He jabbed the device’s screen with his finger, then stood stock-still for a moment, his body still rigid. Then, using his thumbs, he began to tap the screen rapidly, tapping his foot as he stared at it, clearly waiting for something.
But what?
Amos got his answer – sort of – when DJ began to read from the screen.
‘Oh shit,’ DJ muttered. ‘It is her. Oh my God. Fucking hell. This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening.’ He slumped on the boulder, looking out toward the mountains, his expression slack. Numb. ‘You were supposed to die. Why didn’t I just kill you in the woods? Goddammit.’
Amos felt the same numbness, his legs trembling so much that he feared he’d crumple to the ground. It is her. Mercy.
My Mercy is alive?
The kernel of hope blossomed in his chest, followed by radiant joy. My Mercy is alive. But the happiness was quickly swallowed up by icy fear. If she was alive, who had DJ buried?
Or had he buried anyone? Amos didn’t know what to think anymore.
Except one thing was clear. DJ was leaving tonight.
And Amos would find a way to get himself and Abigail on that truck. His plan to smuggle her out in a hope chest would never have worked, not with DJ refusing to allow him to go into town even one time. I’ll figure out how to stow away in the truck bed and we can be free.
He had to save Abigail. And he had to warn Mercy.
Modoc County, California
Monday, 17 April, 2.45 P.M.
Rafe wished they were driving through the forest under different circumstances. It was a beautiful drive. A beautiful day. A beautiful woman at his side.
But the air was thick with tension as Mercy looked side to side as if she were a spectator at a tennis match. She was searching the trees, nervous since Erin had voiced her concerns.
Which were valid. Rafe hadn’t liked the way the man behind the deli counter had looked at them. He hadn’t liked the way the man had talked to the young woman behind the counter. And that he’d gotten on the phone as soon as they’d left?
Yeah. None of that felt right.
But he might be able to alleviate some of Mercy’s concern. ‘Burton’s not going to jump at you from behind a tree,’ he said quietly. ‘Not today, at least.’
Mercy cast him an anxious glance. ‘Am I that transparent?’
He smiled at her, offering his hand, palm up. Relieved when she took it and squeezed. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Pretty transparent. About Ephraim, anyway. But I get it. He’s your worst nightmare and you had to literally face him just two days ago. So yeah, I get that you’re unsettled. But I’ve been watching, and I haven’t seen any sign that we were followed.’
She smiled tightly. ‘Thank you. That means a lot.’
‘And if you can’t relax on my say-so, I get that, too.’
She brought his hand to her lips and pressed. Not a kiss. Just contact. Vital and affirming.
‘You’re not alone, Mercy. Whatever happens between us, I will not let you face this alone.’
She lowered his hand to the console between them. ‘Gideon and Farrah are going to be pissed off.’
Rafe checked his rear-view mirror. He could see Erin’s blue Rover, but Gideon hadn’t caught up to them yet. Nor had Farrah and her captain. He’d been driving through the forest for nearly an hour, but the roads were twisty and even if Gideon or Farrah were behind them, they might not see them.
‘I can’t speak for Farrah,’ he said, ‘but Gideon will get over it. Besides, he’ll be more pissed off with me. I should have waited for him to answer my call before I left.’
She shrugged. ‘I would have pushed you to leave anyway. I was hell-bent on proving that I could contribute something important to the search.’ She turned to look out the window. ‘Because I feel guilty that I walked away back in February. Ran away, if we’re being technical.’
He made a scoffing noise. ‘Technicalities are highly overrated.’ He slowed when a turnoff became visible in the trees ahead. ‘We’ve gone about twenty miles, just like Ginger from the store said. And there’s the Private Property sign. You want to give this one a go?’
They’d already tried two side roads, but both had been dead ends.
She made a face. ‘Sure, why not?’
Activating his turn signal, he grinned over at her. ‘That’s the spirit!’
She laughed. ‘Sorry.’ Then she sighed. ‘I’m afraid we’ll find nothing, but also afraid we’ll find something. Which sounds batshit crazy, I know.’
‘No, it doesn’t.’ He glanced back at Erin, who had followed them onto the side road. ‘And if we find nothing, we keep looking.’
Mercy drew a breath, bracing herself.
They drove in absolute silence for another twenty minutes, following the curve of the severely rutted road, still covered with snow. This deep in the forest, there wasn’t enough sunshine to melt it and the temps would remain cool for at least another month or so.
‘I can’t believe the snow is still here,’ Mercy said, reading his mind.
‘Could be worse. At least the roads are drivable. Some of the roads in Lassen don’t open until late June.’
They hit a deep hole and the Subaru bounced around. Rafe slipped his hand free of her hold to grip the wheel and wrestle them to the smoother part of the road.
Which still bounced them around.
‘Sorry about this,’ Rafe gritted out.
‘It’s—’ Mercy gasped. ‘Rafe. Look.’
He was looking. ‘Holy shit,’ he murmured.
It was a clearing of sorts. More like a campground. A very large campground. Two tall posts stood on either side of the entrance, a crosspiece spanning the width. It looked like the entrance to a ranch, minus the sign.
Erin pulled into the clearing behind him and Rafe rolled the Subaru to a stop, leaving the engine running as he opened his door, hand on his gun. ‘Stay here until I tell you that it’s safe, okay? If anything even looks weird, you drive yourself out of here.’
She nodded mutely.
Grabbing his cane, Rafe walked back to Erin’s Range Rover, his senses on high alert. He didn’t hear anything except the sound of their engines, but that didn’t mean they were safe.
Erin jumped to the ground, her hand also on the gun holstered on her belt. ‘What the actual fuck?’
Rafe just shook his head, almost afraid to hope that they’d found what was left of an old Eden settlement. ‘Let’s take a look.’