Page 141 of Falling Stars

Disappointment crashes over me when I remember that one of the police officers vouched for her whereabouts.

Reynolds taps on the trunk. “Can you open this for me, Judd?”

“I don’t have to do shit.”

The sheriff nods slowly. “Then I’ll arrest you and open the trunk without your help.”

Ashbury curses and complies.

Oh my God. I close my eyes and pray that my son isn’t in there. My heart roars in my ears, and I struggle to not throw up.

When the trunk opens, Rhett mutters, “Son of a bitch.”

I open my eyes to find Reynolds holding Kira’s baby blue coat. He turns to Nicole’s father. “Want to explain why you haveKira Stafford’s raincoat in your trunk? She reported it stolen last weekend.”

“That’s probably my wife’s.” Ashbury crosses his arms.

Reynolds tucks his hand into the pocket and pulls out a wallet. Flips it open. “That’s interesting. Because this here says it belongs to Kira.” He glances around. “Where is Lorraine anyway?”

“She went out of town this week,” Judd mumbles. “To Austin.”

“I thought she went to the cabin,” Nicole says slowly. “She said she had a surprise for me.” As I hear those words, all of the hair on my arms stands up.

Judd looks genuinely shocked as he turns to the sheriff. “I swear, she told me she was going to her sister’s in Austin.”

Reynolds taps on the car. “Mind if we stop by your cabin? That’s at Firefly Lake, correct?” When no one responds, Reynolds sighs. “Listen, Judd, if Lorraine took Leo, don’t you want to help us find him?”

Judd bows his head and after a beat of silence, he sighs. “Yeah. I do.”

The sheriff motions to his cruiser as another cop arrives. “I’m gonna need to escort you and your daughter to your cabin, Judd. My deputy here will keep an eye on your vehicle.”

Nicole bitches about it, but she eventually slides into the back seat of the patrol car with her father. Then the sheriff turns to us. “Y’all can follow me, but I’m gonna need you to stay in your trucks when we get there.” He gives me a look.

“I won’t shank anyone while you’re conducting your investigation.”

He nods. “That would be wise. Let’s see if we can track down our boy Leo.”

My heart is in my throat as we follow behind his cruiser. Mav has my hand in a firm grip on his thigh as he drives.

I wave my other hand in front of my face. “I’m going to be sick.”

“See if you can hold off. Maybe you can puke on the Ashburys.”

I crack a smile for the first time since I lost Leo. “Good idea.” I lower my window for some fresh air.

When we pull up next to the Ashburys’ luxury two-story brick “cabin,” I can hear the crying from the driveway. My head whips to Maverick. “That’s a baby.”

We both bolt out of the truck and race up to the house, where another deputy holds us back. Maverick pulls me into a hug as we wait.

I make all the bargains with God. I’ll be a better person. I’ll curse less. I’ll volunteer more.

Finally, the front door opens, and a bedraggled Lorraine Ashbury walks out in cuffs. Behind her is the sheriff.

And he’s holding my son.

“Lorraine said this was her grandson, but I’m guessing he’s not.”

Reynolds places Leo into my open arms, and he immediately starts to settle. “Leo, I missed you. I’m here now. Everything is okay.” I kiss his precious face.

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