“What if you do the opposite?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What if you started talking about her? Sharing about her.” Maggie’s need to see his face had her coming around the rock. She took his hand.

  He looked down at it, then back up, but said nothing.

  “You could start with Hannah or the team. Tell them about our child.”

  “To what end?”

  “To let them see your pain and help you.”

  He frowned. “I don’t need their pity.”

  “It wouldn’t be like that, and you know it. They’ve all experienced loss in life. Maybe not a child, but someone they cared about. They won’t pity you, they’ll love you more for sharing.”

  “I’m not sure that’s the answer.”

  “Then what about sharing our story with people who need to hear it. To hear that there’s life after loss. As you find your own way out of it, you can help them, too.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “You’re an amazing woman, Maggie. I’m glad you could finally move on. I hated that you had to go through this horrible week, but I’m glad to have reconnected, and I’ll think about everything you’ve said.”

  “That’s all I can ask for.” She squeezed his hand, and he turned to leave.

  Just like the team’s mission to rescue others, she’d had the same mission tonight, and she failed. It was all up to God now.

  Maggie shot up in bed. Her heart pounding.

  Something was wrong. Very wrong. But what?

  She looked around her bedroom. Everything was in the right place. Her chair. Her robe at the foot of the bed. Her covers rumpled, but still intact.

  She glanced at the clock. Nearly five a.m. Maybe the noise had come from some animal stirring outside her window. Wouldn’t be unusual. The woods were full of them. Maybe the woodland creature was heading back home as the sun would be up in less than an hour.

  She listened. Heard nothing. Sat there in the dark, the moonlight streaming through the rivets of her blinds and falling on her bed.

  Had she dreamt it, whatever it was? She tried to remember her dreams. She’d fallen asleep thinking about the way Jackson had tenderly kissed her hand. How it sent tingles running up her arm. Through her body. And how broken her heart felt when she failed to help him.

  Maybe he wasn’t sleeping, and she’d heard him moving around.

  She got up, slipped on her robe, and stepped into the hallway. The house was dark. The family room was dark and empty, too. She checked the kitchen. He wasn’t awake. Or at least he wasn’t out of the guest room. She started back down the hallway and stood to listen outside his door.

  Nothing. No sound of movement from his room.

  Okay, fine, she imagined it, or dreamt it, and she should just go back to bed.

  She slipped into her room and quietly closed the door so the latch didn’t wake him. She wasn’t worried about waking Daria. She was a sound sleeper and not much woke her. Not even her alarm clock, so she had to set two of them every night.

  Maggie shed her robe and went to grab a glass of water from her bathroom. She passed her walk-in closet and heard it then. The noise. A creaking in the ceiling.

  What in the world?

  Was the house just groaning in the wind?

  Doubtful, as wind wasn’t buffeting the windows.

  She stepped to the closet. Reached for the light switch and looked up.

  Movement above caught her attention. Something big. Body-sized.

  She flipped on the light.

  A large person all in black—including a ski mask—tumbled from the attic crawl space.

  She screamed, her voice spiraling up and echoing through the house like a banshee cry.

  19

  Jackson flew from his bed. Did he dream the scream or did Maggie actually scream?

  He raced to her room and didn’t bother knocking but pushed through the doorway. He stopped and raised his hands when he saw a masked man with a gun to Maggie’s temple.

  The creep had his other arm clamped around her neck, his finger already on the gun’s trigger. Panic assaulted Jackson. With a finger on the trigger, this guy could accidentally discharge his weapon. Maggie wouldn’t stand a chance.

  “Who are you?” Jackson asked while thoughts pinged around in his brain.

  “No concern of yours. We’ll be going now.” The man tightened his hold on her neck.

  Her gaze darted around, and she lifted her hands as if planning to pull the arm away, but then let them fall helplessly to her side.

  Jackson’s stomach cramped hard. She looked so panicked he could hardly keep from leaping at the man and taking him down.

