Instantly alert, Rick checked the caller ID and answered his cell. “It’s nearly one a.m., Pete. What’s going on?” With the youngest member of Dark Horse, it could be anything from the most random and trivial nonsense to Armageddon.

Pete’s words came out quiet and rushed, tumbling one after another. “Sorry, but I might have found something and knew you would want to hear the news right away.”

Rick sat up on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes, afraid to hope. He braced his elbows on his knees and swallowed before replying. “Yeah. I was awake. If it’s anything remotely important, call at any hour. What did you find?” He hadn’t slept well since the shooting, and each time Addie had slipped through his fingers, his insomnia had only gotten worse.

“Well, I’ve been digging through Tom Caudill’s family tree, property history, and really anything connected to the asshole. I’ve covered the same ground over and over. Haven’t found shit. I got tired of chasing my tail.” Rick waited, hoping Pete got to the point sooner rather than later. “Everything’s led me to a dead end. I’ve run numerous searches on Addie’s mother too with the same result. Nothing.”

Rick head spun with the speed of Pete’s words. “Whoa, lay off the caffeine. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack, and Crystal will have my hide.”

His friend’s speech slowed a fraction in an all too serious and unPete-like way. “Not until we get her home, boss. I got my girls, and I may not have a lot of money, but I’ll work three jobs and give them every fuckin’ penny I have before I let them go without a single cookie. That girl needs a home and good people to care for her, too. If you and Leigh can’t take her in, then Crystal said she’d sign us up for foster parent classes. We’ll make room for her. The girls might like having a big sister.”

Rick closed his eyes and hoped to hell they found Addie soon. Her loss had taken its toll on every member of his team. They all suffered for his failure. He chose not to reply to Pete’s words, hoping he got to something important sometime before sunrise. His thoughts had pulled him out of the conversation but his head snapped up when Pete’s information registered. “We know that Amanda Caudill was born Amanda Potter. Tom’s property came to him through her. Amanda’s father, John Potter, had two sisters, Bethany and Pauline. Pauline married Chuck Wilson at the age of seventeen. I ran a search on the properties on either side of Caudill’s and came up with squat. The property directly beside the Caudill’s belonged to Bethany Franklin. Just beyond the Franklin property is another large parcel that was deeded to Pauline Wilson until about three years ago. She passed away and the property went to the county for unpaid taxes. It was sold at auction and a new family built a new home there about eighteen months ago.” Pete paused to take a breath, unintentionally giving Rick a chance to speak.

“Pete? Please tell me this is going somewhere. I’m getting dizzy.” Maybe it took a brain that operated as fast as Pete’s to process this amount of info. “If someone not related to the Caudills, Potters or even the Wilsons owns the property now, what’s so special about it?”

“Caves.”

Caves. That one words stopped Rick’s heart. “Where on the property are the caves? Is it likely that she would know of them?”

“John Potter’s parents purchased about two hundred acres in 1947. When they passed away, the land was divided into three pie-shaped wedges. John, Pauline, and Bethany each got an equal share. From the road, it’s quite a distance, even to drive, but the caves are closer the center of the pie. There, at the narrow end of the wedge, the distance to the caves from Tom’s place would be a fair hike, but not impossible, even for a half-grown child.”

“A child who grew up in those woods.”

“Exactly. Especially one who may have spent a great deal of time there with her grandfather, the Army vet.”

“Fuckin A, Pete.” The knot in his gut loosened. It was almost too perfect, made too much sense.

Could it really be that simple?

Eager and, if possible, even more wound up than usual, Pete spoke. “Boss, I only have one question.”

Lost in his thought and hopes, Rick asked distractedly. “What’s that?”

“When are we going? If I head out now, I can meet you in Potter county in about thirty-five minutes, maybe sooner since the roads will be empty at this hour.”

Every cell in his body screamed at him to go now. Break protocol, skip calling in his team, grab his keys, and haul ass through the dead of night. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He couldn’t ever do that to his team again. They’d all worried, sweated and even shed a tear or two over this girl. They’d never forgive him if he did something so unsafe and unfair. They deserved so much better from him.

And Leigh. Dear god, Leigh. She’d been so patient, placing all her trust in him to do the right thing and to bring their girl home safely.

Their girl.

Shit. No.

“Try to get some rest if you can and be here at dawn. I’ll wait until 0400 to call in the rest of the team to meet us here. Be here at 0500.”

