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It was sucky that they had to meet again under such circumstances.

“Searches are going on here, here, and here,” he pointed out. “Flock cameras picked the van up as it moved out of town. And again on this road. There are three ways the van could’ve gone from here, though.”

I swallowed and nodded. “And none of the cameras have picked the van up since, so we know that they’re somewhere in these woods.”

I swallowed hard.

“But that’s not why we brought you back,” Shelby said. “That one is talking.”

I looked to the side to see Leo happy as a clam sitting in his jail cell with his arms crossed and his ankle crossed over one knee.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Tell him,” Shelby ordered.

“You remind me of her.” Leo smiled. “I’ll bet you’re pretty when you scream.”

I stiffened.

“Tell him, or else,” Shelby ordered.

“Shelby,” I heard my ex-wife say. “Don’t talk to him.”

“Shut up!” Leo said calmly, looking over to her with a frown. “Or I’ll make you shut up.”

And for once, Marcia listened.

She looked positively terrified of him.

“Come over here, sweet Shelby,” Leo urged.

Shelby moved, but her eyes told me that she was doing this because she wanted answers, not because she actually wanted to be over there.

“Go on, tell him.”

Leo winked at her, then turned to me. “If you want my sister back, you’ll have to take me with you.”

I gritted my teeth. “That’s…”

“She’s been gone, what? Six hours now?” Leo smiled. “She only has eight hours of air.”

I jolted in shock.

“And it takes what, an hour to get to Ted Lee Trailhead?”

An hour later, I had Leo in my truck in handcuffs, Shelby in the front seat looking green because Leo hadn’t stopped talking to her the entire time, and several other cruisers following behind me.

Elesio had stayed behind, but I could tell that he wanted to come.

I was barely holding it together.

Was she really buried alive?

God, I fucking hoped not.

But Leo was sick enough that I wouldn’t be surprised.

“How did you get her from the city, and you were still in jail?” Shelby continued her line of questioning.