Angel Fire

Chapter Three

Tori ran her hands through her hair, noting that they were trembling. Her stomach was in knots and her chest hurt. Sam…please.

“Tori?”

She turned, meeting Casey’s concerned eyes. She nodded. “How’s Les?”

“They’re going to take her to the hospital,” Casey said. “She said a man came out of the woods dragging the girl. They didn’t know she was dead. When they went to help, he hit her with something. When she came to, she was tied to the girl.” She paused. “Sam was gone.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“You called your people, right?”

“Yeah. I’m supposed to wait for a call from some guy named Murdock.” She let her frustration show. “Goddamn, O’Connor. The bastard took Sam and I’m supposed to wait? What the hell?”

“What else can you do?”

“What can I do?” she asked loudly. “I can fucking go after her, that’s what.” She headed to the motorhome as if to do just that, but Casey grabbed her arm.

“It’s dark, Tori. Come on. Where you gonna go, huh? Head north?” Then she pointed into the woods. “Or maybe head out there into the woods somewhere? I think that’s west. Hell, Hunter, or go south. Maybe he went that way. Or maybe he had a car and took the highway. Nobody knows where he went. The sheriff’s department is up to their eyeballs in crime scenes. They’ve got the house here. They’ve got the accident on the highway where four people were shot. I heard one of them say they found a car south of Taos with two bodies, both shot at close range. They’re thinking that may be linked to the accident. So you’ve got to wait, Hunter.”

“Goddamn, O’Connor,” she muttered, knowing Casey was right.

“You can’t just head out into the woods like a crazy woman, Tori,” Casey said. “We wait for a team to get here.”

“He killed that family like it was nothing,” she said, snapping her fingers. “What the hell do you think he’ll do to Sam?”

“He took her because he needs her. If he wanted her dead, she would be. So would Leslie.” Casey released her arm. “Now, anything disturbed inside?” she asked, motioning to the motorhome.

Tori swallowed down the lump in her throat. “She changed into jeans. Her shorts were on the floor. Hiking boots missing.” She closed her eyes. “And my sweatshirt.”

“Her weapon?”

Tori shook her head. “It’s still in the drawer. So is her cell.” She flicked her gaze to the approaching paramedic.

“Excuse me, but we’re heading out,” he said to Casey. “Did you want to go?”

Casey looked at her and Tori nodded. “Go on, O’Connor. Be with Leslie.”

Casey walked over to her and hugged her quickly. “Don’t do anything stupid, Hunter. Wait for the team.”

Tori managed a small smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Casey left and Tori turned her gaze back to the ever-darkening forest. She closed her eyes. Sam…please be okay. She had never felt so helpless as she did in that moment. She wasn’t used to feeling helpless and she wasn’t used to waiting. She was used to doing.

She returned her gaze to the trees beyond the motorhome. That was where he took her. She didn’t know how she knew, but she felt it in her gut, in her heart. That was where he took Sam. She took a few steps in that direction, then stopped. She knew it would be futile to set out alone.

And alone was what she was. She stared up into the night sky, feeling as lonely at that moment as she had when her family was killed when she was a child. Maybe more so. She knew Sam meant everything to her, knew Sam was the most important thing in her life. She knew that. But she didn’t count on the complete emptiness she felt at her absence.

She heard a twig snap, and she turned, surprised to see Casey heading toward her.

“What the hell, O’Connor?”

Casey shrugged and stepped close to her, their shoulders touching.

“You’re supposed to be with Les.”

Casey shook her head. “Right now, I think you need me more than she does.”

“Oh, hell, Casey. You need to be with her.”

“I need to be with you.” Casey bumped her shoulder. “Besides, she made me stay.”

Tori nodded. Yeah, Leslie would do that. “Okay.”

“Come on,” Casey said. “We got that bottle of scotch. I think we need a drink.”

Tori’s gaze drifted back toward the forest. “Yeah. Okay.” She looked at Casey. “But I don’t want to talk, O’Connor.”

“Hell, we’re not going to talk. We’re going to drink and wait for your people to call you.”