was so concerned about, Dylan had a weird sense of déjà vu as he called Lt. Wells and told him what Alex needed. Wells said he’d take care of it. Dylan went back to get Davi his second glass of water, a delaying tactic the kid had recently become fond of. Dylan’s idea was to get Davi as many glasses of water as he wanted and hope it would come to an end when Davi wet the bed. So far, Davi was winning. The kid must have a bladder like a camel’s hump.
Dylan couldn’t help but worry that Alex was putting herself in the path of danger again. The girl was relentless when she thought she had a story, and her last text had mentioned the Patriots. He’d told her to stay away from them, hadn’t he? She had to know how violent they were. In fact, she’d said she did, but did the fact that one of her friends had maybe become one of their victims mean she’d go after them with an investigative piece? He had to prevent that at all costs.
It was only ten, and he knew for a fact he’d find Paul Ward at Jen’s bar, so he gave him a call.
“Hey, Dylan, what’s up?” Paul said. Then he snorted. The old man must be a little drunker than usual, which wasn’t very drunk at all. Maybe Dylan had misunderstood the joke.
“Paul, are you with Jen?”
“Naw, we’re just friends. What can I do for you, son?”
Yeah. Drunker than usual. This wasn’t going to work. “Nothing, just wanted to say hi. Your daughter bakes a mean birthday cake, did you know that?”
“Yeah. Always did a bang-up job on mine. Hers, too, when her Nana wasn’t around. Say, it’s almost her birthday. Think you could get her to come home for it?” Paul wasn’t slurring his words, but his manner was definitely more open than usual. It amused Dylan to find Paul this way. The older man wasn’t nearly the stick in the mud he’d thought him so many years ago, and Dylan liked it when he called him son.
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
“Good. Hey, come on down, I’ll spot you a game of pool.”
“I’ve got the boys, remember? Can’t leave them alone.” Dylan wouldn’t have played pool with Paul anyway. He was getting a reputation as a shark.
“Oh, yeah. Give the little fellas a hug from me, will ya?”
“I will, Paul. Be safe going home.”
Dylan managed to end the call before Paul came up with another meaningless subject. He thought about what he could do, but with the boys asleep, he could hardly go join in the search. Would Alex expect him to? Then he thought about the search dogs from Sells that had been involved in the search for Alex. He called Wanda.
“Tia Wanda, I’m sorry to call so late. Did I wake you?”
“No, Dylan. I don’t sleep much these days. What can I do for you?”
Wanda had lost her husband to a cartel mix-up about six months earlier. Dylan’s heart broke when he heard she wasn’t sleeping. He’d give anything to turn the clock back and save Hector. But he couldn’t do that, and there was a girl he might be able to help.
“Could you send those guys with the dogs from Sells to Casa Grande? Alex has a friend in trouble. Been missing for more than four days.”
Wanda’s voice became more animated as she answered. “How long have they been searching?”
“They just figured it out today, Wanda. The search is just getting started. It’s a Pima girl that leads that activist group Alex has been covering for the student paper.”
Wanda gasped. “Dawn Redbird?”
“Yeah, that’s the name. Do you know her?”
“I knew her parents when she was a little thing. I know her by reputation. Dylan, the Patriots are involved, I can feel it. Yes, I’ll call Sells. Can you get there to help Alex? I’ll come over for the boys.”
Dylan could hear Wanda bustling around as she spoke, but his heart had stopped when she, too, mentioned the Patriots. So it was true. He trusted Wanda’s gut feeling, and his concern for Alex was growing by the minute. What if it had been a Patriot who’d harassed them in the coffee shop? What if Alex was the next target? His priority shifted from the Pima girl to his love in a heartbeat.
“How fast can you get here?” he asked Wanda.
“I’ll be there in five,” she said. “I’m on the way now.”
Dylan threw a change