Chapter 47

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

The hairs on the back of Dare's stood on end. Something wasn't right.

On the counter his phone vibrated a tone, compounding his worry. The dread in his stomach solidified when he saw Sawyer's name scroll across the screen.

Just a few feet away, Ainsley stood next to the oven, and she tossed a glance over her shoulder at him. Her brows dipped when her gaze landed on him. "Everything okay?"

No. He had a horrible feeling everything was not okay.

Swallowing down the age-old instinct, he forced a smile to his lips. "Just work, honey. I'll be right back."

He slipped from the room and lifted the phone to his ear. "Dare here."

"We have a situation." Sawyer didn't beat around the bush. "Kinley is missing."

Goddamn it. "What do you mean she's missing?"

"Cam stopped by her house after work, found signs of a struggle." He gave Dare a quick rundown of everything that had happened. "We've got deputies canvassing the town, but we need all hands on deck for this one."

"Any leads?"

"Nothing concrete, but we're still trying to track down David Collins."

Dare's mind raced. "I'll be there in ten."

He hung up and headed back into the kitchen. The moment she heard his footsteps, Ainsley whipped toward him, eyes shadowed with fear.

"What is it?" Ainsley asked, her voice shaky. "What's wrong?"

Dare took her shoulders in hand and gently squeezed. "It's Kinley. She's missing."

The blood drained from Ainsley's face, and she swayed on her feet. Dare caught her to his chest. "It's okay, sweetheart."

"No." She shook her head as she pushed against his hold. "Not my sister. We have to find her, Dare. We have to do something!"

"I know." He ran one hand soothingly over her back as he settled her in a stool at the island. "I need you to focus, sweetheart. Look at me."

Her big blue eyes met his, heartbreakingly vulnerable, and his chest tightened. She'd been through too much lately—they both had. He couldn't let anything happen to Kinley.

"I'm going to go help look for her. I need you to call your family and friends—anyone who can help look for her—and have them assemble at the station. Call Marley and Troy, too. Can you do that?"

Her hands shook as he pressed her phone into her palm. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise."

Ainsley swallowed hard. "Please bring her back."

He gave her a quick, hard kiss. "I will."

One way or another, he would find her sister and bring her home.

Dare whistled for Sarge, then grabbed his keys and headed for the door. "Call me if you need anything. I'm taking Sarge with me."

"I'll organize everyone I can," Ainsley said, her voice firm despite her fear. "We'll search all night if we have to."

Dare nodded, appreciating her strength. "We need to move fast."

Ainsley nodded, already dialing numbers on her phone as Dare strode out of the house and headed for his cruiser. Sarge trotted beside him, his keen eyes scanning the dark surroundings.

As Dare opened the back door of the cruiser, Sarge suddenly tensed, his ears pricking up. A low growl rumbled in his throat, and without warning, he took off like a shot into the night.

"Sarge! Halt!" Dare yelled, but the dog didn't slow. What the hell? He'd never done anything like this before.

Dare took off after the dog, following the dark blur of his body as he bolted across the black landscape. Dare ran as fast as he could, watching his footing carefully in the moonlight.

From one of the houses along the shore, the sound of an engine roared to life. A moment later, headlights swept over the terrain as the car sped away, its tires kicking up gravel. Dare's heart raced as he sprinted after Sarge, the dark shapes of trees and bushes blurring past him.

He reached the edge of the lake just in time to see Sarge bolting down the dock, then leap into the lake. Dare followed the path of the dog's body, and his eyes locked on a figure bobbing in the water. His heart clenched with fear and hope.

Above the splashing he could hear the person gasping for air, struggling to stay afloat. Without hesitation, Dare tossed his phone to the ground, then waded into the water after the dog. The icy chill of the lake bit into his skin, but he pushed through, diving under and swimming as fast as he could.

