Free Vendetta by Lisa Harris Page A

again.”
    â€œExcept there’s no turning back time when it comes to tragedy. I still wake up sometimes, convinced Katie’s in the other room taking a shower or fixing me breakfast, and then reality hits and I remember that’s not going to happen.” He paused, still holding her hand. “Can I ask you a question?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you ever share any of this with me before?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Nikki searched for an explanation. “We lost Sarah before I met you, and afterward . . . you and Katie were in love, you got married, then you went off to war. It never was the right time.”
    And now all she could think of was that she had to be wrong. That the photo they’d brought to her was just some crazy coincidence. Or a copycat. Or maybe Jack was wrong about Sean Logan, and he and Bridget were just having fun. Taking innocent photos . . .
    But she’d seen the fear in Bridget’s eyes as she stared into the camera. That wasn’t a photo of a girl taking a selfie. Or of a friend snapping a photo for fun. She’d been terrified. Betrayed.
    Tyler took a step forward and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry you and your family have had to go through this. As muchas I miss Katie, and as difficult as the last year has been, at least I know what happened to her.”
    Nikki relaxed for a moment in his embrace, needing to feel safe, and allowed herself to feel the warmth of his breath against her neck and the pulsing of his heart against hers. But Bridget was out there somewhere, and every second counted.
    She pulled back and caught Tyler’s gaze. “I need to find her.”
    â€œThat photo doesn’t change anything, Nikki. You can’t be responsible for every young girl that disappears. Your team can handle this one without you.”
    â€œBut everything has changed. If this is him, I know every detail of the case, every file on this man. If my team has to stop to go over the files, how much time will be wasted that could be spent looking for her?”
    â€œWhat about Matt and Jamie?”
    â€œI can’t be in both places, but the photo . . . Tyler.” She tried to blink back the tears. “If there is any chance at all that this is somehow connected to Sarah’s abductor, I need to stay.”
    He ran his thumb across her cheek, wiping away a tear. “You’re sure?”
    â€œYeah.” Nikki nodded. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
    She had to do this—for Bridget and for Sarah—and for herself.

7

    Five minutes later, Nikki headed to the visitor center’s parking lot where Jack and Gwen had parked the team’s twenty-foot mobile command post. She’d resolved to stay for now, at least until she could determine what was going on.
    Jack stepped out of the passenger side of the newly purchased vehicle that had given them the ability to be at the location of an incident while providing them with state-of-the-art, on-site communications, a conference room, and a place to mobilize volunteers.
    Jack sneezed as he walked toward her.
    â€œYou okay, Jack?” Nikki stopped short of the vehicle. “You look—”
    â€œIt’s just hemlock.” He tried to wave her concern away, eyes watering, nose as red as Rudolph’s.
    â€œHemlock? You look awful.” Nikki frowned. “Your eyes are bloodshot, your nose is red, and that . . . what’s that on your neck?”
    â€œI was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” Jack shot her one of hisfamiliar goofy smiles. “This is the primary reason I try never to venture into the great outdoors.”
    Nikki’s eyes widened. “No camping or hiking?”
    â€œSummer camp when I was eleven.” Jack sneezed again. “My mom dropped me off and promised me it would be a week I’d never forget. And believe me, I still haven’t forgotten. Hay