CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Jace and the others had spent the last half an hour scouring every section of land around the lake, starting with the restaurant. Deputies Warner and Foster hadn’t found Shae or her vehicle in their search of the town. Noah had been unsuccessful in backtracking to Jace’s property. Brynn, Reese, and Gus had struck out on all the other properties on the outskirts of town Shae might have driven to for one reason or another.
Kendrick’s men were still searching the forest near Noah’s property, but the current consensus was that she hadn’t been taken into the woods. The detective had already called in reinforcements, along with K9s, to help search the wooded areas and the properties surrounding the lake.
Jace held the keys that included a master key to each and every cabin overlooking the water. He was working only on mechanics at this point, because he’d had to shut down every emotion that wanted to consume him over the past four hours. The amount of rage coursing through his system would only waste what precious time Shae most likely had left.
“Cabins nine and ten are next,” Lance called out over the roar of thunder above as he headed toward the Range Rover. Only fifty or so yards separated each group of cabins along the west side of the lake, but the brush and trees made it nearly impossible to see one pairing from the next. At this point, they were taking two at a time before moving on to the next. “I think this row ends with twelve.”
Jace couldn’t allow this stretch of cabins to end, because that would mean she’d be lost to him. There would be no other hope given to him that she could be brought home.
The vibrations of the cell phone in his pocket had him quickly pulling out the device regardless that it was pouring down rain. Hell, both he and Lance were soaked through to their skin, but that was meaningless at a time like this. All that mattered was having Shae back in his arms where he could protect her from whatever evil haunted this town.
“Tell me you found her,” Jace managed to say without breaking stride. He rushed to the driver’s side door. Lance was already in the vehicle. “Is she—”
“Cabin nine! You’re closer, but Shae’s cell phone provider just emailed Patty a string of her last texts. The son of a bitch used Brynn’s phone and told Shae to meet up at cabin nine.”
Jace rammed the key into the slot and turned the ignition until the engine burst to life. He yanked the gear and shifted it into drive, having thrown his cell phone at Lance. He had one goal and one goal only—to reach the cabin.
Hours had gone by.
Would Shae still be there? Would she even be alive?
Jace couldn’t stop the various images of what he might find once he barreled through the door. How was it humanly possible to physically hurt so much at the thought of losing someone? He now had a new respect for his father, because now he understood the anger and grief that had consumed the man for the past three years.
“…heading there now. Do you think there’s a possibility she could be on the lake? It’s been a while since…”
Bits and pieces of Lance’s conversation broke through Jace’s concentration. The tires were spinning so fast that they were having trouble grasping the pebbles. The wipers weren’t working fast enough as the rain kept pummeling the vehicle, but he could still make out the two cabins where Shae was last known to be…only her vehicle was nowhere to be found.
He wasn’t wasting time, so he drove the Range Rover right over the grass and was about to brake so that they would be directly between the two cottages when Lance called out a directive that Jace desperately needed to hear.
“There!” Lance pointed and jabbed a finger into the windshield. “Someone’s on a boat near the pier.”
Jace’s gaze immediately made contact with the yellow rain slicker. His two headlights cut through the pouring down rain and had caught the edge of the pier. Someone was on a boat, and he or she had risen their arm to shield themselves from the brightness.
Neither one of them knew for sure that this individual was responsible for Shae’s disappearance, but it was all they’d gotten in the endless hours they’d been searching. Besides, who the hell would be out on the lake in this weather? It was a death sentence.
He didn’t hesitate and stepped on the gas, causing the Range Rover to go over the small decline. The quicker they reached the boat, the faster they would have their answers.
Please let Shae be on that boat.
Please let Shae be on that boat.
Jace repeated that mantra over and over until he had to stop the Range Rover feet from the edge of the pier.
“Fuck!” Jace slammed the vehicle into park and hastily opened the door, watching in horror as the boat began to recede into darkness. He took off at a dead run with every intention of running down the pier and diving into the water. He couldn’t allow that fishing boat to get too far out, or else he’d end up losing Shae. “Lance, call Mitch! Tell him the boat is heading his way!”
“Jace, stop! There, in the water.”
