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Chapter 14
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Find Him Chapter 15
Dean returned to the kitchen. “A news van just pulled up outside.”Olivia took a moment to study his features carefully. She wanted a clue as to what had sent him out of the house earlier. His posture was set square and tension radiated out from him.Glen got up from his chair, anticipating the doorbell to sound. “Do either of you wish to talk to the press or make a statement?”“I don’t,” Dean said, then looked at Olivia. “You go ahead if you want to.”“No, I have no wish to give the monster the pleasure.” Olivia had seen the parents of kidnapped or missing children begging at press conferences for mercy as they wept. She wasn’t about to become one of those parents unless someone could persuade otherwise her.The doorbell rang. “I’ll get the door and tell them to stay off your property,” Glen replied, and then left to deliver the message.“I think the sheriff will expect you both to stand next to him when he holds the press conference,” Dan said. “I definitely have no intention of sh
Find Him Chapter 16
A reporter attempted to shove a microphone into Dean’s face. He pushed past them all and quickly headed for his car. It was time to use his training and start thinking like a texas ranger and not like a father. Dean could see sheriff Tanner was a lazy man, and that there was no way he was up to the task of finding Eli. Besides, his confusing emotions about Olivia would drive him crazy if he didn’t get out of the house.Whenever she touched him or gazed at him, he couldn’t stay angry with her. She’d said she needed him, but he didn’t trust that the need for him would be there when Eli came home. Dean headed to Trent’s house. It was the closest. He parked out the front of the address. The house was an attractive, cream-rendered two-story building. He did not know if he would be home. He took a moment to calm himself and find his cold, hard shell that had served him well in his work. He couldn’t interview these men with the emotional turmoil of Eli’s father.Dean walked to the front doo
Find Him Chapter 17
They drove in silence, full of aching anticipation of finding Eli. The old property had been abandoned for over five years. The last Olivia heard, Emma and John Winchester had passed away within a few months, leaving the three children and Emma’s younger brother in litigations.The caller said he couldn’t identify the person as a man or a woman. She knew this might be another crank call, but the caller had sounded genuine. Was it Jack they had seen?Her gun sat in her lap as her index finger mindlessly tapped the barrel. Its weight was familiar to her. She’d wanted a weapon. Her father encouraged her to learn how to shoot. He knew he wouldn’t be around forever and had wanted her to be able to protect herself and Eli. She was comfortable shooting it. She’d never believed until this moment that she could shoot and kill somebody, but she would have no hesitation if it meant saving her son’s life. Dean had grabbed his gun out of his truck before they had left. When protecting Eli, she kne
Find Him Chapter 18
Dean woke just after dawn; he remained still, their bodies warmly embraced. His head filled with thoughts of their lovemaking. It was even better after all these years—almost shiny, brand new, and deeply satisfying. They were pure magic together; however, he had no illusions that what happened between them meant they were now a couple again. She had needed him to melt away her suffering as he had needed her.Thoughts of Eli started to nag at him. Where was proof of life? Was the ransom call legitimate? These questions needed answers.He gently moved away from Olivia and got out of bed. Grateful he hadn’t woken her. He picked up his boxers from the floor and went into Eli’s room, where he grabbed clean clothes and headed to shower. He washed off the lavender-scented soap, turned off the tap, and then dried off. His mind was consumed. The waiting was tearing them both apart. He desperately needed something to happen.Dean arrived downstairs, and Dan and Glen were drinking coffee in the k
Find Him Chapter 19
Lying on his side, Eli willed his eyes to open. His clothes felt dirty against his skin. He needed a bath. He knew he was still chained to the wall, but the chain was long enough to allow him to move around the basement and reach the toilet next to an old sink where a cup sat so he could drink. Sitting up, he inspected his ankle and reached down to try to loosen the shackle again, but his ankle was now too swollen and sore to keep trying. He began to cry again. It scared him that nobody had found him. Was he still in Valley Mills? For all he knew, he could be in New York, he had learned a little about that place in school, and he knew that it was a long way from his home. He also knew his kidnapper wore a black coat and ski mask; Eli didn’t know if it was a man or a woman. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The black figure was carrying something new, an old wooden chair and something white folded under his arm. Eli tried to speak with his capture again. “Why are you keeping
Find Him Chapter 20
“How dare she question my motives.” Dean was seething with anger. He clenched and unclenched his hands around the steering wheel. She hadn’t lived through the emotional turmoil and damage his father had put him and his siblings through. His mother’s death was enough to send him over the edge. To bargain for his son’s life was the most challenging thing he’d ever done.He drove faster. He was headed down to the marina where the exchange was supposed to occur. He wanted to look around and cool off. He hoped Ben and Logan could come up with some new information that would find Eli before Monday night. He drove down the gravel driveway and into the Bosque River Marina carpark. Attempting to push away the heated argument with Olivia, he focused his attention out of the window. His eyes scanned the area. He could see the number three wharf, where most of the moorings were occupied. He saw a large metal box next to the pier security door. Nearby a man was standing in the cockpit of his boat
Find Him Chapter 21
Eli tossed and turned in endless dreams. Flashing images of his mother and Dean calling him, he couldn’t find them, and worse, they couldn’t find him. His eyes opened in time to see the large black figure disappearing up the stairs. His heart was beating fast. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He had been crying in his sleep again. Next to his cot, resting on a small table, was a glass of orange soda; it was his favorite soda. A treat his mother allowed sometimes. He drank it down; the sweetness felt cheerful. A moment later, he yawned the most enormous yawn he could ever remember as a sudden heavy sleepiness overcame him. He put his head back down on the pillow.***Logan walked to the end of the porch and turned to face his two friends. “Here’s what we know so far,” he said with solid eye contact. “The DNA results from the blood found on the side of the van at the Mexican border belong to Ed Stringer.”“Jack’s lackey,” Dean exclaimed, his mouth falling open.“There’s more,” added Logan
Find Him Chapter 22
Late that afternoon, on the outskirts of Waco, Texas, clouds gathered like a thousand black kites knotted together and trapped. The air inside cabin 13 suggested the smell of burning rubber and paint fumes. The Lone Star hotel had a long reputation for drug sessions and sleazy hookups. The room’s two occupants lay naked on the bed. The woman had taken her last breath half an hour ago. The needle hanging out of her arm had seen to that; there was nothing he could do. His thoughts were now of sorrow. He wanted to try, but it hurt too much. Raising his eyes to the ceiling, he whispers a prayer. A tear escapes as he slowly let go. His life slipped away. At last, he is rid of that stuck-up bitch of a boss Olivia Reed. * * *“I’m assuming there is still a patrol car parked at Wayne’s,’ Dean said when they were a block away. “I’ll park out of sight and sneak through backyards. I don’t want to get shot by some nervous deputy.” He pulled up to the curb six houses away from Waynes. Ben grab
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