Page 74 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

I tip my hat and turn the key in the ignition. We take off at a steady pace as we make our way back down from the ridge. The ride is bumpy, and Edwin and I look back at her nervously, checking on her constantly. When we reach the gravel aroundthe barn, I continue past the parking area and drive right up to Edwin’s police cruiser.

I look around. “Where is the ambulance?”

Edwin grimaces. “There was an accident on the road to Kalispell. Our only ambulance and firetruck reported to the scene. I took this call and assured the EMTs I would be transport.”

Ingrid and Callum come rushing out, and at the sight of Aislinn, Ingrid starts crying. I can’t look at her if I want to hold it together. Callum reaches out and pulls Ingrid into an embrace. She quivers against his shoulder as he rubs circles along her back.

Edwin opens the back seat of his cruiser, and the two of us gently load her into the back seat. I look at her on the bench and release a shuddering breath.

He turns to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I know you want to come with me, but you need to stay here and find that Deed of Trust and your grandfather’s will. I promise I’ll put my lights on and get her to the hospital as fast and safely as possible, but right now, the ranch needs you. She will be in excellent care in the ER, and there's nothing you can do to help her. You will stand, pace, and stare at a wall. Once you locate those documents, come find me. I will stand guard outside her door in case her ex shows up. I know we don't have proof, but I won’t take any chances with her.”

I nod, placing my hands on my hips and staring at her in the back of the patrol car. She looks so small.

“Please take good care of her, Edwin. I can’t lose her,” I declare on a shaky exhale.

I pat his shoulder, and he turns, hopping into the car. The lights go on, as promised, and he takes off down the drive toward the hospital. I stand there until the flashing lights disappear inthe distance. A shadow covers my soul, knowing I can't be with her.

Small hands reach around and hug me from behind. I pat Ingrid's wrist and take a deep breath to settle my nerves.

“Where are we at? What have we searched, and what have we found?” I ask, trying to refocus my attention.

Callum approaches me with a sad smile gracing his face. “Your mom found the will in your home office, and she brought his official Death Certificate with her. The deed is still missing, but we have two last cabinets to go through in the rafters. Once word of Aislinn being trapped in the mine came, we all switched to search and rescue and bringing out people to help.”

I nod in understanding. My entire body aches, and it’s only early afternoon. The day is far from over.

My mom comes rushing out of the house with a paper napkin in her hand.

She quietly mumbles, “Lachlan, I know your mind is elsewhere, but you need to keep up your energy to be strong for Aislinn. You need to eat and drink some water.”

Shoving a sandwich in my hand, she wraps me in a hug, and I kiss her temple.

Axel comes running out of the office, scrubbing his hand through his hair. “Lachlan, you need to see the security feed,” he says in a gruff voice.

He turns and yanks the office door open, disappearing inside. His laid-back persona is gone, and in front of me is the former Navy SEAL who is my head of security.

Following him through the door, I find him sitting at the computer. He motions me over as he explains, “Two people walked up the drive at 5:40 a.m. They are both wearing sweatshirts and baseball hats. Do you recognize either one?”

Staring at the screen, I rub my palm against my jaw. “The one on the right looks like Cody, but the other one...I have no idea. He is too fair to be Cody’s friend James. Do we have any other shots of them?”

Axel grinds his jaw as he clicks through the camera feeds. “You aren’t going to like this one, so be warned.”

The video plays and I watch as one of the men gets in the driver’s seat of the Gator. It looks like Cody to me. Moments later, the other man comes around the side of the barn with Aislinn draped over his shoulder. She is hanging lifeless against his back, and his arms are braced over the back of her knees. My stomach churns as I watch him lay her in the back of the Gator and toss a wooden bat in next to her. The Gator backs up and takes off toward the Topaz Ridge Trail seconds later. I hear Ingrid gasp and Callum make a strangled sound as the video feed finishes playing.

“I don’t know who the other guy is, but I want you to send this video feed to Edwin,” I say. “Good work, man. I am going to go check the rafters. I need to get this situation under control before I lose my last thread of control.”

Axel looks at me knowingly and gives me a nod. “I’m on it, Boss.”

I turn toward the barn and begin to eat on my way to the ladder. After watching the video of Aislinn, I am losing what little appetite I had. I want to cry, I need to scream, and I feel like I might throw up. This combination of emotions is one I hope to never repeat.

Why we decided to store Grandpa’s things in the barn rafters is beyond me. After this ordeal is over, I plan to go through everything and give it a proper home. Forcing the last bite of the sandwich into my mouth, I quickly uncap the water bottle and chug half of it. Tossing it onto a bale of hay at thebase of the ladder, I grab onto the rungs. My hands ache from climbing the hillside today, but I block out the discomfort and begin to climb. Callum comes up behind me and follows me onto the landing at the top. Grandpa’s things are disorganized and all over the room up here.

At the far end of the room are five small filing cabinets.

Callum points to the left. “I got through those three. These two on the right, I still need to look through.”

I nod and pat his shoulder. “Thanks, man, I’ll take the one on the end.”

Making my way across the wooden planks, I carefully step on the joists. Falling through the floor is not part of the plan. I drop to my knees and pull open the bottom drawer. Grandpa labeled everything meticulously, so in theory, this should be easy. ‘Electricity Bill,’ ‘Gas Bill,’ ‘Water Bill.’ I sigh.

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