“Yeah!” Pete yelled into the phone.

When Rick heard Crystal shush her excited husband, he smiled, his heart a hundred times lighter.

* * *

Wanting his team to meet at five am, he’d waited until four to notify everyone except Trent and Pete. Pete had already been notified, and Trent had only to travel from one end of his house to the other in a fifteen second commute.

Rick was sitting at the dining room table, looking at satellite images of the area Pete had pinpointed, when Trent walked in. His friend ran a hand through his shower-damp hair and glared at him. “What’s got you so fired up? We need to get you settled with your own woman. Maybe then you’ll think twice about leaving her side before sunrise.”

“Bullshit.” Rick looked at his friend and frowned. “You would have been up within the half hour anyway. You have horses to pamper and who knows what else needs doing around here. You’re the crazy one.”

“So, what gives?” Trent took a seat at the table and leaned back, stretching.

“Got a call from Pete a couple of hours ago. He found a promising lead, possibly the most promising thing we’ve had so far.”

He snapped to attention, all traces of snark gone. “Your girl?”

Your girl. There it is again.

Rick chose to ignore his friend’s words and the tug in his chest when he answered. “There’s another property that used to belong to the Potters not too far away from the Caudill land.”

“And?”

“Caves.”

Rick looked up at the sound of soft footfalls entering the room. Kate tied the belt of her robe and shuffled to the coffee maker.

“Kate, sweetheart. I told you to stay in bed. I’ll make the coffee.” Trent frowned in her direction.

“No, I got it. Are you headed out? I can help Harlan and the hands with a few things down at the stables.”

“I don’t want you wor—”

Kate cut off his sentence with one hard look then turned her back as she left the room.

Trent watched her walk away and spoke with nothing but affection and exasperation after their bedroom door closed. “Damn stubborn MacDonald woman.”

“That little bit of woman has you so whipped.”

“Absolutely.” Trent sounded utterly pleased with the notion. “Who’s coming in and when are we headed out?”

“Pete, Noah, Holloway, and Mayhem. They should be here in about ten minutes or so. This is it. I feel it.” Rick gave Trent a brief rundown of what he’d planned in the long hours since Pete’s call.

Kate came back into the room, dressed in jeans and a faded tee. “Have you called Leigh? Do you want me to call her?” She opened a cabinet and pulled out three mugs, lining them up on the counter. She picked up the pot of coffee and began to pour as usual, caring for them all. He’d give her ten minutes, max, before she started fixing breakfast. It wouldn’t do them any good to object.

A heavy rock settled in the pit of his stomach. He’d spent almost as much time battling his decision as he had planning the op. She would be supremely pissed and as badly as he hated to disappoint her, he had to. “No. I’m not calling her. You’re not calling her. When we have Addie safely in hand, I’ll call Leigh so she can be ready to meet us here.”

Kate set the coffeepot on the warmer and came to stand in front of him. “I really think you should call her, or at least let me do it for you. She’s been a part of this from day one. You know that as well as anyone. You were there that night.”

“I was.” It was also the first time he’d met Leigh. He’d never met a more beautiful woman. And her inner strength and beauty eclipsed the outer shell.

“Rick, this will shatter her.” His own heart sputtered in response. Drawing on years of military experience and a childhood devoid of warmth, he hardened his resolve.

“I can’t worry about that now. The only thing that matters is keeping everyone safe. Speaking of which, you are not to step one foot off this farm today. I mean it. I need everyone focused, including Trent.” Steeling his heart and masking his face, he stared into her sad eyes. “Promise, sweetheart.”

“You’re making a mistake.” The disappointment in her eyes nearly undid him.

“Then it’s mine to make. You won’t budge me on this.” He couldn’t let those big, sad doe eyes weaken him. “Safety first. As badly as I want to find her, I won’t put anyone else in danger.”

When loud footsteps sounded on the porch, a rush of relief swept through him. The front door burst open. “So what’s the plan, boss man?” He’d never thought he’d appreciate Pete’s presence as much as he did in that moment. He turned to his friend, dismissing the woman he’d come to love like he imagined he might a sister.

“Everyone should be here in a few minutes. I’ll go over it then.” He turned to his computer under the guise of looking over the topographical maps, all the while feeling like he’d kicked a puppy.

