Chapter 46

ERIC

Five minutes out of town, I ended a call with Russell and looked at Alex. "The closest highway patrol vehicle is still ten minutes away from Riley."

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "It's closer than we are."

All I could do was nod. A lot could go wrong in ten minutes. "The SUV that's parked outside your house is a rental. A woman from New York City booked it last week."

"Have they had any luck contacting her?"

"No."

"Has anyone been able to get hold of Riley?" Alex asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know why he isn't answering the phone."

"Try calling him again."

I'd already left two messages for him. I called the satellite phone again, not surprised when it went to voicemail. "He's still not answering. I'll try his cell phone." The chance of the call going through was low, but at this stage, I'd try anything. Still no answer.

"He'll be okay," Alex assured me. "Riley might look like he wouldn't hurt a fly, but I've seen the way he moves during your self-defense classes. He's fierce."

Tears stung my eyes. He's more than fierce. Riley's strong, courageous, and one of the best people I've ever met. He also has a cunning mind and tries to outsmart me whenever we're training. If anything happens to him, I don't know what I'll do.

I wiped my face and took a deep breath. "I should never have left him alone."

"He wanted to stay. Besides, the police have arrested Chapman. Riley's probably playing with Sherlock. It's only been…" Alex glanced at the clock on the dashboard, "…sixteen minutes since Riley left the house."

I focused on the towering mountain range in front of us. Riley wouldn't do anything stupid. Even with Chapman in police custody, he knows to be careful. But with no neighbors and no gun, he's an easy target for anyone looking for trouble.

The flat pasture on either side of the road blurred as we drove quickly toward Alex's home.

I rechecked my watch. "The troopers haven't called."

"They might not be there yet."

So much of what was happening reminded me of the night Mike was killed. I had a feeling something wasn't right on that day, too. After calling his phone so many times, I gave up and called the station. Then my world fell apart, and nothing has been the same since.

A beeping noise filled the heavy silence inside the cab.

My heart pounded. "Is it Riley?"

"It's the house alarm." Alex handed me his phone. "Open the icon with the picture of the siren. What do you see?"

"A red flashing dot beside alarm three."

"It's the front door sensor. Tap the red dot. If the cell phone coverage is strong, we should be able to see what's going on."

The only thing I saw was a black screen. "It's not working. I'll call Russell and tell him the sensor was activated."

After speaking to Russell, I wanted to be sick. "The troopers set off the alarm. No one's inside the house."

Alex's worried gaze connected with mine. "That doesn't sound good."

I swallowed the bile in my throat. The police were sending more vehicles to Alex's house. If Chapman wanted to recreate the worst time in my life, he was doing a good job. Four years ago, I was too late to save Mike's life. I couldn't bear it if the same thing happened again.