Page 104 of The Ice Sisters

A man’s.

Tire tracks were visible in the mud, tracks that led along the edge of the woods to the road. The tire tracks appeared to be from a van.

The one they were looking for. Although the ground was damp, he spotted more blood on a small boulder under the cover of a tree.

Fear choked his throat. Huller had Ellie. Was she alive?

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX

Mazie and Ivy lay cuddled together, shivering in the cold room. After sleeping on the ground with her mama so many times, Mazie should have been used to it. But she hated it. She was terrified her mama was dead.

And now Ivy was here.

Ivy cried into her hands and Mazie wrapped her arms around Ivy and patted her back.

“You think he’s coming back?” Ivy whispered.

Mazie’s teeth chattered. “I don’t know.”

Ivy sniffed. “Why did he take us?”

Mazie cuddled closer to Ivy. If they hugged, they could keep each other warm.

“I don’t know that either,” Mazie said, her knees knocking together. “Maybe your mother is looking for us.”

Ivy clenched Mazie’s hand so tight Mazie thought she might break her fingers. But she didn’t pull away. It felt good to be close to someone.

She didn’t know how long she’d been here, but it felt like days. Would they ever get out?

She’d tried to claw the door open, but her fingers had started bleeding and gone numb from the cold and her toes tingled.

Suddenly the door squeaked open. Mazie and Ivy both went still then backed as far as they could against the far wall. A sliver of light wormed its way inside. Then his big hulking shadow filled the doorway and she heard a clunk.

Ivy pressed her hand to her mouth to hold back a scream. Mazie had cried and screamed until her throat was raw and nobody had heard her. It had only made him madder, too.

He kicked the woman he’d thrown inside hard and shut the door. It slammed shut, locking them in again. Mazie and Ivy stared at the woman, then at each other for a minute, terrified.

“Who is she?” Ivy whispered.

Mazie shrugged. “You think she’s dead?”

Mazie sucked in a breath and let go of Ivy. Trembling with cold and fear, she crawled across the cement floor to see for herself.

Blood streaked the woman’s cheek from a cut that looked awful. Her hair was tangled and soaked with blood, too. Her eyes were closed, skin as white as snow, her lips pressed in a line.

Mazie began to shake violently. Was she alive?

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN

Worry and fear for Ellie gnawed at Cord as the ERT and ambulance arrived. He’d called Ellie’s boss, Captain Hale, first, who’d ordered a statewide manhunt. Finally, the rain had slacked off. ERT started processing the interior of Huller’s house. Sheriff Waters drove up and got out, a scowl darkening his face as he approached and saw Fox’s body on the ground.

The medics rushed to him and began to work to safely extract him from the crawl space. It took some maneuvering, but they secured his neck, then boarded him and pulled him out. Blood soaked Fox’s lower back and he was still unconscious.

“Possible spinal injury and internal injuries,” one of the medics said. “We need to get him to the hospital ASAP.”

Cord swallowed hard. “Take good care of him,” he said. “He’s a federal agent.”

“I’ll send a deputy to stand guard at the hospital in case his attacker attempts to finish what he started,” Sheriff Waters said.

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