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Chapter 17
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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
Find Him Chapter 23
The storm had arrived, thunder rolled, and lightning flashed. Outside the abandoned farmhouse, a car door slammed, and a motor whined. Ed squinted through the grimy living room window and watched as the white van headed down the long driveway and onto the highway.His expression grew smug as a sneer crossed his narrow lips, and he recalled how easy it had been to move the boy from Wayne’s house. Those stupid rangers drove right past us. Now the brat is safely tucked away in the basement, and with the sleeping pills I put in his soda, he should sleep for a couple more hours yet… And I don’t have to listen to him crying for his mommy.Lightning flashed again, turning the whole world purple. In its glare, Ed saw something standing a few yards from the house, looking at him. He blinked and looked again… the lightning was gone, and with it, the something. It was nothing… a trick of the light.Ed drew the curtains against the approaching darkness. A lantern sat on the sideboard across from
Find Him Chapter 24
***It was dark when the men came through the front door. Ben and Logan headed into the kitchen, where they found the deputies. The look on Dean’s face told her everything she needed to know. He was beaten, his eyes filled with sorrow and pain she recognized well. He jammed his hands in his pockets. “I missed him, Liv; Eli was being held in that basement.” He looked at her with the shine of tears in his eyes. “I wasn’t enough for my father to love, I couldn’t get it right with you, and now I can’t find my boy.”She reached out and ran a hand over his face. Eli had his bright blue eyes, bold brow, and cheekbones. It was a face she loved. It was a face she had always loved; she’d seen the likeness of it every time she gazed at her son. At this moment, she’d never felt so close to Dean. She hadn’t realized until this moment that there was still a part of him, a little boy who longed for his father’s love. Who knew the pain and suffering of being overlooked and neglected by the father w
Find Him Chapter 25
Olivia’s mind raced with a mix of hope and anxiety as she clutched Dean’s arm tightly. The call had promised Eli’s safety, a glimmer of light in their dark journey. Her heart ached to believe it, to embrace the possibility that her son was finally within reach. She looked into Dean’s eyes, searching for reassurance. “Do you think it might be real?” she asked, her voice trembling with anticipation.Dean squeezed her hand gently, his own heart filled with a flicker of hope. “We don’t lose anything if we go and check it out,” he replied, his voice filled with determination. He understood Olivia’s fear, but deep down, he sensed that they couldn’t ignore this opportunity. It was a chance they had to take.Ben chimed in, adding his voice to the discussion. “We just checked the shed on the property. We didn’t check the farmhouse,” he said, his voice laced with cautious optimism. “Eli was only moved this afternoon.”Olivia’s intuition tugged at her, urging her to follow this path. Despite her
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