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Jacob rattled off the infor ulp fro to the keyboard "Maybe,back and forth over the border So far, though, there’s not even a peep from him He’s not at work No credit card activity"

Dee started shaking again "They’re not dead They can’t be"

Keagan patted the air in a cal they are There are plenty of ways to pay for things without credit cards Until I have definitive proof to the contrary, we’re going to keep looking for your boy My wife and I have a son, too" His gaze fell briefly to the photo of a newborn in blue grinning as he held a toy dolphin "I’ll search for your child as if he were er along the edge of the gold fraent’s desk "Thank you"

Jacob hoped like hell that Dee was right about her ex driving off "Would he really risk co back here just to torment her? Why not ical choice, but…" Keagan trailed off

Dee’s face turned paler "He’s not logical anymore Or rather, he’s even more unbalanced than before, especially if he soht"

Jacob leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees "Maybe he’s buying time while he sets up a new identity He wouldn’t have hadthat Dee was on to him"

Dee’s eyes widened before blinking faster, darting fro her to climb inside the mind of her crooked, cruel ex-husband

Basically all the options here stunk

Her ex and son could be dead Or the criminal was on the road somewhere far aith her child

Or La Dee this tieted with her seat belt as she watched Jacob charge up the steps back into the Lodge He was closing the place--indefinitely He planned to hide out with Dee in visitor’s quarters on base, while sending Emily and Madison to stay with Grace and her fa her pack for the baby before they would leave together

Meanwhile, Special Agent Keagan was still working his secret ops ic to pick up her ex-husband’s trail

She refused to consider the body in the river was Blane’s He’d si to cover his tracks

And the dead body? She said a prayer for whoever had died, because she had to believe dental records would prove it wasn’t Blane

Everything was happening so fast She’d known Jacob to be a -fast preparations left her head spinning In his typical Jacob ements had been made before she could blink

Dee tucked her toes under the dash and soaked up the heater’s blast, anything to keep her occupied She’d already packed her ht it with her to the police station so she could be mobile if they found Evan Now Jacob insisted she wait here for him while he finished a couple of last- so long, a few more hours shouldn’t ed too ether, a new memory that needed to be analyzed, pondered, savored Except fear for Evan left her nearly breathless

As Jacob posted a Closed sign on the front entrance of the hotel, a roo wide Emily stepped out, saw Jacob and stopped He opened his mouth, and his sister shoved her hands deeper into her pockets Emily’s shoulders rose as her eyes turned sulky Jacob’sinside

Dee could hardly believe what she’d just seen Ery with Jacob Chase had been the one in the wrong

Except logic didn’t always come into play with adolescent emotions

Dee wanted to leap from the truck and shake Emily by her two layers of oversize sweaters Instead Dee rolled down theThe teacher in her wouldn’t let the teen skulk away "Emily? Over here"

Emily jerked and nearly slipped on a patch of ice, her heavy eye lanced over her shoulder before turning back Her feet skated along the ice as she warily approached

The e, the babyokay?"

"Much better than last night" Of course, that didn’t say hty damn low

"Good" She kicked a chunk of ice "I’m sorry about your kid"

The ache with Evan’s name on it threatened to overwheletfulness again She was stronger now "Thank you, Ee with her boot again before backing away "Guess I should go"

Dee reached through theto grab E her would help Jacob, and he offered so few opportunities for anyone to give back to him "No school today?"

Eht" Her life was such a ht So out a sullen teen "Where’s Chase?"

Emily studied a snowdrift "Home, released to his parents who’ve locked him in his roo out Chase’s brush with the police Maybe a direct approach h on Chase last night, but Jacob would have been within his rights to do a lot worse"

What a ained her memory at such a horrible cost to Jacob and his sister

Emily twirled the nursery monitor by the flexible antennae "You wouldn’t understand"