It was too late for Jace to brace himself against the wood of the pier. He was already in midair when Lance’s words penetrated through the panic of doing whatever was necessary to stop that fishing boat.
Wasting any time could literally cost Shae her life, if she wasn’t dead already.
The water was damned cold, but that didn’t prevent Jace from doing what was necessary. He trusted his brother. He trusted all his siblings, so when he broke the surface, he quickly scanned the water to search for what Lance had seen in the beams of the headlights.
There!
Movement in the water toward the shore, but then it was gone in the blink of an eye.
Damn it!
Jace looked over his shoulder, already having lost sight of the boat. The fading rumble of the engine all but told him that it was impossible to follow behind, leaving Mitch the best chance of catching that son of a bitch.
Was Shae on the boat or had she been left behind to drown?
Jace didn’t waste any more time. He began swimming toward what he and Lance had both seen, already knowing that Lance had run into the water. The ripples coming from his brother’s actions made it all but impossible to locate the original area where they’d both seen movement.
He’d seen a lot of crap happen while serving his country, but he’d also witnessed countless numbers of miracles. What happened next would absolutely qualify for the second category.
Someone broke the surface, gasping and coughing, struggling for air.
Jace and Lance both moved at the same time, but Jace reached her first.
It was Shae. And she was alive.
“I’ve got you, Doc.” Jace brought her back toward him, holding her tight as relief overcame him to the point of tears. He wasn’t sure if it was the rain, water, or his emotions that were running down his face, and he didn’t give a damn which one it was. She was safe. “I’ve got you.”
He realized very quickly that her hands were bound behind her back. First things first, though, and that was getting her on solid ground. She’d still yet to say a word, which had sparked another bout of fear inside his soul.
“Lance, go get a blanket out of the back of my vehicle and call Mitch.” Jace shifted so that he could effortlessly pull Shae from the water. Within seconds, he had her on the shore. “Doc, talk to me. Are you—”
Jace cut off his question when he recognized the familiar stickiness on his hands when he’d cupped her face to look her over. She was bleeding, and it was everywhere.
“Lance!” Jace’s brother had already made it to the Range Rover to retrieve the blanket, but it wasn’t nearly enough. “I need light! And bring the first aid kit!”
Jace kept murmuring soothing words that everything was going to be okay when he knew nothing of the sort, but he refused to allow her to think for a second that she wouldn’t recover from whatever trauma she’d received from that sick fuck. Shae’s teeth began chattering, telling him she was close to going into shock…if she wasn’t there already.
“You stay with me, Doc. Don’t you fucking close those brown eyes of yours, do you hear me?” There wasn’t a chance in hell he was letting her fade away now. “Fight against the darkness, baby. You can do it.”
The best thing would have been to get her into the back seat of the Range Rover, but he wasn’t sure he should move her any more than necessary. The rain was still coming down, but until he could see the extent of her injuries, they’d have to suffer through.
“Mitch called for an ambulance. He, Kendrick, and every other available armed person is scouring the shoreline for that boat.” Lance dropped to his knees and tossed Jace the first aid kit while quickly unfolding the blanket. He arranged it so that the material covered the lower half of her. An umbrella came out of nowhere, which he then held steady over her head. “Let’s see what we got before transporting her to the vehicle.”
“I-I want t-to stay.”
Jace’s heart squeezed when Shae’s words made no sense. Damn it. She was hallucinating, but it couldn’t have been from hypothermia this soon. It was cold due to the rain, but it wasn’t nearly cold enough to cause the onset of symptoms already.
“Here.”
Lance had grabbed a flashlight instead of taking the time to move the Range Rover. The first thing both of them were made aware of was the gash alongside her cheekbone. Blood was running down into her hair in uneven rivulets as her teeth continued to chatter.
“Doc, we need to get you to a hospital,” Jace told her gently as he continued running his trembling hands down the length of her, even moving the blanket to make sure she didn’t have any fatal wounds. He’d always prided himself on having a steady hand during combat, but the thought of losing her was almost his undoing. “Let me just—”
The back of her hair was matted, enough to know that the injury had taken place hours ago. The rain or water from the lake was what had caused the wound to reopen. Head wounds were notorious for bleeding profusely, which was proven by the amount of blood on his fingers. The sight was enough to jar him back into survival mode. She might have a severe concussion. That was most likely the reason for her slurred speech and general lack of awareness.
