Flash Point - Savannah Kade Page 0,8

He'd simply run when the campfire went up and tried to convince dispatch that he was alone.

When he’d finally confessed to the operator that his younger brother was out in the night by himself, Leo had sent the rangers out looking for the missing boy. He had three back at the station, trying to track down the cell phone that the 9-1-1 call had come from. He needed to know who exactly they were looking for and who they could question about where the ‘brother’ might have gone.

He fought the hard clench in his chest. Missing brothers always did that to him, even if he knew the circumstances weren’t the same.

He wondered if his rangers were having any luck. He wondered if the storm was coming in as predicted and he looked up, as if the sky would tell him something. But it was too dark, the new moon giving no light to any approaching clouds. The wind kicked, cooling his front and forming ice crystals down his spine as his radio crackled.

Bethany’s voice came across the line. “We located the boy who called. Sterling Winter. He’s twelve.”

Younger than Leo had expected. Quickly, he turned away, his face down to talk into his comm, grateful for the news.

“I talked to him a little.” Bethany told him. She managed to have both that maternal ability to make kids feel safe and the schoolmaster tone that threatened them within an inch of their life. “It's bad news, boss.”

Leo held his breath. “His little brother, the missing kid, is only five.”

Dammit. He looked up at the sky again, the only heat he felt came from the blaze. The wind kicked up again, stealing his warmth as soon as he stepped away. A five-year-old wouldn’t survive in this …

Chapter Six

Leo shoved the Ford Bronco into Park, once again wishing the money existed to upgrade to electric vehicles. It was the middle of the night, but the house was lit up and clearly active.

Though his adrenaline was pushing him to barge inside, he sat back and reminded himself that it wasn't the right thing to do. In fact, he should probably wait for Bethany, but she was still twenty minutes out. So he reminded himself that fires—though maybe not this one—were a natural part of the land’s life cycle and were helpful.

He told himself everything he could to be calm and reassuring, including, Think like Bethany. He opened the car door and stepped down into the cold, brisk wind of the night. It had picked up while he was driving here, not a good sign for a lost kid.

For a moment, he frowned. It had taken him twenty-five minutes to get here from the fire site, though a good portion of that was because of family farms and open protected lands, which meant the roads didn’t go straight through anywhere. This house was one of those places that you simply couldn’t get there by any direct route. Even so, it was a long way from the campsite.

He'd have to ask how the boys had gotten miles away with no supervision.

Climbing the front steps, Leo knocked on the wide door and waited. At first it had looked like oak—a very expensive piece—but now he could see the wood grain was a print. The home was majestic, new with a variety of roof lines and edges. The white brick facade made it stand out from the open acreage around it. There were more and more of these houses coming up as the family farms got bought out in favor of neighborhoods.

He looked left and right, though. No houses in sight. This was an individual owner, someone who wanted to build in the middle of nowhere. They’d bought a huge entire property, if he was judging by where the trees had been cleared. Maybe close to fifty acres.

He shook his head. He didn't understand these people—all grass and no trees—but he didn’t have time to think about it. The door opened and the mother practically threw herself at him before yanking him inside.

“We are so sorry! We didn't know!” she babbled on about the boys and how they’d lied to the parents, too.

How could you not know your children were missing from your home? He didn't have children and reminded himself he shouldn’t judge. He’d seen it happen often enough that he couldn't fault the parents on this one, even if he didn't fully understand how it happened.

He held his hand out. “Leo Evans, National Park Ranger.”

He didn't