Page 70 of Little Child Gone

“I told them not to send more than one car.” Miller braked and Nikki yanked the door open, her boots sinking into several inches of snow. She wrestled her badge out of her pocket and marched up to the group of three men positioned behind the trees, sizing up alternative routes to the cabin.

“Who’s the sheriff?” Nikki demanded, kicking ice chunks out of her way.

A portly man with graying temples and dark eyes stepped forward. “I am. Sheriff Landry.”

“We asked you to stay down the road and secure the scene,” she snapped. “Jared had no idea we knew about this cabin. You just screwed us out of any chance at surprise.”

“This is my jurisdiction, Agent Hunt.”

The way he said her name sent a chill down Nikki’s spine. His thick, dark eyebrows and hard jaw were familiar. “How do I know you?”

“Sheriff Hardin was my uncle.” Landry hitched his pants. Nikki remembered Hardin well; he was the man who botched her parents’ murder case. “You destroyed his reputation. The hell if I’ll let you come in here and swoop in on the biggest case this county has seen?—”

Nikki stepped so close to the short sheriff she stepped on his boot. “Your uncle put an innocent man away for a long time, and I don’t give a damn about your agenda. You are not in charge, I am, and if any of these kids are harmed, I will make it my life’s mission to remove you from law enforcement. Do you understand me?”

Landry snickered and turned away. “Gas ’em out.”

The two deputies followed the order and jogged closer to the cabin.

“Stop,” Nikki shouted. “There are three kids in there; one is three years old.”

Her words fell on deaf ears. The heavy tear gas canisters crashed through the cabin windows, followed by screams.

Nikki looked at Liam and Miller. “His only escape route is the other side of the property. You two stay here and make sure these idiots don’t cause more problems.”

She made sure the SIG was loaded and jogged down the hill out of sight of the cabin. She stayed behind the tree line, creeping up on the north side of the cabin. From this angle, she could see the lights burning in the cabin, the tear gas pouring out of the windows. Nikki dropped to all fours and crawled through the snow and ice, taking cover behind a fir tree not far from the house.

Thanks to the ridiculous floodlights, she could see Miller and Liam in Landry’s face. His deputies hovered nearby, apparently unable to make decisions on their own.

The sound of splintering wood pulled her attention back to the cabin just in time for Nikki to see a dark figure rush outside, barreling into the trees.

“Daddy, no. I want Melia.” Penny’s terror sent Nikki into action. She raced into the dark woods, following Jared’s footsteps.

Be calm. Be quiet. He knows Pine County is here. He doesn’t know you’re on his tail.

She slowed, blinking against the onslaught of falling snow. His tracks were easy to follow, and the trees provided excellent cover.

Nikki had studied the map on the drive over. The cabin wasn’t actually in the forest, but located on the road leading into it, not far from the forest entrance. Jared was running straight east, into the heart of the forest. She called Liam, keeping a safe distance between her and Jared, who appeared to have run out into the snow without boots, carrying Penny. He slogged through, his head whipping from side to side occasionally, spooked at every sound.

“Listen,” she whispered. “Jared’s moving straight east through the forest, right to the Minnesota/Wisconsin border.”

“I’ll let the troopers know. Amelia and Caden are okay, just trying to recover from the tear gas. We can’t find Penny.”

“He has her,” Nikki whispered. “I’m going to let him know I just want her, that he can keep running.”

“You think that’s a good idea?” Liam asked. “He probably expects troopers.”

“Maybe, but he’s rattled.” She could tell Jared was getting tired, he didn’t have a coat on, and the wind and snow had to be screwing with his sense of direction, especially in his panicked state.

“I’ll let the troopers know and I’ll find you in the woods,” Liam said. “Try not to reveal yourself until you have backup.”

“Then hurry.”

Nikki was fairly certain they were in a swampy, low-lying area, making this some of the most dense terrain they’d encountered. She could see Jared struggling with Penny. The little girl’s fists pummeled his head as she screamed for her mother. He suddenly shifted southeast and disappeared.

The river.

TWENTY-NINE

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