  “Move to the window,” her assailant said to Jackson, likely wanting to get him out of the way of the door

  Jackson stared at the guy and wished he could figure out this man’s identity. Had Vetter or Garrett hired this man in a desperate attempt at revenge?

  “Did Vetter or Garrett send you?” he asked.

  “As I said. It doesn’t matter who I am.” He tipped his head at the window. “Now move out of our way.”

  Jackson took a few slow steps, his mind racing to find a way to stop this man from taking Maggie.

  “How did you get in the house?” Jackson asked to buy time.

  “Picked the lock and walked in the front door while you were all out playing search and rescue at Summit.” He grinned, a self-satisfied number that showed uneven teeth. “I hid in the attic until you all were snoozing. But this one had to go and get curious. Who knew she was such a light sleeper?”

  Jackson knew that, but it hadn’t ever been important before this very moment. He kept staring at the guy, when suddenly something Maggie said on the first day came back to him. Crooked teeth. The man she talked to at the Summit neighborhood had crooked teeth.

  “You’re the guy,” Jackson said, realizing he’d been wrong about Vetter. He never actually admitted to attacking Maggie. Just that he needed to do something about her seeing him. “The one who tried to kill Maggie at Summit the other night.”

  “You’re a regular Sherlock.” He chuckled.

  “Why are you doing this to her?”

  “Why? Because she saw me that night. I came by to see if they’d found Gamblin’s body yet. Now she can identify me. I’m not going to prison for murdering that lowlife scumbag. He deserved it. Every bit of it.” His eyes were inflamed with anger. “Now move or I swear I’ll kill you both right here.”

  Jackson knew it was time to get out of the way, but he also knew what that meant. This man was going to walk out the door with Maggie, and Jackson needed a clue of the man’s identity in order to hunt him down.

  Jackson started moving toward the window and locked gazes with Maggie. “I’m sorry, honey. But don’t worry. You know I’ll be right behind you.”

  The man shoved the gun into her temple so hard her head jerked. Jackson saw red and could barely stand by and let this man abuse her this way.

  “You follow us and she dies.” The guy pivoted Maggie as he moved them across her bedroom, his gaze following Jackson.

  Jackson kept his focus on Maggie, his insides screaming to find a way to stop this.

  The man backed to the door. Maggie opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it before they disappeared into the hallway.

  What was she about to say? Did it really matter?

  Jackson’s worst nightmare had come true. He failed her again, and this time, his error could very well cost her life.

  Maggie could hardly breathe. Not only from the arm clamped tight against her throat, but also from the fear that was stealing the little breath she could gain. It felt like a big fist grabbed hold of her stomach, squeezing it into a tight ball of panic. She still didn’t know who this man was, but she did know he was a killer, and right now, that was all that mattered. If he killed once, he would kill again. This time it would be her as she couldn’t see how Jackson could follow them without endangering her life.

  She wanted to look back to see if he was coming down the driveway behind them, but her abductor held her too tightly for her to take a look. She didn’t hear Jackson, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t there. He could tail them, and this man would never know it. At least Jackson could follow them until they got into a vehicle and drove away. Jackson couldn’t very well follow then. Just starting a car engine would alert this man. And on these twisty remote roads, her abductor could turn off anywhere, and they could be long gone before it was safe for Jackson to come after them.

  Near the end of the drive, the man veered into the woods, the shadowed area extinguishing the wavering light of dawn. He kept up his pace, the gun still planted at her head. But as they walked, his arm slackened around her neck a fraction, allowing her to breathe a bit easier.

  “Where are you taking me?” she got up her aching throat.

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “I don’t get it. If you’re planning to kill me why not just do it now?” she asked and hoped he wouldn’t take her up on the suggestion.

