“Give him my cell number, though reception out here is going to be spotty.”

“Nicole Bergamo is out of her coma. Your dad is already there, and her doctor says I can interview her this afternoon.”

“He’s an early riser, and he was worried when I woke him up this morning and told him Rachel had Lucas. He wanted to make sure Nicole was safe.”

“We have a police officer on her door.”

“Yeah, but I’m not going to tell former Sheriff Merritt no.” She loved how her dad always stepped up. He was everything she wanted to be and hoped she was worthy of the Merritt name. “Let me know when you get here,” she said to Brian, then ended the call before he asked her any more questions about her plan. She said to Lizzy, “What if we go this way?” She pointed along a narrow road.

Lizzy looked it up on her Google Earth map. “Yeah, it’s going to be rough, but it looks clear.”

“Let’s go.”

Her phone beeped. It was a text from Brian that said the Gila County sheriff would have a team at the mine in twenty-three minutes. She gave him a thumbs-up and typed I’ll be there in fifteen.

And she hoped they had picked the right mine, otherwise Lucas would be dead before they caught up to Rachel.

“He’s going to be fine,” Lizzy said. “I know it.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound like you believe it.”

Regan wanted Lucas to be alive and well, but hoping for something didn’t make it true.

She learned that the hardest way possible.

“Please, tell me no one else is going to die.”

“I’ll do everything in my power.” Her voice cracked. Her best wasn’t good enough.

It hadn’t been good enough to save her son.

“What’s wrong?” Lizzy asked.

Regan didn’t look at her as she drove over the rough terrain of the fire road. It was muddy from the recent rain, but she trusted her truck and tires to do the job she had paid for.

They bounced heavily on the suspension. Another vehicle had very recently come through here, based on the tracks. That gave Regan hope that they were right about the location.

“Regan?”

“My son. Chase. He was killed.”

Each word hurt coming out of her mouth.

“That’s awful. I—”

“You knew. I know Henry told Lucas.”

“He didn’t. I mean, he didn’t say anything other than you lost your son. Lucas didn’t want to pry.”

Regan had appreciated that. Yet...she’d been thinking a lot about her son this week. Maybe because her divorce was final. Maybe because Chase’s birthday was coming up. Or maybe because he was her son and she would always think about him.