“Head injury, but her neck seems fine.” Jace tossed the wet blanket to the side and scooped her up into his arms, grateful that Lance still held the umbrella so that she was able to keep her eyes open without fuss. “Shae, you’re going to be fine. Do you hear me? We’re going to get you to the hospital where the doctors are going to fix you right up.”
Lance and Jace, who carried Shae in his arms, managed to slog their way through the wet sand and dirt to where the Range Rover waited for them. Never once did Jace stop reassuring her that all would be okay. Lance opened the back door so that Jace could lay Shae down on the back seat with her feet elevated. He was more concerned with her slipping into shock than the scalp wound at this point.
“Drive,” Jace ordered, as he slammed the back door. He ran around the other side so that he could see just how severe her head injury was so that he could convey her wounds to the emergency physicians who better be waiting on hand. “Call Mitch. Tell him we can’t wait for the ambulance, but the staff should be waiting for us with a gurney when we pull up outside the emergency room.”
Jace had put on the dome light so that he could see the damage. Ever so carefully, he lifted her head and turned her in such a way that it wouldn’t hurt her to lay down on his lap.
Lance had already turned on the heat full blast, regardless that the outside temperature was most likely in the high sixties. The rain had brought in a cold front, and their soaking wet clothes didn’t help any.
Jace reached behind the seat, knowing he had left a jacket in the back at some point. He quickly found it and laid the thick coat over the top of her to capture whatever heat he could maintain around her. Her teeth were still chattering, but she tried her best to look up at him.
“Don’t talk. We’re going to get you to the hospital.”
“I w-want to s-stay.”
“I know,” Jace soothed her, not wanting to get her worked up when her body needed to rest. “I know you do, Doc. But you’re hurt and we need to get you fixed up, okay?”
“Jace, I’m c-cold and my h-head hurts like hell, but y-you’re not l-listening to me.” Shae had attempted to grab his hand, but she rested her palm against her temple. It was better than touching the wound in the back. “I w-want to stay w-with you. Here. H-home.”
“Okay, baby,” Jace managed to say, grateful that she hadn’t asked for the moon. He would have been on his way to NASA if she had. This request? This was doable, because he had no intention of letting her out of his sight after this. Would he have gone to Lansing, Michigan? Absolutely. “You’re home. I’m home. We’re never leaving again.”
“…her to the hospital. Did he try to dock anywhere?”
Jace half-listened to his brother ask questions regarding the bastard who’d hurt Shae. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to know the outcome, but her health was more important right now.
“Doc, I need to see how bad your head wound is,” Jace explained, helping her shift so that she was looking at the back of the driver’s seat. She maintained one hand on her head and then wrapped the fingers of her other around his wrist. “Squeeze as hard as you need to, Shae. I know this hurts.”
Jace moved away her matted hair and was able to see the gash, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as what the amount of blood indicated. Again, head wounds were notorious for bleeding profusely. There was no doubt she had a massive concussion, but the injury was hours old and had only started to bleed once more due to the water dissolving the clot.
“Okay, baby. Turn back toward me so that I can look into those beautiful eyes of yours.” Jace’s Range Rover always did have an amazing heating system, so the inside had all but turned into a sauna. That didn’t stop her teeth from chattering completely, but it did slow it down. “You’re going to be fine. We’re going to get you to the hospital, and the doctor is going to stitch you up in no time.”
“He h-had a cinder b-block and chains,” Shae whispered, her lashes drifting toward her cheeks. She quickly opened them when he stroked his thumb across her forehead. “He w-was going to d-dump me in the w-water.”
“You’re safe, Shae.” Jace couldn’t stand to see her wince as agonizing pain must have cut through her head with every word she spoke. “Lance, drive faster.”
“Y-you don’t u-understand.” Shae licked her lips and closed her eyes tight when she shifted so that she was holding his hand. “I think E-Emma’s there, t-too. I th-think they’re all in the l-lake.”