* * *

“Cookie! Wait for me!” Leigh heard Kylie’s shout and stepped out of the way, placing her back against the wall leading to the foyer. About three seconds later, a tri-colored puppy ran clumsily for the Walker’s front door. A pajama-clad Kylie chased after the little dog and, a moment later, Joe followed the pair out at a much slower pace, scrubbing a hand through sleep-mussed hair.

Helpless to resist, she followed them through the airy entryway and outside. The morning fog lay thick over the lush green landscape. A golden sliver of sun began its ascent over the horizon. She could just make out the seemingly endless sea of bluegrass, clusters of trees, and fence rails.

“Yes! We did it! See, Daddy, I told you we could do it!” A triumphant Kylie pointed to the puppy who’d just done her business on the front lawn. “No accidents!”

“Good job, pickle. You need to keep up the good work. Cookie’s smart, but she still needs your help. I know Sandy are Harlan are really nice, but I want you to keep doing your best to not make a mess in their house. Cara won’t be here this morning to help chase Cookie and pick up after you.” Joe stepped down off the porch and leaned down to ruffle the pup’s ears.

“I know. I’ll be good. Pwomise.”

“Don’t forget your r. It’s promise,” Joe replied, almost absentmindedly. He turned and looked down as two vehicles pulled out of Trent’s shorter driveway and onto the longer one that bisected the property.

Her stomach dropped to her knees. “Joe, where are they going?” It was just a few minutes before six. Yes, used to farm and or military life, most of them were early risers, but she was no dummy. Something was up, something big. Pete’s old jeep still sat parked next to Holloway’s SUV.

Joe said that Cara would be gone most of the day.

Her brother bent down to pick up a small red ball. He rolled it a short distance for Cookie to chase. When the little beagle mix pounced on it and growled, Kylie clapped. Leigh stared holes into the back of Joe’s head and waited for a reply. “Joe?”

He would know. He and Cara were inseparable. He’d just told her two nights ago that beyond family, he’d never expected to love someone as much as he loved his daughter. Then he fell for Cara. Leigh had seen firsthand how much Cara loved both him and Kylie. She’d faced her biggest demon for them and won. Cara would have told him where she was going and why. He placed his hands on his hips, and his head dropped as he looked down at his feet. Teasing Kylie, the puppy ran a circle around his legs.

He didn’t have to tell her; she knew. Joe wouldn’t be so reluctant to tell her if they had gone out on any other mission.

If they’d found a lead on Marcus Sutton, he wouldn’t have hesitated to tell her. She’d be disappointed if they didn’t get him, but not devastated. If they had an emergency of some sort, he would have told her. No reason not to.

Rick had a lead on Addie.

Her brother finally turned to face her. “Pete may have had a breakthrough last night. There’s a property not too far from Tom Caudill’s. Pete’s research and topographical maps show that there are caves on a property that used to belong in the Potter family. They’re headed there now.”

A knife twisted in her belly. “He thinks this is it, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, Cara said Rick’s certain. He reviewed Pete’s intel and went over everything with a fine-toothed comb. He told Cara that he hopes to have Addie here by lunchtime.”

Hope and joy warred with anger. She didn’t know whether to cry or kick something. Her brother certainly didn’t deserve her anger, but she couldn’t stand to witness the misery in his eyes any longer. He’d gone out with her to deliver supplies a few times when Rick hadn’t been available. On the day they took Tom Caudill into custody, he’d been there and he’d called her when sheriff’s department suspected a child lived alone at the residence. He knew better than anyone what finding Addie would mean to her.

She turned her suddenly blurry focus on her niece. “What time do you need to leave for work today?” She couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I have to be in court at nine. I’ve got a while yet.”

“Okay. Give me a little bit to shower, and I’ll help Sandy keep an eye on Kylie today.” Maybe her niece could distract her from the emotions rioting in her belly.

Did she dare hope that they’d found her? It seemed too good to be true. She needed to keep her hope that they would first and foremost. Addie was the only thing that mattered.

Not her feelings about broken promises. Not the reasons why Rick broke his word.

Addie. That’s all that mattered.

Yet, no matter how many times she told herself that, it didn’t prevent the pain’s assault.

On her way to the shower, she grabbed her robe then paused. Bracing herself, she picked her phone up off the nightstand. No missed calls. No unread texts.

Rick hadn’t called.