Even if one of them was sick, would that be enough for them to all stay hidden? They were old enough to know the authorities would take care of them, that as soon as they were alerted, a search and rescue team would be deployed.
“What if one of the people they saw at the farmhouse was a police officer?” Cynthia blurted out.
Hunter swung his head around to study her, his eyes dark, menacing. “Of course, that would be why they are hiding out here.” He slammed the heel of his hand into the steering wheel. “We just handed over Hansel and the other guy to the local police. What if one of them is receiving a payoff?”
Cynthia dragged her backpack toward her and rummaged through it looking for the satellite phone. Then she punched the keypad and called Guy. “Hey, we had a thought. What if the children saw a police officer at the farmhouse? That would give them cause to stay hidden. They might have been told that all of the local police are in on it. They wouldn’t know who to trust.”
“Shit,” Guy muttered a couple of other curse words under his breath. “I’ll get hold of Brad. I’ll also pull in a couple of favors with old colleagues.” He paused. “Good thinking, Cynthia.”
She sank back in her seat, her elation at the possible breakthrough in the case gone. “Bastards. We might already be too late. Hansel Salvador might already be free.”
“Guy will get backup in place,” Hunter assured her. “And if Hansel or the other man gets free, we’ll hunt them down. No rock unturned.”
“No tree left uprooted,” Rob muttered with vehemence. “I can’t stand corruption on any level.”
“Me neither.” Cynthia nodded. “No wonder they didn’t talk, they probably figured all they had to do was hang on until we left town and they would be free.”
“Not on Guy’s watch,” Charlie assured her.
“Okay, this is where you two get out and we continue on.” Hunter stopped the truck in a small clearing. “Good luck. Keep in touch.”
“We will.” Charlie nodded to Cynthia. “You’re good at what you do, Cynthia.”
“And we’re good at what we do,” Rob assured her. “We will find them.”
“Thanks,” Cynthia replied, trying to sound confident, but she was more concerned than ever. If these children were truly that scared and feared the police above all else, they would do whatever it took to stay hidden.
But Rob was right, these were good men.
“Special Forces,” Hunter whispered in her ear. “I’m certain of it.”
“So you think Rob will find them?” she asked, walking back to the truck.
“He might.” Hunter followed her but took one last look over his shoulder at the vast expanse of forest. “But honestly, this is going to come down to luck as much as anything else.”
“Luck?” she asked.
“Or fate.” He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms. “Don’t forget, I’m a big believer in fate.”
She leaned her head on his chest. Fate was something she was struggling with. If Hunter believed in fate, then fate had put these children out here. How could that be right?
“Well, fate needs a kick up the butt. Those children need to come home.” With a big sigh, she stood and absorbed Hunter’s warmth and love, hoping it would sustain her through the rest of the day and beyond.
Chapter Twenty-Two – Hunter
They reached their destination, and Hunter parked the truck off the road, tucked away behind a clump of trees. Then they put their packs on their backs and walked into the forest, this time they were not coming back unless someone found the children or the search was called off.
“I get what you mean about fate.” Hunter broached the subject gently. He didn’t need super senses to know Cynthia was brooding over what fate meant and what control it had on their lives.
“I know what it means to you. But I can’t see how it works for those kids.” Cynthia shrugged apologetically, her mouth twisted to one side.
“I told you before that I only believe that fate brings mates together, that it doesn’t control their whole life.” He paused, sorting through his thoughts.
“Yes, I remember.”
“So for me, we were brought together for a reason.” He listened to the sounds of the forest before walking on.
“Yes, so you could help me and the kids...” Her expression cleared. “And you think that it’s more than that. We were brought together to find the children.”
“Exactly. We would not be here right now if fate hadn’t brought us together. So perhaps our mission, task, whatever you want to call it, is to find the children. Or to instigate the events that mean the children are found.” It seemed pretty plausible, even after he’d put his thoughts into words.
“Okay, I can go along with that.” Cynthia nodded and cracked a smile. “The forest is beautiful. I wish we were here under happier circumstances.”
“When this is over, we should trek through the forests, maybe even over the mountains.” He half turned to look at her. “Me, you, and the children. We could pack up some camping gear and go camping for a week.”
“I like the sound of that. I like the sound of getting away from it all.” Her expression softened. “I sure do like this forest.”
“Let’s see if you still feel that way if we have to spend a night out here.” Hunter laughed. “The temperature will drop. It’s going to get really cold.”
“It’s a good thing I have a big bear shifter to keep me warm.” She thumbed the backpack. “There had better be a tent in here.”
“A tent? I’m a hunter, a primal beast from the mountains. We don’t use tents.” Hunter’s expression reflected mock shock.
Cynthia giggled. “Does that mean you are going to use your body to protect me from the elements?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I was going to build you a shelter out of branches and dead ferns. But I like your idea better.”
“Maybe we could find a hollowed-out tree or a cave.” Her suggestions were made lightly, and it was good to hear her happy.
