Full Exposure (Independence Falls 1)

Eric nodded. “Of course.”

“The law presumes that if a fire occurs during an operation, it is the result of that operation,” Caroline said.

What the hell? Every person in this room knew the DOF rules and regulations. Couldn’t she get to the point?

“We initially suspected that the White Rock fire started where Moore Timber was harvesting,” Caroline continued.

In his pocket, his cell vibrated. Eric pulled out his phone and checked the screen. Nate’s preschool. He frowned and stood. “Please excuse me. I need to take this.”

He didn’t look back as he pushed through the door and quickly redialed the school. “This is Eric Moore. I missed a call.”

“Mr. Moore,” a warm voice replied. “This is Ms. Marianne, Nathaniel’s teacher. Your nephew is here—”

“Is everything OK?”

“Oh yes,” Ms. Marianne assured him. “He’s fine. But his nanny did not come to pick him up. It is our policy to call after thirty minutes, but Nate was getting a little anxious.”

“Georgia didn’t show up?” Dread wrapped around him, clouding him in questions. Was she in trouble? Or had she run away? Georgia had promised she’d never walk away from Nate. But what if, just this once, she hadn’t been strong enough? What if the stress she lived with day in and day out had won?

“Not yet, Mr. Moore. It’s possible she is on her way, but we tried the number we have on record for her and no one answered.” The teacher dropped her voice. “Nate’s worried that bears might have attacked her. He was starting to get worked up, so I told him I’d call you.”

Bears. Eric was wondering that same thing. Only he knew that Georgia’s worst enemy did not have fur and claws. And if Georgia’s memories made her run, there was no hope for their future.

“I’ll be right there,” Eric said. He ended the call and opened the door to the conference room. Caroline was still at the podium. He tuned her out, quickly gathering his briefcase, shoving his leg

al pad inside.

“I need to leave. Family emergency,” he said. “I look forward to reviewing your findings.” He pushed through the door, ignoring the exclamations from the filled conference room, and headed for his car.

Fifteen minutes later, he was inching down the two-lane road leading from the center of town to Nate’s preschool. Somewhere up ahead was an accident. Eric pulled out his cell and scanned his contacts. He’d tried Georgia twice. No answer. He’d even called Liam, but had been sent straight to voice mail again. There were only a handful of people whom he trusted to pick up Nate. He picked the one who lived on the other side of Nate’s preschool, out in the farm country surrounding the town and away from this traffic nightmare.

“Katie,” he said when Georgia’s friend picked up. “I need your help.” He explained about the call from school and his missing nanny.

“I’m happy to pick up Nate,” she said. In the background, he heard Katie moving around, collecting her things. “But I don’t understand. Georgia left here with plenty of time to run a few errands in town and get to Nate’s school.”

“If she stopped in town, she might be stuck in this traffic,” he said, hoping that was the answer.

He ended the call with Katie and focused on the cars ahead of him. A pair of ambulances sped past him in the oncoming traffic lane, sirens blaring. Cop cars followed, then a fire truck.

Slowly, the cars in front of him inched forward. The cops had probably started directing traffic. Minutes later, he was at the scene, waiting his turn to bypass the first responders. He glanced left, scanning the area of the accident. He spotted two cars, a small four-door red one wrapped around a tree, and an upside-down Jeep.

His Jeep. The one he’d lent to Georgia.

Icy cold descended on him, numbing his body as his heart raced. It beat so fast, he felt as if it would explode in his chest. He swerved out of his lane and pulled over to the side of the road. A second later, he was out of his car and running. He had to get to her. Georgia. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not like this. Not to a car accident.

A wreck had claimed his sister’s life. But losing Georgia like this was another layer of hell. She was his heart. And he’d been too goddamn afraid to take the risk and fight for her.

Eric sprinted toward the Jeep. She’d offered love and strength to him and Nate. In a few short weeks, she’d become family. If by some miracle he was granted a second chance, he’d prove to her that he’d been wrong to let her go. So damn wrong.

A paramedic grabbed his arm. Eric tried to keep moving forward, nearly pulling them both to the ground.

“Hey, man, you can’t go over there,” the guy said.

“That’s my car,” he said. “Georgia’s in there. She’s my—” Nanny? Best friend’s little sister? Friend? Lover? She was all those things and so much more.

“She’s my everything,” he said.

“OK, man.” The paramedic wrapped his arm around Eric’s back, holding him shoulder to shoulder. “We’re going to get her out. Trust the guys to do their job.”