Chapter 13 - Cracks in the Armor

The psychological warfare began to take its toll over the next week. No more photos were sent, but small, agonizing signs appeared everywhere. A footprint in the mud right outside Leo’s bedroom window. A black SUV parked at the end of our gravel road that would speed away the moment I approached.

The stress was bleeding into the household. I found myself snapping at Tyler for leaving the front door unlocked for even a second.

"Why are you being like this?" Tyler yelled one evening, his eyes flashing with a mix of anger and hurt. "We won, Dad! You said we won! Why are we still living like we're prisoners?"

Leo shrank back into the corner of the sofa, clutching a stuffed bear Tyler had given him. The fear in Leo's eyes killed me. He thought he was the cause of the tension—and technically, he was, though through no fault of his own.

I took a deep breath, kneeling in front of Tyler, then reaching out a hand to Leo. "Come here, boys."

Leo hesitated, then shuffled over. I pulled them both into a tight embrace. "I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. Your old dad is just an overprotective bear, okay? I went through so much to get you both back, sometimes I forget how to turn off the alarm bells in my head. I promise you, you are safe."

It was a lie, but a necessary one to protect their innocence.

That night, the storm broke physically and metaphorically. A violent thunderstorm rolled over the Ozarks, lightning illuminating the woods in stark, terrifying flashes.

Around 2:00 AM, a piercing scream shattered the sound of the rain.

I bolted out of bed, grabbing my flashlight and my sidearm. I burst into the boys' room. Tyler was sitting up, terrified, pointing at the window.

The window pane was shattered. The rain was pouring in, soaking the carpet. And Leo’s bed was empty.

"Someone took him!" Tyler cried out, tears streaming down his face. "Dad, I heard a noise, and then someone smashed the glass and grabbed him!"

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Panic, cold and absolute, threatened to paralyze me. But the survival instinct that had kept us alive on the road kicked in. "Tyler, stay in my room. Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone but me."

I didn’t wait for his answer. I grabbed my rain jacket, sprinted out the back door, and plunged into the dark, soaking wet Ozark wilderness.