Page 130 of Veil of Silence

Cross hadn’t done this alone.

From that position, the driver had a clear view of Harris’s drawn weapon. Whoever sat behind the wheel already knew the transfer had failed.

Cross began backing toward the footbridge, pulling Preston with him. The boy stumbled, his shoes sliding in the mud, but Cross kept him pinned against his chest.

Imposter Christian followed without being told, his shoulders rigid and his gaze fixed on the ground.

Deputy Harris moved parallel to them, using the trees for cover while keeping his weapon trained on Cross. “The tactical team is approaching from the farmhouse. You’re out of time, Cross.”

Cross’s gaze darted toward the woods behind him. He had to know Harris was telling the truth. The shepherd might already be tracking them, and the swollen creek left the footbridge as the only direct route to the waiting vehicle.

Yet the gun in his hand remained steady.

Nora kept her hands visible as she took a cautious step forward. “Christian, come to me.”

She hated using her brother’s name for him, but it was the only name she had. More importantly, it was the name he would recognize.

His gaze lifted to hers.

“You don’t have to go with him.” She tried to keep her voice from shaking. “Whatever he told you, whatever he made you believe, you can walk away.”

Cross gave a humorless laugh. “You don’t even know his name.”

The words found the wound Nora had been trying not to feel. This boy had lived in her home, eaten at her family’s table and let them believe their prayers had been answered. Yet she didn’t know the first thing about who he really was.

Then she remembered the folder Glen Dalton had shown them.

Seven missing boys. Possibly eight.

What if one of them stood in front of her now?

Maybe this boy hadn’t been planted in her family. Maybe he had been taken, conditioned and stripped of his identity just as Zander had been.

Maybe he had run to the Lovelesses because Christian had told him where to go.

“No,” Nora said. “I don’t know his name. But I know he drew this place. He wanted us to find him.”

Christian’s expression shifted. The emptiness cracked, and something frightened and painfully young surfaced in his eyes. His gaze dropped to Preston before returning to Nora.

“You were taken too, weren’t you?” she asked softly.

For one heartbeat, his face gave her an answer.

Cross swung the gun toward him. “Move.”

Preston whimpered and tried to pull away. Cross jerked him tighter, lifting the boy partly off his feet.

Christian flinched and stepped closer to the footbridge.

“Don’t listen to him,” Nora said. “Whatever they made you do, you don’t have to obey them now.”

Cross backed onto the first weathered plank. Water surged beneath the narrow footbridge, swollen from the rain and rushing hard enough to swallow every other sound.

The vehicle across the creek shifted into Reverse. Its tires spun in the mud before catching, and it began retreating along the road.

Cross twisted to look over his shoulder. His boot slipped on the wet plank before he caught himself.

Harris used the distraction to advance to the next tree, cutting the distance between them without leaving cover. His weapon remained trained on the portion of Cross’s body not shielded by Preston.