  “And let your bodyguard take me out right after I do? No way.” He took her on a crazy zigzagging path through the woods as if trying to confuse Jackson. But this creep didn’t know Jackson. He wouldn’t be confused. He could track them. Of that she was sure. Of course, when the guy got her in a car, that would change. Jackson’s team didn’t have a dog, but she knew the sheriff’s department did, and Jackson would call in all resources to find her.

  They came out of the woods a few miles down the road from her property, and she spotted an older model gray Camry parked on the side of the road without license plates. Even if Jackson was right behind them, he couldn’t track them that way.

  “We’ll climb in on the passenger side together.” He pressed her body against the car and released her neck. He fumbled in his pocket and held out a key fob to unlock the door. “Here are the keys. You’re driving.”

  He pressed them into her hand. She thought to refuse, but she knew he would simply force her to take them, so she curled her fingers around the metal. He opened the door. Keeping the gun at her head, he maneuvered them into the car until she was settled behind the wheel.

  “Get it going,” he said.

  She cranked the engine and reached for her seat belt. He might be planning to kill her soon, but she wasn’t going to let that happen, and she also wasn’t going to risk her life by not wearing her seat belt.

  She got them on the road. “Where to?”

  “Keep driving, and I’ll give you instructions.”

  She glanced in the rearview mirror and spotted Jackson jogging behind the car. She let up on the gas.

  The man glanced in the side mirror. “Go faster or I’ll turn and shoot him.”

  She didn’t want anything bad to happen to Jackson. She pressed on the gas, and before long, she could no longer see Jackson.

  She felt so empty. So alone. So afraid.

  Jackson stopped on the side of the road and panted for air. His heart pounded against his chest, and his gut was tied in a rock-solid knot. He failed Maggie. Really failed her. Panic assaulted him, and he didn’t know what to do. Running after the car was foolish. There was no hope of catching it, but having no idea of the abductor’s identity, Jackson couldn’t just let them disappear.

  But disappear they had. Into the cool light of dawn. He had to do something. Now! But what?

  Think, man, think!

  He needed the team, but they, minus Coop, were in Cold Harbor. Somehow, they needed to get here. How, with the chopper out of commission? Maybe Coop could borrow Vince’s helicopter.

  Yeah, that was it. Jackson hoped, anyway. He dug out his phone and dialed Coop. It took five rings before he answered.

  “I need help, now!” Jackson blurted out and explained Maggie’s abduction, the panic welling up inside his body scaring him. He never felt this out of control before, and he needed to be in control to run the op to find Maggie. She needed him to keep it together. Needed him to figure this out.

  He took a long breath. Blew it out and forced a calm to his tone that he still didn’t feel. “We need to get eyes in the sky right away to find the vehicle. Can you fly Vince’s chopper or maybe take the part you need from his helicopter?”

  “Part won’t work, and he’s gone home for the day. Let me see if I can roust him.”

  “No. Not see. Do it,” Jackson demanded.

  “You need to calm down, man. You aren’t doing anyone any good like this.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “Hey, I get it. I was there not too long ago. You have to trust that God will protect her, and she’ll be okay so you can move forward in making a logical plan to find her. If you can’t do that, then step down, and I’ll take over.”

  Jackson ground his jaw, resolving to do what Maggie needed from him. He wasn’t going to fail her again. “I’ve got this.”

  “Then let me get ahold of Vince.”

  “Call me the minute you hang up.” Jackson disconnected and started for Maggie’s house. He didn’t have a good relationship with God right now, but he did know God was there and would hear his prayer and answer it.

  Problem was, Jackson knew he might not like the answer. Still, he prayed. Hard. Each step down the deserted road, he pled with God to spare Maggie’s life and bring her back to him. To give him the plan he needed to find her and save her.

  He took a few more calming breaths and set his mind on finding the next logical step. If he couldn’t get up in the air himself, he needed help in looking for the car. The local sheriff likely didn’t have a chopper, but state police might. Worst case, Nate had deputies patrolling on the ground.

