When the deputy said blood, everything in me shut down. Nothing existed except the raging fear coursing through me. Shay was hurt. Or worse. Those ugly, twisted imaginings instantly filled my mind.

I did everything I could to lock it all down. To turn off all feelings and simply go numb. Parker had wanted me to stay on Harbor, but that wasn’t happening. I’d jumped in Griffin’s boat with him and we made our way to where deputies had found the Whaler.

The boat was parked at a small public dock near one of the lesser-known beaches. We weren’t allowed to pull up to the dock itself, so Griffin slid the vessel as far up to the sandy shore as possible. Without a word, we both took off our shoes and rolled up our jeans, making a jump as close to shore as possible.

As soon as I landed, I made my way towards the gathering of sheriff’s department officers. Parker held up a hand when I reached the dock. “This is a crime scene. I can’t let you out there.”

“I need to know what you found.” My voice sounded remarkably calm, the numbness seeping into my tone. But in reality, a fire raged below the muscle and sinew, an inferno that would burn me alive if Shay wasn’t okay.

Parker’s jaw worked. “There were only a few drops and smears of blood on the boat. Not enough to suggest serious injury.”

All the air in my lungs left on a single whoosh. She was okay. “What does that mean? If this monster’s idea was to kill her, he would’ve done it already, right?”

“I’m honestly not sure. But this is a good sign. He’s keeping her alive for a reason. And whatever the reason is, it’s giving us time.”

But how much time did we have? I turned, scanning the beach and the surrounding areas. There were a couple of places he may be holding her, but not many.

Parker leveled me with a stare. “I have officers searching the area. I need you to go with Griffin. Get some food and wait for my call. We’ll find her.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Griffin’s hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed hard. “I’ve got him, Parker.”

“Thank you. We’ll update you as soon as we know anything.”

Griffin steered me towards a road that led away from the beach. I shrugged out of his hold. “What the hell? I need to know what’s going on.”

Griffin stepped into the path. “Look around. Whoever did this isn’t keeping her here. He probably loaded her into a car in the parking lot and drove somewhere else.”