Page 54 of Lion Conquers All
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.Connie whirled, searching the gym. Where was Aarav? Where was Col and the others? None of them were there. Not a single one.
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.
“Sarah, you’re going to trust a bunch of outsiders who say they can hike Denali in the middle of a snowstorm andfindyour kids? We have people here who do that for a living. And I’m the sheriff of Mystery.”
“You’re a drunk and an asshole. And if you want to continue earning a paycheck without being publicly shamed or Dad coming back here and dragging you back to rehab by your hippie-ass man-bun, you’ll do exactly as I say.”
Wait. What?
How had she not put that together before? Sarah Roberts was related to sheriff jack-hole? Or Deputy Dipshit as they used to call him before he somehow got elected and took over the office when Henley retired. Now she knew how he’d been able to campaign so effectively for the office. Sarah Robert’s father was one of the most influential men in Alaska. Wealthy businessman who had a say in which people ran for which office in almost all of Alaska.
“You can’t—”
“You want to see how fast your life can disappear, Richard? Just try me. My child is missing. If Col and his band of mountain men have a way of finding Sam and they need privacy to do it. Then privacy is what they get. And amnesty fromanythingthat happens next.”
The sheriff’s mouth opened and then shut like a fish sucking air.
“I need you to call everyone in.” The sheriff directed the order to the SAR guys at their station packing backpacks.
“Sir, we haven’t sent anyone out. At least not yet. But the storm is letting up a little. It might be sooner than we think.”
“No one goes out. And call everyone in.” Sarah’s husband was standing next to the table now and his tone left no room for argument.
Connie turned and met Calvin Roberts’ gaze.
“No firearms. No people. No nothing on that mountain. We’re sending in someone else and everyone else needs to get the hell out of the way. Is that clear?” Calvin didn’t sound like someone who was on the brink of breaking from the loss of a child. Sarah and her husband both seemed to be on a mission and somehow they knew something about the Reyleans. And the Reyleans had agreed to help? Agreed to expose themselves to find the kids?
Not that she could blame them. They’d wanted to from the beginning. But it would cost them everything. They’d have to leave. They’d be hunted.
She’d lose Aarav.
Oh, God, she’d lose Aarav.
She hadn’t considered what her life would be like without him in it. He’d always been there, waiting and watching and taking care of her and she’d been so stupid. She’d thought she could get there on her own time. That nothing would ever change. He’d wait for her. And he’d said he would, but now he was putting himself in danger. For a good reason. She was proud of him and furious in the same breath.
He’d left without saying a word.
“Get on that radio and do your best to clear off anyone who might be out there. Make up something to get them back. I don’t care.” The words flowed from Calvin with a powerful force behind them like orders from a military drill sergeant. The SAR guy didn’t have a choice. He just obeyed.
“Ms. Callahan.” Calvin tipped his chin politely and walked across the gym toward his wife, hauling the sheriff along with him—who Connie now knew to be his brother-in-law.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
Connie glanced up at one of the SAR guys. He had his hand on the radio and a paper list of volunteers in his hand. “You better get on that. You don’t want them getting hurt.”
“Have they called in a military favor or something?”
Connie nodded. “Something like that.” It was a good version of the truth. All the Reylean males had been warriors on their world. “I have to go. Do what he asked.”
“I am.”
She started for the front door, but only made it halfway before Sarah Roberts called out her name.
“Connie.”
Dammit.
“Connie.”
