid said with a warning in his eyes. “I might need to talk to you again.”

Ellie lifted her chin in defiance. “Oh, you’ll be talking to me again, I promise you that.”

Anger humming through the air, she strode outside.

Derrick followed, giving her a moment to breathe before they reached his sedan.

“That asshole,” Ellie said. “I want to nail him to the wall with the Moons.”

“We will,” Derrick assured her. “I talked to Ranger McClain. Something’s going down tonight. Cord is following Ronnie’s boys now.”

Ellie’s eyes flashed with concern. “He’s going to call us with the location, right?”

“I gave him instructions to,” Derrick said.

They reached Derrick’s sedan and got in, then saw Sheriff Kincaid leave the police station.

Ellie fastened her seatbelt. “Let’s follow him and see where he goes. If he’s covering for the Moons, he may know what’s in that cargo van.”

Derrick agreed, started the engine and pulled away from the parking lot. He had a feeling the bastard was as deep and dirty as the Moons.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY

SOMEWHERE ON THE AT

Ellie called Cord as Derrick tailed Kincaid.

“Are you okay, El?” he asked, his voice muffled.

“Yeah. Derrick and I are following Sheriff Kincaid. Where are you?”

“I’ll send you the coordinates. Followed Chester and Lloyd past the docks to what appears to be a warehouse in a secluded section on the river.”

“We know where that is,” Ellie said. “We were shot at when we tried to get closer. Do not go in on your own, Cord.”

“I’m outside,” he said in a low voice. “They’re about to unlock the door and—”

His voice was cut off. Ellie’s heart raced. “Cord?”

Static sounded, then a rustling sound.

“Cord, what’s happening?”

No response.

Panic rippled through Ellie. “Derrick, I think they have Cord. He’s at that warehouse.”

“Looks like Kincaid is headed that way, too,” Derrick said.

Ellie gripped the edge of the seat. They had to save Cord.

Seconds ticked into minutes, her anxiety so intense she felt dizzy. Kincaid veered onto a winding dirt road into the woods, and Ellie realized Derrick was right. This was another route leading to the warehouse without having to go in on foot.

Her breathing rasped out as they crept behind Kincaid, every second filled with fear for Cord. He shouldn’t be here. He should be home safe.

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