Three months, eight days, fifteen hours, and twenty-three minutes.
That’s how long it’s been since I walked out of the hospital. Add over one-and-a-half months of being in a coma and almost two months of physical therapy, and it’s been over seven months that Maddie has been out there alone.
I sigh when I pull up to yet another dingy motel, this one located a few miles off the I-94 in the middle of nowhere, North Dakota. I’ve lost count of how many of these rundown roadside establishments I’ve visited, how many footprints Maddie left me as she kept running.
Most of the locations were duds. I somehow misinterpreted her clues, or more often than not, the people who could give me a lead were long gone, realizing the mere ability to identify her put them in danger. But some saw her photo and recognized her immediately. A chosen few even recognizedme, handing over a few more breadcrumbs only I could understand.
“That’s her,” the first motel owner affirmed. “Her hair was black, though.”
“Her eyes seem different, but that’s definitely her,” said another.
“Well, if thatisher, she’s lost a lot of weight.” That last one was two weeks ago, and it’s been sitting heavy on me. I need to find her, hold her close and tell her everything will be okay now that we’re together again.
I need to know I found her before anyone else could. But I’m running low on optimism these past few days.
My gaze falls onThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finnon the seat next to me, the first of many clues that led me to San Francisco, to the university café where Maddie posed as an employee and saved an undercover DEA agent that had also gotten on Harlow’s radar.
Maddie sent her Micah Peak’s way with a message so discreet only Jonah and I would have known it was more than what it seemed.
Getting my hands on the employee records of the people who worked that shift took a bit of sweet-talking and deep pocket dipping, but it was worth it when I had my hands on the next clue—an address in Colorado where I met Sienna Miller, a private investigator and Effie’s friend from New York who had helped Maddie disappear.
She said she had info for me, but Maddie told her to pass it on only after I stayed put and rested for three days. I needed it; God knows I did. I had barely shut an eye since leaving the hospital. I was living off gas station snacks, and my body hurt in ways I never knew it could. I was weak and tired, but I just wanted to get to Maddie.
Didn’t do me any good, though. I was forced to do as I was told and took a seventy-two-hour hiatus from my hunt. Real food and proper rest combined with the surprisingly good company did their magic, and I realized Maddie was right. I wouldn’t have survived much longer if I kept up the unrelenting pace, so I forced myself to learn how to stop and recharge.
Looking up at the star-strewn sky, I relent that I’ll have to spend the night in this crumbling motel whether I find Maddie here or not, so I kill the engine, reach for my duffle, and walk towards the front desk, seemingly nonchalant, though I’m alert to every movement.
My tail doesn’t know I made them out. Their increasing lack of stealth is the best indicator that they think I’m clueless. So, when I lay eyes on Maddie, they won’t be ready for me doing whatever it takes to grab her and run.
“I need a room, please,” I tell the woman behind the counter, and she rolls back in her office chair, pointing at the tariff sloppily written with a black sharpie on an orange piece of Bristol board with the words CASH ONLY in all caps written at the bottom.
“Also, have you seen this woman?” I pull out double the rate and a photo of Maddie, the one Jonah gave me that evening at the bar. I keep it tucked away in my inner pocket with the sonogram of my soon-to-be-born goddaughter.
The woman gives me the courtesy of looking at the picture for a few seconds before shrugging. “Can’t say I have, but if it’scompanyyou’re looking for, we have rates for that as well.” Then she looks me over with a gaze that makes me feel negatively dirty. “I may even give you the special eye candy discount.” She flashes a grin and leans forward. “I’m Candy, by the way.”
“I appreciate the offer, Candy, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with you. I’ve had a long drive.” I give her a wink, the flush on her cheeks indicating she took my words at face value.
“What’s your name, honey?” She bats her painted eyelashes at me, taking the cash and locking it in a cash box before tossing me a key.
“Huckleberry,” I answer, unable to stop the smile, and something flashes over Candy’s features.
“Well,Huck, maybe tomorrow after you’ve had some rest.”
“Maybe.” I pick my room key up from the counter and adjust my bag strap. All the hours sitting in the car have taken their toll, and I’m starting to feel the pain of my wounds flaring up. Nothing I can’t handle, though. Some food and a little shut-eye should set me straight again.
I sweep the room and make sure all the entry points are rigged and secure, planning an exit strategy just in case, though I know no one will bother with me unless I have Maddie. Then I eat and take a hot shower, careful when washing the still healing scars on my back and abdomen.
I lay down on the bed, pull out Maddie’s photo and tell her smiling face about my day the way I do every night, imagining her smartass comments. It’s the only connection I have. It helps me visualize the future I’m working towards. A vision that’s dimming with every passing day.
With that grim thought, I return the photo to the inner pocket of my jacket and call it a night.
I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep when the feeling of being watched stirs me awake, but I lay completely still, letting whoever’s in my room tiptoe towards me, wondering how someone managed to get past my safeguards without waking me up.
When they’re close enough, I grab and flip the intruder on the bed, straddling their back and restraining who I now see is a fragile framed woman with lifeless faded brown hair in a pixie cut.
“What are you doing here? Who are you?” I ask gruffly, looking around to assess any additional danger I may be in.
“Candy told me it was you, but I didn’t believe it.” The broken voice that answers me has my breath stalling, pain and relief washing over me all at once. “I was sure she made a mistake, but I had to see for myself.”