He had to save Abigail. And he had to warn Mercy.

MODOC COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2:45 P.M.

Rafe wished they were driving through the forest under different circumstances. It was a beautiful drive. A beautiful day. A beautiful woman at his side.

But the air was thick with tension as Mercy looked side to side as if she were a spectator at a tennis match. She was searching the trees, nervous since Erin had voiced her concerns.

Which were valid. Rafe hadn’t liked the way the man behind the deli counter had looked at them. He hadn’t liked the way the man had talked to the young woman behind the counter. And that he’d gotten on the phone as soon as they’d left?

Yeah. None of that felt right.

But he might be able to alleviate some of Mercy’s concern. “Burton’s not going to jump at you from behind a tree,” he said quietly. “Not today, at least.”

Mercy cast him an anxious glance. “Am I that transparent?”

He smiled at her, offering his hand, palm up. Relieved when she took it and squeezed. “Yeah,” he said. “Pretty transparent. About Ephraim, anyway. But I get it. He’s your worst nightmare and you had to literally face him just two days ago. So yeah, I get that you’re unsettled. But I’ve been watching, and I haven’t seen any sign that we were followed.”

She smiled tightly. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

“And if you can’t relax on my say-so, I get that, too.”

She brought his hand to her lips and pressed. Not a kiss. Just contact. Vital and affirming.

“You’re not alone, Mercy. Whatever happens between us, I will not let you face this alone.”

She lowered his hand to the console between them. “Gideon and Farrah are going to be pissed off.”

Rafe checked his rearview mirror. He could see Erin’s blue Rover, but Gideon hadn’t caught up to them yet. Nor had Farrah and her captain. He’d been driving through the forest for nearly an hour, but the roads were twisty and even if Gideon or Farrah were behind them, they might not see them.

“I can’t speak for Farrah,” he said, “but Gideon will get over it. Besides, he’ll be more pissed off with me. I should have waited for him to answer my call before I left.”

She shrugged. “I would have pushed you to leave anyway. I was hell-bent on proving that I could contribute something important to the search.” She turned to look out the window. “Because I feel guilty that I walked away back in February. Ran away, if we’re being technical.”

He made a scoffing noise. “Technicalities are highly overrated.” He slowed when a turnoff became visible in the trees ahead. “We’ve gone about twenty miles, just like Ginger from the store said. And there’s the Private Property sign. You want to give this one a go?”

They’d already tried two side roads, but both had been dead ends.