Page 29 of Deadly Revenge
She finally said, “I guess that’s not a shock when it comes to Abigail.”
“No, it’s not.” Kessler took a deep breath. “Reed’s car is gone. So is her service weapon. Her family is being notified. I guess now we know who Abigail used to help her out.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
Kessler turned and left. Maya looked out the windows. Once again, Abigail had cost a family a loved one. She had to save Hope. Even though Maya didn’t know Hope, she would never forgive herself if she was killed, but there was a good chance she was still alive and Maya vowed to find Hope before that changed.
She glanced at her watch, thinking she’d called Nick about eight hours ago and they should be here soon. Peering back out, she saw a rental car park in a visitor spot.
It had to be them.
Maya didn’t know what made her more nervous—wanting to get going so they could find Hope, or meeting her siblings.
Josh came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. She leaned back into him, feeling his strength, and glad to have him by her side—even if he hadn’t been himself the last couple days.
“What if they hate me?” Maya asked him.
“Then they do and we’ll worry about that later. Right now, I think they’ll just want to find Hope.”
Maya took a deep breath as four people approached the door. She reminded herself that Josh was right and there was even a chance that Nick and Isabelle would have no idea who she was. And right now, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was finding Hope. Alive. And she didn’t know who the other two people were with Nick and Isabelle, but she would find out soon enough.
Josh gave her a quick kiss and then stood by her side as the front door opened. Hot air with the smell of smoke came into the lobby as the four visitors stepped inside. The door shut with a whoosh and there was silence. Nick was a spitting image of their dad. He stared at Maya and based on his look maybe he did know who she was.
Pops came out from the back and broke the silence. “Sheriff Wayne Thompson. You must be Hope Dawson’s family.”
Nick continued to take in Maya, staring up and down. She was starting to feel uncomfortable.Cripes, Thompson. You fought in Afghanistan. You’ve broughtdown major crime in the national forest and survived a serial killer. You can at least be brave enough to say hello to your brother.
Deciding to be bold, Maya stepped forward and held her hand out. “You must be Marshal Torres. I’m Officer Thompson. We talked this morning on the phone.”
Nick held out his hand and they gave each other a firm shake, neither breaking eye contact. The other three guests held back.
“It’s good to meet you,” Maya said, sounding more tentative than she would have liked.
“Call me Nick. You look just like her,” Nick said. “I swear, it’s like looking at a ghost.”
Isabelle came forward and stopped in front of her. They eyed each other, Maya wondering what thoughts were going through Isabelle’s mind. Maybe she knew?
As if hearing what Maya just thought, Isabelle wrapped her arms around Maya in a tentative hug and said, “So you’re her. We never knew if we’d meet you. Thank you for helping us find Hope.”
That answered one of Maya’s questions, they did know about her. Awkwardly returning Isabelle’s embrace, Maya said, “I’m glad to meet you too.”
One of the men hanging back stepped forward and said, “I’m Officer Dawson. What is going on here? Time is of the essence. We need to find my daughter.”
“This is my ex-husband and Hope’s father,” Isabelle said. “He’s an officer in Montana in the same department my father worked.”
“Speaking of good ol’ Dad,” Nick said. “Where is he?”
“In our holding area,” Pops said. “If you’d like to see him, you can go on back.”
“Maybe later,” Nick answered. “Right now, I’d like to get to work. This is my partner, Aaron Banks.”
An interesting answer about their father, Maya thought, turning her attention to Aaron. He wasn’t tall, but Aaron was strong and she was glad he didn’t completely crush her fingers as they shook hands. Muscles bulged under his T-shirt and his right arm had a tattoo sleeve. One in particular caught Maya’s attention. The design was a sniper scope with Semper Fi above it and H.O.G. below it. H.O.G. stood for Hunter of Gunmen which meant that Aaron had completed scout sniper school. He probably went from the marines to the marshals’ tactical unit as well as working with Nick. Aaron was the best of the best when it came to tactical operations. He would be lethal behind a sniper rifle.
She was about ready to say something about her marine unit, when she noticed Nick was holding a sealed bag with clothing. Perfect. Hope needed to come first right now and that was the best way to start the process of finding her.
“Thank you for bringing some of Hope’s clothing,” Maya said. “I’ll get gloves and another bag. We have two K-9s who can help look for her.”
“Thank you,” Nick said.