“You know, that might be a smart idea.” Hunter stopped walking and looked at the ground, kicking the dirt.
“I was joking, I’m almost certain Guy said he was putting a tent in my backpack.” Cynthia came back to him and planted her feet hip-width apart as she studied him. “What am I missing?”
Hunter looked up, his eyes slightly out of focus. “What you were saying about finding a cave. Or a hollowed-out tree.”
“You think that’s what the children might have done?” she asked.
“Perhaps. But the one thing they would have done or would have needed to do to survive was find water. You can hunt out here and stay alive, but you can’t live without water.” He held out his hands as if he’d had a eureka moment. “We should have thought about that and factored it into our search.”
“I agree, and it’s a good starting point.” Cynthia folded her arms. “The only problem I see with that is if we make the wrong assumption, we might not search in the right place.”
“The wrong assumption?” Hunter asked.
“Yes. It’s like if you get a lead on a story and you focus on it so much you get tunnel vision.” She opened her arms wide and turned around, indicating the whole of the forest. “There are rivers and streams running through the forest. But it’s winter, so with the rain, there might be streams or springs that aren’t on the map.”
“And if we all head to the riverbanks, we might walk straight past the children and never know.” Hunter nodded his head. “Agreed.”
Cynthia turned around to face him once more. “On the other hand, that is a good idea. So we should pass it on to Guy and maybe get the eagles to check the rivers out.”
“Smart lady,” he told her.
“Thank you.” She pulled the satellite phone out of her backpack. Guy had given one of the phones to Cynthia since she was the most knowledgeable about the case and it was the easiest way to get hold of her at short notice if they needed someone to talk to the p
ress.
At least that was Guy’s reasoning, Hunter also suspected it was because she was least able to protect herself if trouble came their way. The satellite phone meant she could call for help. Although Hunter had no intention of her needing to call for help. He was there for her every step of the journey.
Hunter focused on the forest around them while also listening to the brief conversation between Cynthia and Guy. His orders were to carry on as planned and explore their sector, paying particular attention to waterholes. He would relay the message to the eagles who would fly low over the forest, focusing on the watercourses.
“Good job, Cynthia,” Guy said.
“It was Hunter’s idea.” Cynthia turned her head and smiled at Hunter. “I’m not the kind of person to take credit for another person’s idea.”
“You have integrity, I like you even more, for a reporter,” Guy said with a chuckle.
“Did you talk to the police?” Cynthia asked.
“I spoke to Brad and a couple of people I’m still in contact with at my old department. I also got hold of the detective who made the original arrests. He is making inquiries.” Guy put emphasis on the last word.
“You mean he’s pissed,” Cynthia made her own interpretation.
“That would be putting it mildly.” Guy paused, there was a noise of some kind behind him. “Gotta go.”
Cynthia frowned as she put the phone back in her backpack. “Sounds as if something is going down back at the farmhouse.”
“Maybe the police force got wind of what we’re doing,” Hunter suggested. “Which means we should move on. The truck is hidden, but not enough to fool anyone who knows the area.”
Cynthia nodded, took a gulp of water from her canteen and offered it to Hunter. “I’m good to go.”
They trekked on through the forest, Cynthia keeping up with his fast pace and not complaining, even though he could tell by her breathing that she was struggling. He wasn’t setting the pace to cause her discomfort or to prove he was stronger and faster than she was. No, he was setting the brisk pace to cover more ground, ground that was deep enough inside the forest that if the police did come searching for them, they would not be found before nightfall. If at all.
Hunter was good at tracking, he’d been brought up by a father who loved the mountains and forest. Being good at tracking also meant he’d learned how to mask his own tracks. He guided Cynthia across thick grass where they left no footprints and along stream beds dried up from where a watercourse had altered its route, the small stones and shingles left behind would make even the most expert trackers falter.
“Are we going around in circles?” Cynthia asked at one point as they stopped for a drink and a snack. “Because I’m certain I’ve seen that tree before.”
“Not quite a circle, but I have looped back.” Hunter finished his energy bar and shoved the wrapper into his pocket. “If we do get followed, they’ll be lost in an endless loop.”
“You’re good at this kind of thing.” His mate sounded impressed as she stood up, ready to continue.
“I have walked a lot of trails and tracked a lot of animals. And people.” He looked up into the trees. “Before I joined Bear Creek Protectors, I was contemplating joining the Bear Creek Ranger Service. Days spent walking over the mountains was very appealing. If I happened to find a lost person on the way, even better.”
Cynthia nudged him in the ribs. “I know you care about people so don’t go covering it with a glib comment.”
“Glib?” Hunter frowned. “I have never been called glib in my life.”
“You have now.” She nearly walked into him as he stopped dead in his tracks. “Did you hear something?”
He shook his head but didn’t move and Cynthia stood silent beside him, letting him use his senses to figure out what exactly had made him stop. “I sensed something.”
