to her senses and not let me anywhere near her. I could feel it coming like an axe being swung at my neck. Because, even though she trusted me to keep her safe—Cecilia was never going to forgive me for what I’d done.
* * *
The next few days passed pretty slow. Cecilia spent most of her time in bed with the baby, which, along with the antibiotics Forrest had picked up, was exactly what she’d needed. Wilson had even set her up with a laptop—warning her not to check any social media or search anything to do with the Warrens or herself—so she could stream movies. And she’d been telling the truth about falling asleep, whenever I checked on her, she’d passed out with Olive, whatever show she’d been watching still playing. The only time she was able to stay awake was when she was taking care of the baby.
Wilson was making progress on the FAM, but it was slow going. Every thread he pulled connected to five others that he’d have to follow. Most of them were dead ends, but we’d found a few land mines. One of Richard Campbell’s daughters had shown up at a police station the year before, reporting that she and her mother and younger siblings had been held hostage on her father’s property for years. Unfortunately, when the police had gone to follow up on her claims, all they’d found was a saccharinely happy family with stories about how unstable the oldest daughter was. Even if she hadn’t gotten the outcome she’d hoped for, the daughter, Kaley, had at least put herself on the state’s radar, which meant that she’d been able to escape the FAM’s hold with little repercussions, and was now living somewhere in Eastern Oregon.
Because she had insider knowledge of the workings inside the FAM, Wilson had started immediately trying to contact her, but hadn’t had any success so far.
Things were pretty quiet for the most part, with everyone researching and calling contacts for information—but we hadn’t found much. Warren’s group was surprisingly quiet for a bunch of white supremacists, which I was pretty sure worried all of us.
We were sitting around the kitchen table Monday afternoon, eating some sort of chicken bake Eli had concocted, when Forrest’s chair dropped down onto all four legs. The noise got my notice, and when my head snapped up, I realized why he’d come to attention.
Casper had stepped just inside the back door with his phone clenched in his fist, tension radiating from him in waves. “Cam, Farrah,” he called. “Need a word.”
They were up and out of their seats immediately, and even though he hadn’t asked us, Cecilia and I followed.
“Rose and Mack are missing,” he said without preamble once I’d closed the door behind us.
“What?” Farrah replied, gaping. “Together?”
“That’s what it looks like,” Casper responded. “Went outside during one of Rose’s breaks at the bar and never came back in.”
“Jesus Christ,” Cam snapped.
“What do they know?” I asked.
“Nothin,’” Casper growled. “Haven’t heard a fuckin’ whisper.”
“We need to get home,” Farrah said, looking from her man to Cecilia. “Are you ready to make the drive?”
“As long as I’m not the one driving,” Cecilia replied. “I can sleep most of the way.”
“We can follow you up,” I said, my stomach twisting. “More eyes and ears, just to be safe.”
“Appreciate that,” Casper replied. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
“We’re waiting?” Cam asked, surprise and frustration making the question sound more like a pissed off statement.
“Your sister is sick as fuck and she’s got a newborn,” Casper told him. “And we’re gonna have to stop a fuckin’ million times on the way up. I’m gettin’ some sleep before we head out.”
Casper and Farrah walked back into the house and Cecilia turned to Cam, who had walked to the end of the patio and was staring out at the sandy yard.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a sigh. “I know you’d rather be up there helping.”
I bristled as Cam turned, his scowl so nasty I was surprised when Cecilia held her ground. Before I could say anything, his face softened.
“I’m right where I’m supposed to be, little sister,” he said quietly. “Takin’ care of you. We’ll all head up tomorrow, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Cecilia replied.
Cam threw his arm over her shoulder and led her into the house.
Jesus, sometimes I was glad to be an only child. By the way Cam bitched about Cecilia, it was easy to assume he couldn’t stand her—but I guess the truth was never that simple. The