And yet he hadn’t been able to stop himself.
Even when she’d about come unglued he’d ignored her protests. Which was unlike him. He wasn’t one of those men who thought they knew best, who was always pushing other people into his way of thinking, who disregarded anyone else’s point of view.
But here he was, driving down the lane leading to her house, fingers wrapped around the steering wheel in a death grip as he wondered what he would face at her doorstep.
An irate Nate Santana?
One of her brothers?
He steeled himself for whatever confrontation was headed his way, but when he rounded the final bend and the beams of his headlights illuminated the house, the place looked serene. No cars or trucks were parked in the lot. No interior lights flashed on when he pulled to a stop.
He cut the engine andyanked on the emergency brake.
“Thanks for the ride…I guess,” she said, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door. The overhead light switched on and he saw how pale she was. The cuts on her face, though healing, were pronounced, the bruising under her eyes deepened by dark smudges from lack of sleep.
“Get some sleep. You can get your truck in the morning.”
“My truck! Could I use your phone one last time? I’m sorry. I’ve lost my cell.” She lifted a helpless hand, then dropped it. “Haven’t had time to find it, and my head’s so overloaded I’m afraid I’ll forget this call by the time I get inside.”
“No problem.”
He handed his phone to her and she punched in a number.
She was still seated in the truck, one leg resting on the running board, her faded, worn-out jeans stretched tight. “Hey, are you still at the scene…? Yeah, really awful…I can’t imagine, and Robert…I know…Look, I saw Mom, and she was pretty upset, but Oliver came over to pray with her, or whatever it is they do, and I think she’ll be okay…Hmmm…Listen, could I ask a favor? Can you move my truck? I was blocked in. Couldn’t get it out…I caught a ride…from Settler.” She glanced at him quickly, then nodded, as if whichever brother was on the other end of the line could see her. “No worries. I’m okay…The keys are in the ignition. I’ll see ya tomorrow. Thanks, Aaron.” She flipped the phone closed and handed it to Travis. “Mission accomplished.” Sliding out of his truck, she stood and faced him through the open door. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“No, I mean for everything.” She offered him the ghost of a smile, a hint of warmth. Her otherwise beautiful face was now wracked with grief, pain and sheer exhaustion.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’d ask you to come in,” she said lifting a hand, only to drop it to her side. She didn’t finish her thought but he knew he’d overstayed his welcome as far as Shannon Flannery was concerned.
“Another time. I’ll be back tomorrow. I mean, later today.”
“To see if we can get the dogs to pick up Dani’s scent.”
He nodded, sobering as he thought of his missing daughter. He realized with a tiny jolt that the more he was with Shannon, the more he recognized her resemblance to Dani. He glanced to the house. “You got someone to take care of you?”
“I’ve got Khan.” She smiled. The first genuine one he’d witnessed. At whatever she saw on his face, her smile deepened.
“Okay, Hot Shot,” she said, “you’re the one who’s been digging around in my personal life, the guy who’s been checking me out with field glasses and Internet research. Do I have someone to take care of me?” She slammed the truck’s door shut, looking at him through the open window. “You tell me. It’ll be on the test tomorrow.”
She lifted a hand in good-bye, then she made her way to her door, unlocking it and slapping on the exterior and interior lights before bending down to the mutt of a dog at her feet. The ball of fur with the ragged ear wiggled and whined as she looked up at him, smiled again, then slipped inside and shut the door behind her. He heard the lock slide into place with a loud and definite click.
So where was Santana? Travis wondered as he fired up the engine. Why wasn’t he with Shannon tonight? Since he hadn’t driven with her to the fire, why wasn’t Nate Santana, her lover, waiting up for her?
As Travis turned his truck around in the gravel lot, he checked for another vehicle, but the parking area was empty. Santana could have parked in the garage, but Travis had a feeling the guy wasn’t on the premises. He glanced at his watch. It was late. Hours after midnight. Where was he? And where had he been on the night Shannon had been attacked?
Trying to make sense of it all, he scanned the outbuildings, his gaze landing on the blackened rubble of what had been the shed.
Who was behind this?
Jesus-God, where was Dani?
Frustration and fear gnawed at him. Swearing beneath his breath, he punched the accelerator, the tires spraying gravel in his frustration.
The days were slipping through his fingers. The monster who had his kid was getting bolder and more deadly. Now another woman was dead and Travis was damned sure that Mary Beth Flannery’s demise was somehow linked to Dani’s disappearance.