Page 45 of Jagger

When Bella took long strides into the room with a coat in her hand, I felt the same damn way Denise did about the man she loved. No way was she going.

“Don’t you dare try and stop me. Don’t you dare!” she yelled at me as soon as she walked into the room. “This is my child, my little girl. You don’t know all that she’s been through. She has to be saved. You just…” She broke down into sobs and I pulled her into my arms.

“We’ll find her, Bella. I promise you that we will find her.”

I could feel Hunter breathing down my neck. He’d be the first to tell me that I couldn’t make promises I couldn’t keep. I’d been known for doing that my entire life. No longer. This was a promise that would remain solid.

I wasn’t certain Bella was strong enough to survive losing her.

“You should know Cally has a heart condition.” I was looking directly in Bella’s face as I made the announcement. A part of me expected she’d be furious I betrayed her confidence, but she nodded, not angry with me at all.

“Then time is of the essence,” Denise stated. “Looks like we’re all going. David, ride with Jagger and Bella. From the reports I heard, you should be able to use the auxiliary road behind the resort. Cally might have been drawn there since the area is flat initially, but be careful. If you know the area, you know the drop-offs.”

I wasn’t used to or keen on anyone telling me what to do, but Denise was sharp and knew what she was doing. “Yeah, I got it.”

“Rusty. Go with Hunter and Shephard. Do you think you boys can handle the resort’s snowmobiles?”

Shephard gave her a harsh look. “I think I can handle it.”

“I’ll have the guides go with you. Anyone who needs flashlights let me know. We need as much light on the area as possible. I’ll take the tourists with me. What are your names?”

“Jack,” the largest of the group said.

“Mark.”

“Thomas.”

“You guys know each other?” she asked.

“Yeah, we work together,” Jack answered.

“Then you know how to support each other. Let’s get going. Stay alert. You will all have one walkie-talkie for the group. I don’t have additional consoles. Check in every twenty minutes. We’ll have limited time before…”

Denise shifted her gaze toward Bella. “We got it,” I told her. “But I’m not coming back until I find her.” I grabbed the walkie-talkie from her extended hand, checking to ensure it was working. Others did the same.

“She has her coat with her,” Zoe said from behind all of us. “She planned on going outside.”

“It’s light and won’t offer much protection,” I told them. I wasn’t certain if that was a good thing or not. Exhaling, I turned toward the frazzled woman. She’d been put through the wringer, her face pale. I suspected nothing like this had ever occurred in the resort.

First time for everything. Additional safeguards needed to be put in place. I gave Shephard a knowing look and he nodded. There were times my two brothers and I could communicate without using words.

Bella almost broke down again, but moved to the door, stopping long enough to bark to everyone else, “Are you coming? My daughter needs all of us.”

Shephard moved in front of me before I could follow her. “This is a crapshoot, buddy. Just be prepared.”

“No, brother. That’s where you’re wrong. I will find that little girl if it’s the last thing on this freaking earth I do. Don’t try and stop me.” I noticed the look shared between Shephard and Denise, but I didn’t care. I meant what I said.

I stormed from the room, easily catching up to Bella. I didn’t quite give a shit whether David was right behind us or not. He’d either keep up or he’d be left at the resort. Either way was fine with me.

David found us in the parking lot, jumping into the back of my Range Rover. I grabbed a duffle from the back. I’d learned long before that keeping a go-to bag with flashlights, batteries, rope, grappling hooks, weapons, ammunition, and even survival blankets was necessary. Since moving here, I’d upped the contents with bear spray, a couple of knives, a small hatchet, and a few other items including flags to mark the way.

I’d climbed a few of the rocks around here. That meant I knew how dangerous they were. With snow on the ground and on the slopes, they should be considered treacherous at this point.

A little girl in the dark would get lost easily and quickly.

With only a few people willing to go out on a night like this, the odds were against us.

Bella was now emotionless as I drove, but one of her hands was gripping the dashboard as if she was terrified. No doubt she was.

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