Manny’s stomach twisted. Max could still be out there—injured, hiding, and terrified. Or the alternative, the darker possibility Manny refused to articulate aloud, pressed against his thoughts. Either way, the boy hadn’t simply disappeared. Something had happened, and Vale was desperate to ensure no one ever discovered what it was.
The dog, brought quietly along for this unofficial search, sniffed the ground and tugged insistently toward the woods behind the property. Its urgency was unmistakable. Manny’s pulse quickened. The animal had caught a familiar scent, one that could lead them to the missing boy.