  He dialed the sheriff’s cell.

  “Sheriff Ryder.” His sleepy answer told Jackson he woke him.

  “Sorry to wake you, Sheriff. Jackson Lockhart, here. I need to report an abduction.” He shoved down the panic and concisely reported the incident.

  “Man, oh, man,” Nate said. “The creep killed Gamblin, huh? Poor Maggie. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and doesn’t deserve this.”

  Jackson more than agreed with Nate’s statement. “Our chopper’s out of service or I’d be in the air tracking them. I need your help until we can get eyes in the sky.”

  “You do know we’re a small agency, and we don’t have a helicopter, right?”

  “I figured as much but thought maybe the state police do.”

  “That’s a negative.”

  “Can you set up a roadblock, Sheriff?” Jackson reached Maggie’s house and jogged up the steps.

  Daria stood in the doorway, clasping her hands together. “Is she—”

  Jackson held up a finger and gestured for her to go inside. He followed and closed the door.

  “It’s Nate,” he said. “And yeah, I can set up the roadblock, but you’re in the far reaches of my county. You should know it’s likely the suspect will have turned off long before I can get a deputy out there.”

  “Understood,” Jackson replied but hated to have to admit it. “If we’re going to find her, I need more information on Andre Gamblin’s murder.” Jackson twisted the deadbolt and felt as if he was somehow cementing Maggie’s fate by locking her out.

  The knot in his gut tightened when he didn’t think that was even possible.

  “You at Maggie’s house?” Nate asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll head over with the file as soon as possible.”

  “Thanks.” Jackson disconnected and shoved his phone into his pocket.

  “Is Maggie okay?” Daria cried out, her eyes wide with concern.

  Jackson didn’t want to scare Daria even more, but it couldn’t be helped. “Last I saw Maggie she was fine.” He gave her an abbreviated version of Maggie’s abduction.

  Daria clutched her chest. “Are we safe here?”

  “This wasn’t random. Maggie was the target, and you should be fine. Still, you may want to go back to your friend’s house.”

  “Yes. Yes.” Her head kept bobbing. “I’ll get ready and leave now.”

  At the door, she turned back. “You’ll find her, right? I mean you guys are like this amazing team, and if anyone can find her it will be you.”

  “You can be assured I will find Maggie.” Jackson ground the words out between his teeth.

  Daria nodded and fled down the hallway. He grabbed his laptop from his tote bag and took it to the kitchen. After placing it on the counter, he made a pot of coffee. He left it to perk and turned to his computer.

  He entered Ozzie and Andre Gamblin’s names in an Internet search box. A long list of news articles about the rape filled the page. He clicked on the first one from the local newspaper. Their mugshots flashed on the screen. Both were snarling, their heads cocked in a look of superiority. Jackson’s fists curled.

  He started reading the story, and it confirmed what Maggie had told him about the rape. The story went on to say the journalist tried to interview the victim, but she refused. Jackson couldn’t believe this writer even tried to interview the woman. She’d already been through so much, why make her relive it just to sell papers?

  Jackson’s phone chimed a text from Coop. Vince was going to send his pilot and chopper back to pick up the team while Coop stayed to wait for the part and fix the team chopper.

  Jackson’s heart lifted a notch. At least his teammates—the people he counted on to have his six and Maggie’s, too—would be here soon. Together, Jackson was confident they could bring Maggie home.

  He turned his attention back to his computer and read every article about Ozzie and Andre. Jackson was just about to enter the victim’s name in the search engine when the doorbell rang. He glanced up, surprised to see two hours had passed. Maggie, his sweet Maggie, had been missing for more than two hours now. He could hardly fathom it. He vaguely remembered Daria saying goodbye, but he didn’t know how long ago.

  He went to the door and opened it. The sheriff stood strong in the morning sun, casting a long shadow into the room. He held a thick folder in his hand.

  “Anything from the roadblock?” Jackson asked.