I would fly. That was what it would take. My feet would barely touch the ground.
Ben bent, pulling keys from his pocket and unlocking the padlock. He used the gun to motion me along. “I’ve got an outhouse made up.”
I pushed to my feet but wavered a bit, my head swimming. Ben reached out to grasp my elbow. “Are you okay?”
I fought not to recoil from his touch. This was an opportunity. A chance for Ben to see me as weak. “My head. It hurts.”
“I’ll give you some tea my mom makes for headaches when we get back.”
I gave him a wobbly smile. “Thank you.”
I blinked against the light as we stepped outside. The sun was low in the sky. If I had to guess, there were only a few hours of daylight left. I did my best to take in our surroundings without being obvious about it.
There was a small corral with a shelter for the horses. There was even a wagon parked alongside the fence. A shed. And an outhouse. Other than that, I only saw trees. They were so tall and thick, I didn’t have a chance to catch sight of my mountain. The one that might guide me home. To Hayes.
I quickly went inside the outhouse to do my business. Ben had even placed a bucket with water and soap inside. A hysterical laugh bubbled out of me. He really had thought of everything. That laugh turned into a most-pressing need to cry, but I swallowed it down.
I took a long breath, praying to anyone who would listen for my legs to be strong, for luck to be on my side. And I listened. I could hear running water. I would move in that direction when the time came. That would be my map.
I opened the door. “Thank you for the water and soap.”
“Of course. See, it won’t be bad here.”
I didn’t say anything. Instead, as we walked, I waited for my moment—the break in the trees I’d seen that would make for a clear path to run. Ben’s hand stayed on my elbow, but his grip wasn’t tight. He seemed to think I might have given in.
Twenty breaths. I just needed sixty seconds of bravery, one more time. I counted off my steps. And two before the break in the trees, I swung. My arm ripped out of Ben’s grasp and came back with vicious force. The blow knocked the air out of him, but I didn’t stop there. I whirled and brought his face down to my knee.
I missed his nose as he turned away from the blow. But the way Ben howled, I thought I might’ve broken his cheekbone. I didn’t wait to find out. I simply ran.
45
Hayes
“So, are you going to tell me what the deal was with that woman?” Calder asked as we steered the horses in the direction of the creek.
I was sure he was curious, but I knew more than anything that he was trying to distract me. I appreciated it, but nothing would take my mind off Everly in this moment. The woman I loved, possibly being held by someone mentally unstable—and whatever situation we might be riding up on.
I adjusted my grip on the reins. Soren didn’t deserve me pulling on his mouth because I was about to lose it. “She’s Everly’s cousin. And I don’t think she’s had an easy life.”
“She lived with the crazy uncle?”
“And Ian. I’m not sure who else. That ranch is a revolving door of people.”
A muscle in Calder’s cheek ticked. “I have a bad feeling about that place.”
“It’s justified.”
My gaze traveled around us. Through the trees. Towards the sound of running water. There was nothing, but I was on high alert anyway.
Something about the energy of the air out here was strange. As soon as we’d gotten the horses out of the trailer, my skin had begun to prickle. Ev was out here. We just hadn’t seen any sign of her or anyone else yet.
A team was assembling to start a grid search, but that kind of thing took time. They’d be at least an hour behind us. I looked up at the sky, sending up a silent prayer that we’d find Ev in time. There was no other option. As I dropped my gaze back to the makeshift trail in front of us, my gaze caught on something.
I squinted back at the sky. At first, I’d thought it was a cloud, but the shape was wrong. The color, too. I halted Soren’s steps. “Calder. Smoke.”
He stopped his horse and looked in the direction I pointed. “Hell.”
I pulled my sat phone out of my saddlebag and dialed Ruiz. He answered on the third ring. “You find anything?”