“Kane?” the man on the other side said. “It’s Jacobs. We have a lead.”
Samuel blinked for a second. He’d heard that several times already, so it didn’t make him jump for joy. But Jacobs, one of his contacts in the state police, sounded really excited. Samuel let himself feel some cautious hope.
“What kind of lead?” he asked.
“Someone might have seen your brother and Ms. Blake. At least, Ms. Blake’s description matched. He called the police after an… incident.”
“When was this?” Samuel asked, leaning forward. His rational, weakening side was telling him not to grow excited, that this would be another lead that didn’t actually lead to anything. But he couldn’t help himself.
“Sometime last night. No one connected the two cases until this morning, but it seems that Adrien shot a guy somewhere up in Canaan, NY. Well, he’s, according to the information he gave, the guy he shot is a retired trucker and survivalist that lives in the area. His truck was giving him some trouble, so he stopped some ways to his house, on a back road that went through a field near his house. Fortunately, because he’d been out hunting, he was wearing a vest when he got shot, so besides a bruise, he’s absolutely fine.”
“But did he see my brother?” Samuel asked, slowly rising up.
“No mention of seeing your brother. He was shot in the back. But he did say a scared woman ran up to him screaming for help. Blonde hair, on the short side, and very obviously young and running from someone. He was out for a bit after the shot, so he was sketchy on the details about what happened after, but he called the police as soon as he regained consciousness. He knows the general direction the two had moved in as well.”
Samuel’s heart was beating hard in his chest, the Jacobs’ words were already turning to background noise, but he was forcing himself to listen.
Camila. Someone saw her! She was scared, but alive!
He wanted to see her. He wanted to find her so he could hold her in his arms once more. He had failed at protecting her like he’d promised, but he would beg for forgiveness and do whatever it took to make sure she was safe once he had her back.
First, though, he had to go get her.
“Did the man have anything more to say?” he asked, already walking out of his study.
“Yes, sir. We didn’t actually get the direction they came from yet, because by the time someone arrived to see to him, he had passed out again and we just made the connection, so we haven’t been up to see him yet for him to tell us more about what happened. We’ve got people waiting for him to wake again. In the meantime, the police will begin searching the area for your brother and Ms. Blake.”
“What if they aren’t in the area?” he challenged.
“They should be, though. The man reported that she came running to him across the field, through a copse of trees,” Jacobs noted. “Not from a car. She was running, who knows for how long, but the fact that she was on foot means that she must not have been too far from there.”
“Has the search started yet?” Samuel asked leaving his study.
“Not yet, sir. As I said, the two cases were only connected an hour ago, only two officers and an ambulance had gone to see to the man after his call, but more officers are in route and we’ll start talking to people and get permission to search their homes and barns.”
Samuel finally made it to the living room, and noticed Morganna and Brianna were already awake and sitting on the couch. They saw him on the phone as he approached, and both of them shot up off the seat anxiously, watching him.
“They’ve found her,” he said, his voice fierce. He’d been waiting to give them this news for a while now, and he was so happy that he finally got to say it. “They don’t have the specifics, but they do know the general area where Adrien and Camila are, the police are starting to search the area now.”
He didn’t wait to watch the shock, then elation spread across their faces, focusing back on the call. “I want to go with you,” he said, more a demand than a request. “There are still some of your people outside, so one of them can either take me along, or you give me the details of where you’re going, and I’ll follow after.”
Jacobs hesitated. “Kane, you know that’s not protocol… the lieutenant won’t be happy if we bring you along…”
Samuel didn’t much care for his struggle, though. “I don’t give a fuck for your protocol, Jacobs, this isn’t the Army. I’ll write a fucking check to the Policemen’s Benefit Fund if that’s what it fucking takes, but I’m going!”
“Kane, listen, you coming along at this juncture…”
Samuel interrupted him. “I can be a part of the search, or if need be, I can sit my ass out of the action and let the police do the work. In any case, I want to be there when they are found. I am not asking, I am telling you to pick how your people want me to act while I’m there. In my own car, in one of your cars; moving on my own, or leaving you guys to go about your work. I will be there for Camila the minute she is found.”
Even if they had pulled through, like hell Samuel was just going to sit back and keep waiting for them to bring her back to him, when he had waited long enough. He ended the call, and then went back to the gun cabinet and removed the Glock and ammo. It didn’t matter if he’d need it or not, he’d rather be safe than sorry.