Alex Mercer gently set the sleeping baby in her crib and yawned. With any luck, the twins would start sleeping through the night soon. Every once in a while, one or the other would, but so far, neither had managed it on the same night.
He stopped at his desk on the way to the bed and stared at his laptop, conflicted about having shut down his blog. It had been the right decision for his family. There was no denying that, given the threats. He wasn’t about to put his wife or children in the way of dangerous leaders of an international kidnapping ring from the dark web.
Yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty about shutting down his site. Kids who had disappeared were close to his heart, and the blog had helped to find dozens of missing persons. Not only that, it had provided a steady source of extra income—and they were planning a big family vacation to Hawaii. They needed every penny they could earn.
They also needed to stay alive.
Alex sighed and meandered to the bed. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do anything to help missing kids. He was a police officer, after all. Not that there had been many abductions lately. But he still helped to keep crime off the streets.
His phone lit up and vibrated on the nightstand. Was that the station? An emergency, needing all hands on deck?
He hoped it was work.
The screen showed Ariana.
Alex’s heart sank. Something had to be wrong at this hour. There was no other explanation.
He picked up the phone and hurried out of their garage apartment into the kitchen. “Ari? What’s wrong?”
His oldest daughter gasped on the other end of the line. “Dad! Tinsley’s missing!”
So much for no local abductions. “Slow down. Are you sure?”
“Of course I am! She’s gone!”
Alex took a deep breath. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“I woke up, and her sleeping bag was empty! The door is wide open!”
“And you’re sure she didn’t go into the house? Maybe she had to go to the bathroom.”
“No. Genevieve made it clear we were supposed to use the buddy system.”
Alex tried to think of a logical explanation. “What did Nick say?”
“I haven’t told them.”
“What?” he exclaimed. “Why are you talking to me? I’m halfway across town! Get Nick and Genevieve!”
“They’re going to hate me, Dad!”
“No, they aren’t. But you need to get them—right now!”
“Okay.” Ari breathed heavily. “Is she going to be okay? What if—?”
“If we act quickly, I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“How do you know?”
What if the ring leaders had turned their focus to Nick’s family?
No! Alex had done his part. The blog was down. The feds were on the search for the ringleaders.
“Dad?” Ari’s voice sounded so small.
“Call them! I’ll be over as soon as I can.” He ended the call, not giving his daughter another moment to stall.
Alex raced into the apartment and threw on some clothes before leaving Zoey a note, letting her know that he was going to Nick’s and that Ariana was fine.
Hopefully Tinsley would be. It was hard to know what she might be thinking. The girl had just started opening up to people other than her mother. Alex had no idea why she’d have left the treehouse slumber party. All of the girls, including Tinsley, had been so excited when he dropped off Ari.
Alex unlocked his safe, removed his gun, and put it in a holster under his jacket. Just in case. More than likely, the girl was just inside using the facilities.
He checked his phone. No texts or calls from Ariana. He sent her a quick text on his way out to the car.
Alex: Anything?
Three dots danced on the screen.
Ariana: No. They r looking in the house.
Alex: On my way.
Ariana: OK
In the car, Alex started the engine, called Nick, and put his phone on speaker.
“We haven’t found her,” Nick answered. “Thanks for coming over.”
“Do you have any idea where she would have gone?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. She knew not to go anywhere alone. Out of all our kids, she’s the one who always follows directions.”
“I won’t keep you. I’ll see you in a few.”
“We might be in the woods.”
“Okay.” Alex’s stomach tightened thinking about Tinsley out in the woods alone at that hour. It had to be traumatic, given everything the girl had been through before Genevieve fostered her then later adopted her.
Alex shuddered, recalling his own abduction on his way to his first day of the academy. The little girl—who he now knew as Tinsley—stood at the side of the road, looking lost and scared. He got out to help her and …
He shoved the thought from his mind. That was a long time ago. He wasn’t on the road to think about that. They needed to find Tinsley. That was what he needed to focus on. Not anything else.
Alex made it to the house quickly because traffic was so light. Most of the lights were on inside, and once he got out of the car, he could hear people calling for Tinsley in the direction of the treehouse.
His stomach knotted, flashing back to Ariana’s abduction. Now she was safe and sound. Tinsley could—no, would—have the same outcome. If she had even been taken. Maybe she was just lost. She could’ve intended to go to her house but easily headed the wrong way. It was dark, and she might’ve gotten confused about the direction.
Alex glanced back and forth between the woods and the house before jogging over to the front door. He knocked before letting himself in. “Anyone in here?”
Only silence greeted him.
He spun around, closed the door, then raced into the trees, using his phone as a flashlight. The calls for Tinsley were coming from various directions. Everyone had to have paired off and spread out.
Alex followed the path and started calling for Tinsley. He shone the light into bushes and between trees. A chill ran down his back and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
It felt like someone was watching him. He spun around slowly, aiming the light into the trees and inching his other hand toward his gun. Nothing looked out of place, yet his skin kept crawling. Too creepy, and too many bad things happened in forests.
He made a mental note never to buy a house near any woods and jogged down the trail, following the voices.
Someone grabbed his arm.
Alex nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around, his hand grasping his weapon.
Ariana stood there with his niece Ayla.
Relief washed through him. He pulled them both into his arms, squeezed them tightly to comfort them. And himself. “Nobody’s found her yet?”
Ari shook her head, and he noticed a tear trailing from one eye. “It’s all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault. You were sleeping, and she was supposed to use the buddy system.”
His daughter’s eyes widened. “What if someone took her? The door was just open.”
Alex pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head. “You were sleeping, hon. There was nothing you could’ve done. And if someone did come into the treehouse, I wouldn’t have wanted you to stand up to them, anyway.”
“Then why was I there? Why was I watching them?” She stepped back. “What was the point?”
“Because we liked having you there,” Ayla said.
Ari frowned. “That’s not what I meant. I had fun, too. Well, until Tinsley disappeared.”
“Nobody would have expected you to prevent this,” Alex assured Ariana. “Let’s see if we can find her.”
She wiped her eyes and nodded.
“I found something!” Genevieve’s voice came from somewhere to the left.
Ari’s eyes widened. She raced in the direction of the call. “Tinsley?”
Alex and Ayla chased after her.
He skidded to a stop where everyone else had gathered at a clearing. Genevieve stood with a distant look in her eyes.
She clutched a muddy teddy bear.