“What kind of something?” Cynthia asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“I don’t know.” He looked up at the sky through the bare trees. “Maybe it was one of the eagles passing overhead.”
“Or?” She placed her hand on his arm and he turned to face her.
“Or it could have been another creature out here. Just a regular animal.” He saw the hope in her eyes and didn’t want to kill it, but he also couldn’t allow her to have false hope that he’d sensed one of the children. “There are a lot of us out here.”
“I know. But is there a chance it might have been one of the children?” she asked.
“There is a chance, yes. But I can’t say either way.” Hunter wanted to tell her he’d sensed the children, he wanted to lead her straight to them. But he couldn’t. However, he had felt something. Something different, he was certain it was a shifter and not a shifter he’d met before. Walt’s words returned to him. The old wolf was right, once he’d met a shifter, scented them or sensed their presence, they were somehow stored in his brain, a little like a database for shifters he’d come into contact with.
The presence he’d felt was not in his database. Which ruled out the eagles and the other shifters, he was certain.
So what did that leave?
Any number of possibilities, his bear told him. It could be a shifter out here enjoying the forest.
You’re right, Hunter agreed with his bear. Even at this time of year, there could be half a dozen or more shifters in the forest out for some alone time. The presence he felt could have been one of those. Or it could have been the children.
Or it could be someone connected to the child trafficking ring out here looking for them, his bear told him. By coming here in force we have kicked the hornets’ nest and there is no telling where this will end.
His bear spoke the truth. Hunter might not like it, but it was still the truth. Which meant they had to search hard to find the children first. If he had to lay a wager, he would bet on the Bear Creek shifters over anyone else out here.
He would also bet on Cynthia. With her set expression, she would leave no stone unturned, no riverbank unsearched.
And he would be by her side every step of the way.
Chapter Twenty-Three – Cynthia
As the day wore on, her hope wore out. If the children were out here, they were well hidden and even the idea of the children being camped out along one of the watercourses had proved wrong.
The only consolation was that they hadn’t found the children dead.
“Hey, are you okay?” Hunter asked as they stopped for a moment to take a rest and a drink.
“Disappointed,” Cynthia admitted.
“Don’t be, we have a big area to cover and this is only the first day.” He accepted the canteen from her and took a drink before handing it back. “Thanks.”
“How many days do we have to search?” Cynthia asked. “The others will need to return to work.”
“We have a day or two yet.” He slid his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. “It’s okay. We’ll search every part of the forest if we have to.”
“But the longer we go without finding them, the less chance we have of ever finding them.”
“That doesn’t mean we won’t ever find them.” He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “Temperature is dropping, we could think about making camp.”
“So early?” she asked. “I could go on for a couple more hours.”
“I know you could. But we’ve been walking all day and if we get tired, it’ll make tomorrow even harder.” He looked down into her eyes, but she looked away.
“If I were a shifter I could go on all night.” She didn’t want to let on just how tired she was and just how much of a failure she felt for not being able to keep up with him.
“This isn’t a competition.” Hunter dropped a kiss on her cheek. “And maybe staying in one place might be better. You never know, they might come to us.”
“Right.” She turned to face him. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better.”
“That’s what I’m here for. And anyway, it m
ight work. Once they smell the food we’re going to cook.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “A shifter thinks with his stomach.” She patted his toned abs.
“Too right they do. So let’s get cooking.”
“Before we put up the tent?” Cynthia asked.
“We can split down the chores,” Hunter suggested. “You put up the tent and I’ll collect some dry firewood.”
“Okay, I can do that.” Cynthia took her backpack off her aching shoulders and let it drop to the ground.
Hunter shook his head. “Not here, we need to find a better campsite.”
Cynthia looked around. “We’re in a forest, I’ve seen nothing but trees for the last four hours, how is this not the same as any other campsite?”
“You’ll see.” He picked up her pack and hitched it on his shoulder, then took hold of her hand. “This way.”
She watched as he assessed the wind direction and the angle of the sun. Then he led her deeper into the forest. At least she thought it was deeper, she honestly had no clue which way was north, which way was south and as for east and west, she could only tell by the dipping of the sun.
“So where did you learn all this?” Cynthia asked as he stopped and checked the ground before moving on.
“My dad used to take me camping when I was younger. My mom used to joke that she was glad to have the men out from under her feet. Of course, she missed us when we were gone. But she understood the need to be out in the wild, so my dad took us. He would teach us all about survival, just as his father had taught him and his father before that.”
“A family tradition. I like it.”
“And one I hope to continue with our children.” Hunter waited for her reaction.
“Hunter...” She closed the distance between them. “I just need a little time to adjust to the thought of more children.”
“Is it something you want?” Hunter asked.
“I guess, since we didn’t use birth control, that it is. I’ve always wanted more children. But I want it to happen naturally. I don’t want any pressure.” She placed her hands on his chest. “Is that okay with you?”
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