Elk Creek

Chapter 10

The doors slammed shut on the cruiser. In a fluid motion the key jammed into the ignition, the engine revved, and the cruiser swerved into the street.

"What's going on? What happened?" Raina asked, worry edging its way into her voice. She'd followed Val out of the store with no questions asked. She hadn't even blinked when he'd thrown down several twenty on the counter and dragged her toward the door, barely sparing her the time to collect their purchases in her arms.

Val stared intently out the front windshield. Snow had started to fall while they were in the store and was coming down in thick wet globs. Though his eyes were glued forward, Val was acutely aware that Raina had yet to hook her seatbelt. She was the kind of woman who would do anything to protect those she loved, including throwing herself from a moving car to get to them faster.

The silence did not settle Raina's nerves but sent them into rocket mode. Turning in her seat so that her whole body was facing Val, Raina repeated herself. "What's going on?" Each word was clipped as if it physically hurt to stay in control.

Dark eyes flashed to meet stormy gray for a half second before darting way. In the quick spark, however, Raina had seen Val's fear and fury, swirling across the surface of the chocolaty orbs.

"Where's Iza?" She demanded. "Where is my daughter?"

A short strangled noise escaped Val's throat. He turned onto the highway leading out of town, hands in tight fists around the wheel. Jaw muscles flexed in frustration just below the surface.

"He took her," Val choked out in staccato. When he met Raina's gaze again the fear and fury had been joined by an overwhelming guilt and sorrow. "I'm so sorry. I should have known...I'll fix this...I'll find Iza and get her back."

It was as if all the blood in her veins had frozen all at once. Three simple words turned her world upside down. How did he know where they were? Why Iza? In the three years that Raina had lived with Carter Williams he had never shown even the slightest interest in her daughter. Though, she knew that wouldn't always be the case. It had been why she'd run.

Iza was growing up. At three she already had a huge personality and wasn't afraid to show it when things weren't going her way. Carter didn't like those traits. He'd nearly beaten every single one out of Raina and now he had her little girl. Val's little girl.

In her shock, Raina had been unaware of Val's reassurances. As they pulled onto the road that led to her parent's house however she reach over and enclosed his hand in hers.

"We have to find her."

Val gave one curt nod, not taking his eye off the road. Raina shivered at the wild flash in Val's usually calm eyes. If the space in front of the car had been alive it would be dead after coming in contact with the arrows loosed by his stare.

Several seconds passed in snowy silence before something fell onto Raina's thigh. She glanced down to find a small darken circle on the denim fabric of her jeans. Unbeknownst to her, tears had begun to tumble down her face. Seeing the single spot on the jeans, everything finally fell.

A gut wrenching sob tore itself from Raina's gut and the floodgates opened, releasing a torrent of pent up fear.

"She's so small." Her hands wrung in her lap. "He—He—"

"We'll get her back." Val squeezed her hand, trying to offer reassurance that he wasn't sure of himself.

The large house came into view as they rounded a corner, a trio of horses saddled in the side yard, Doug, Jim, and Teresa beside them.