Breaking the surface, Dare gulped in air and swam harder, his eyes never leaving the struggling person. As he got closer, he could see Sarge had reached her, the dog's powerful jaws gently grabbing onto the fabric of her shirt to keep her above water.

Dare reached out, his fingers brushing against the person's arm. "I've got you!"

The moonlight broke through the clouds once more, illuminating the face of the person Dare was holding.

"Kinley!"

Thank God. Relief coursed through him even as Kinley gagged and sputtered, coughing up water.

"Hang on, Kinley, I've got you," Dare reassured her.

He wrapped one arm around her ribs, then began to tow her back toward the shore. Sarge swam along beside them, keeping them in his sights at all times.

Dare's feet finally found purchase on the sandy bottom, and he lifted Kinley into his arms. Something heavy bumped into his leg, but he paid it no heed as he pushed forward. Water saturated their clothes, streaming from the fabric in waves, slowing their movements to a crawl.

Sarge reached the shore first and shook off, water flying in every direction. He stood there patiently, waiting for Dare and Kinley, his dark eyes assessing.

"Good boy," he encouraged the dog.

Lifting Kinley higher, Dare carried her out of the water and onto the sandy shore. The heavy weight bounced off his leg again, and Dare paused. What the hell?

In the dim light, he could barely make out a large object swinging from a rope… attached to Kinley's legs.

Jesus Christ. Dare clenched his molars together as he strode inland, far from the gently lapping waves, then settled her on the ground. He ran his gaze over her from head to toe, checking her over for any injuries. Her feet were bound with rope, and the weight of the rock had caused it to cut deeply into her skin. Blood trickled from the wounds, mixing with water and dripping from her skin in rivulets.

She had similar abrasions on her wrists, but she must have managed to get the rope off because it was nowhere in sight.

He turned her on her side and she coughed violently, spitting water onto the beach. "Get it out," he murmured softly.

He gently rubbed her back, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Dare's stomach twisted as he inched up the fabric of her shirt. Even in the dim light he could see the dark bruises already forming, harsh abrasions covering her flesh from her hip bones all the way up to her neck.

He bit back a curse and carefully lowered the soaked fabric back into place. "Kinley, can you hear me?"

She nodded weakly but didn't say a word. Goosebumps broke out over her flesh, and her body trembled from the cold. "It's going to be okay," Dare promised, brushing a strand of wet hair from Kinley's face. "You're safe now."

He pressed his fingers to the base of her throat, taking in the thin, thready pulse. Kinley's eyes fluttered open, her face pale and her breathing shallow. Her eyes focused on him for a moment, then closed again.

"Dare." The single word was barely audible

"Hey, you." He couldn't help but smile. "Gave us a scare."

"You found me," she whispered, her voice weak.

"Sarge found you." Dare scooped up the phone from where he'd dropped it earlier and dialed as he spoke. "Everything's going to be fine, Kins. You're okay now."

His heart rate finally began to slow, and the call connected a moment later. "Yvonne, I found her—I found Kinley. Send an ambulance to my place."

He hung up and pocketed his phone, then turned his attention back to Kinley. "I know your back probably hurts, but I'm going to pick you up, okay?"

She nodded a little and grimaced as he slid his hands under her, then carefully lifted her once more.

Dare turned and strode back toward his house, keeping his gait slow and steady so he wouldn't jostle her too much. "I'd let the ambulance come here, but your sister will give me hell if she doesn't see you first."

"Damn right." Her lips curled up slightly at the corners, and Dare grinned.

"I might be the luckiest son of a bitch in the world," he said as he carefully skirted a fallen tree branch. "We've got everyone out looking for you, and you fall into my lake? What are the odds of that?"

Her smile slipped away, her brows furrowing. "Did…" Her breathing was shallow and labored. "Did you… find him?"

"Find who, Kinley?"

"Max." Her eyes closed again and a violent shiver racked her body.

Who was she talking about? "Don't worry about it right now," he soothed. "Just relax. Everything's going to be fine."