Rita Herron - Hideaway At Hawk's Landing

But other times she liked to dig in the earth and play with worms and kick the soccer ball in the backyard.

Izzy had started a campaign to convince Santa to bring her a puppy for Christmas and had drawn pictures and cards of how she’d take care of the animal.

She liked strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and brownies and loved mac and cheese. She enjoyed making her own pizza and PB&J sandwiches. She snacked on carrots and cheese, and apples with peanut butter and wanted b-b’s, blueberries, for breakfast with her pancakes.

She hated tuna fish, turned her nose up at broccoli and stirred her green peas around on the plate to make it look like she’d eaten some when she hadn’t put a single pea in her mouth.

She was stubborn and loud and messy and got up way too early on the weekends, but Mila loved her with all her heart.

Another wave of fear washed over her.

Even if she did exactly what DiSanti’s men instructed her to do, how could she trust that they’d let her go and release Izzy and Roberta?

What if she did everything they demanded, but they killed her when they were finished?

What would happen to her daughter?

She heaved a breath, her lungs aching for air as panic seized her.

Would DiSanti keep her hostage or sell her into his sex slavery business when Izzy got older?

The thought made her so sick inside that she sank onto that thin mattress, then dropped her head down between her knees to keep from passing out.

* * *

BRAYDEN TRIED TO stay out of the way as Lucas explained the situation to his wife.

Charlotte burst into tears. “You can’t do this, Lucas,” Charlotte cried.

Lucas rubbed his wife’s arms. “Brayden offered to represent her, but this other lawyer showed up, and she deferred to him.”

“There has to be an explanation,” Charlotte said.

“If there is, we’ll get to the bottom of it.” Lucas wrapped his arms around Charlotte and hugged her, the bond between them so strong it made Brayden envious. When they pulled apart, he stroked her arms. “I’ll check out this lawyer tonight and see what I can find on him.”

He glanced at Brayden as if he needed backup, and Brayden fought a chuckle. Nothing scared Lucas more than failing his wife.

“Hang in there, Charlotte. I’m going to look into Dr. Manchester’s coworkers and see if they know what’s going on,” Brayden said.

She still looked worried, but she nodded and thanked him.

Brayden said good-night to them then hurried out to his SUV. As soon as he got inside, he phoned Dexter and explained the situation.

“I’ll see what I can dig up on her and her staff,” Dexter said.

“Let’s examine her financials,” Brayden said. “If DiSanti paid her, the money should show up somewhere.”

“I’m on it,” Dexter agreed.

“We need all the information we can gather before Dr. Manchester bonds out,” Brayden said. “DiSanti has long-reaching tentacles across the world. If Polk takes her out of the country, we may never see her again.”

* * *

MILA FINALLY LAY back on the cot. She doubted she could sleep, but she was so exhausted from the grueling hours of surgery and from worrying about her daughter that she practically collapsed.

She closed her eyes and said a prayer that Izzy and Roberta were all right. Roberta loved Izzy and would protect her if she could.

The fact that she might not be able to frightened her the most.

Polk said Izzy was all right. For now.

She had to do whatever they said. She’d give her life to save Izzy.

Carina’s young face flashed in her mind. Izzy looked a little like Carina. She just hoped DiSanti didn’t see himself in Izzy’s eyes.

She hadn’t heard from Carina since the night she’d fled in terror. Not that she expected to. But she couldn’t help but wonder if the girl was still in school, if she’d found friends or a family where she fit in.

She’d suffered so much abuse at such a young age. That kind of trauma affected most people for life. Add to that trauma the fact that she’d given birth to a baby alone, a baby born from a rape. And then she’d given that child away.

A certain amount of guilt might plague her for that decision, although she had no reason to feel guilty. She’d made the most unselfish choice she could make—she’d put her baby’s future before her own.

Had Carina been able to overcome the emotional trauma and focus on making a future for herself?

Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she finally fell into a deep sleep, a sleep filled with nightmares that made her wrestle with the hard pillow on the cot.

She and Izzy were at the beach. The warm sunshine played off her daughter’s dark hair as she raced along the edge of the water. Mila chased after her, laughing as Izzy darted back and forth to dodge the waves. She loved the water and the sand and the creatures they found on the beach.

They watched a baby crab disappear into his home underground, then used plastic sand toys to dig and create a castle complete with a moat. Izzy laughed as she spilled water from the bucket all over her feet, then squealed when Mila picked her up and swung her around.

She dropped her onto the middle of a whale-shaped float, and Izzy laughed in delight as she bounced on a wave.

The next minute, Izzy was screaming in terror. The sun and ocean had disappeared, and a big man was hauling her daughter from their house. Izzy kicked and cried, but the man clamped his hand over her mouth, then tossed her in the back of a van.

Tires squealed and the van screeched away.

A gunshot sounded and Roberta ran after the van. Then Roberta was gone, and the van lurched to a stop at a dark, rotting shed somewhere in the desert. It had to be a million degrees during the day.

And frigid at night.

Desperate to find her daughter, Mila combed the desert, walking miles and miles until she fell face-first into the scorching sand. A storm surfaced, and sand swirled and swirled around her in a blur. She couldn’t see anything, not even her own hand in front of her.

Another scream. Izzy. She was lost out there in the sandstorm.

Izzy screamed again, and Mila pushed herself to her hands and knees and crawled forward.

What was that man doing to her daughter?

She had to get to her, to save her...

She was walking again, then running, her feet miring down into the sand...

Then Izzy was in front of her, her little body unmoving, the sand covering her as it raged through the air. She dug with her hands, determined to reach her, but the sand was burying her like quicksand...

Mila jerked awake, shaking and crying, her heart sinking as Izzy disappeared into the ground.

* * *

BRAYDEN LOVED THE RANCH, but he and his brothers needed privacy now they were older and busy. Still, his mother had kept rooms for them to use when they visited. Recently, Harrison and Lucas had both built houses on Hawk’s Landing for them and their wives.

Brayden and Dex also had offices in Austin. Brayden had rented an apartment above his law office, and Dex found a cabin on the edge of town that he could work out of, as well.

Brayden drove to Dexter’s, knowing he couldn’t go home and sleep right away, not when Mila Manchester’s sad eyes haunted him.

Dexter greeted him with a cold beer. His brother had a state-of-the-art computer system and was a whiz at finding information on the web. Sometimes he sensed Dex didn’t follow the rules; then again, that was the reason he’d formed his own PI agency instead of studying law.

If he crossed the line, Brayden didn’t want to know about it. So far, Lucas and Harrison hadn’t asked questions either. As sheriff, Harrison had called on Dex for help a few times. He was pretty sure Lucas had, too, but Lucas only shared information on a need-to-know basis.