Page 137 of Veil of Silence

“Suspect vehicle is heading east. Driver failed to stop.”

Prine stood near the ruined bridge, listening as another voice reported that officers had lost sight of the vehicle after it turned onto an unmarked logging road. She ordered the units to continue searching, but Austin heard the frustration beneath her words.

The fleeing driver proved Cross hadn’t acted alone.

The farmhouse. Glen Dalton’s list of missing boys. Cross living under a manufactured identity while working inside law enforcement.

This was larger than Austin had understood.

Cross might be in custody, but he was only one part of whatever group had taken Zander Dalton, Christian Loveless and the other boys.

Christian stirred beside him. His eyes opened, unfocused at first, then fixed on Austin.

“Preston.” His voice was barely audible. “Is he safe?”

Austin looked toward Nora. She still held Preston against her while the boy clung to her neck.

“Yes.” Austin rested a hand on Christian’s shoulder. “You saved him.”

Christian closed his eyes.

This time, the water on his face couldn’t hide his tears.

Nora sat beside Preston on the rear step of an ambulance while a medic cleaned the scrape on his forehead.

A blanket covered his shoulders, and his attention had settled on the bright green dinosaur bandage the medic had promised to use. For the moment, he looked more like a tired little boy than a child who’d spent entirely too long in the hands of kidnappers.

One hand remained locked around Nora’s fingers as if he never wanted to let go.

“Your mom is coming,” she assured him. “She’ll be here soon.”

Preston nodded and leaned into her.

Across the clearing, the Imposter Christian sat on the rear step of a second ambulance beneath two blankets while a paramedic examined the cut above his eyebrow.

He looked smaller than he had at her parents’ house.

Maybe because he wasn’t pretending anymore.

Or maybe because Nora finally understood how frightened he’d been.

Austin stood nearby in gray sweats a deputy had pulled from a gym bag in his cruiser. His hair remained wet, and a scrape ran along his jaw. When his gaze met Nora’s, some of the tension left his face.

Her pulse surged. She wanted more than anything to go to him, but Preston still held her hand. She wouldn’t leave the boy.

As if Austin understood, he crossed the clearing. His gaze lingered on Nora a moment as if silently asking her how she was.

Then he crouched in front of the boy. “You did a brave thing back there.”

Preston looked uncertain. “I ran.”

“That was the brave thing.”

“I was scared.”

“So was I.” Austin glanced at Nora. “Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared.”

A sheriff’s SUV appeared on the back road. It bounced through the muddy ruts and stopped near the ambulances.