Page 57 of Belong With Me

It wouldn’t do anyone any good if they were out hunting for Sienna and I’d gone and crashed myself into a damn fence post. Though, wouldn’t that be serendipitous? That we met with her crashing her car into a fence post, and mere weeks later I’d done the same thing.

After a few more moments, I took one final deep, centering breath, before calmly, and slowly, turning the truck along the main road in the original direction. Savannah’s voice crackled through the radio. “Home base checking in. Locations?” We all knew the calls. We’d been through this with fires and other emergencies over the years. “Ry, check in.”

Picking up the radio, which sat in my lap, I pressed the button and spoke into the mic, “This is Ryder. I’m currently at the entrance. Heading toward town.” I removed my thumb from the button the moment I finished talking.

“Got it. Kenzie, check in.” Van’s voice came through loud and clear.

My heart pounded waiting for my younger sister’s response. “No go on my end. Milo and Oz haven’t picked up anything yet. We’re heading towards Wyatt’s place now. Maybe she’s there.”

“Good call, Dolly,” Savannah approved, and I knew she was noting the locations down, just like our father taught her. Smiling a little, despite the situation, I remembered one of the things he used to tell us. “When you’re the one in the command center, you must keep track of your men on the ground at all times.”

“Colton, check in.”

This was the one I was most anxious to hear, clenching the steering wheel tight as I waited to hear my brother’s voice. “Negative in Maddie’s paddock.”

Exhaling, I tried not to jump to the worst possible conclusion.

“Where are you heading next?”

“I’ll keep going towards the river and follow that along.”

“Okay. Check in as soon as you find anything.”

“Wait, I think I see something.” This time when I heard his voice it had changed. He sounded out of breath, my heart jumped to my throat, and I struggled to breathe.

“Got it—”

“What is it? What do you see?” I almost growled into the radio, overriding whatever my sister was about to say.

“Where are—”

Savannah’s voice was once again cut off as I heard Colton’s voice come back through. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, Ry, but I can see Ducky. I don’t, however, see Sienna anywhere.”

“Find her, Colton.” I definitely growled this time.

“What if I meet you there?” Savannah offered. “I can get Toffee ready in a few minutes and head over.”

“I’m heading closer to Ducky now. Van, you stay there.” Colton’s order reached my ears before it fell quiet for a minute, and I held my breath while I waited for anything at all. For any sign that she had been found. My grip on the radio was painful. But I wasn’t going to let it go. I kept heading in that direction, not game to increase my pace in case I wasn’t as lucky next time I took a corner too quickly.

When I heard the telltale crackle of someone pressing their radio transmitter button, I locked my spine. “She was here. I’ve located the small leather bag she had with her earlier on the ground.”

“What else?”

“If you stop interrupting me, I’ll tell you.”

“Colton, stop mucking around and just spit it out.” My voice echoed around me in the cab of the truck.

“I can see her footsteps in the dirt, I’ll follow them and let you know as soon as I find anything.”

“Go fast, Colton.” I pulled the truck over to the shoulder and put the shifter into Park.

“You don’t need to remind me of that, brother.”

I bit my tongue, forcing myself to not reply. He would do what he said. The moment he knew anything at all, he would contact us.

The minutes passed at a slow crawl, while my car sat at a standstill. I didn’t want to head in that direction in case it was a false trail. Without being on Ducky, Sienna could have gone anywhere at all. Although she wouldn’t be able to cover as much ground on foot.

My blood ran cold when Colton’s voice broke through into the silence. “I think I heard a scream. I’m heading to check it out now.”

---