“Owen and Archer offered to bring us back to the ranch,” Hudson said to Conrad.“We should maybe take them up on it so Travis can do his thing without needing to head back to the ranch.”
“Okay,” Conrad said.Even in the dark, his face was white as a ghost’s.He needed family around to lean on.
“Let’s go,” Archer said.
“Find her,” Conrad said to Travis.“And bring her back to me.”
Travis nodded.He seemed smart enough not to verbalize a promise he might not be able to keep.
As the five of them walked toward the dual-cab truck that Archer drove, Hudson saw Cassie touch Conrad’s arm.She leaned in and said, “I’m so sorry about everything.”
Then, in a whisper, he could have sworn he heard her say, “I’ll make this right.”
14
Cassie lifted the covers and slipped out of bed.The clock read 3:03.The house was dark, save for the bathroom light she’d left on with the door cracked.She’d insisted on sleeping in the guest room rather than with Hudson in his childhood bedroom upstairs.
The thing about being moved around your whole life is that compartmentalizing your feelings becomes second nature.To survive, you have to become really good at picking up on a moment’s notice and moving on.
This time, though, leaving was going to mark her with a permanent scar.She wasn’t even out the door yet, and she already missed Hudson.
Cassie sighed as she got ready.She lifted a backpack, filled it with fruit and bottles of water, and then shrugged the strap over her shoulder.
The house was quiet, a sharp contrast to the earlier buzz of activity in the kitchen.The hum of that past conversation buzzed in her head as she moved through the space and toward the back door.Halfway across the room, it occurred to her that there might be an alarm set.She glanced around the room, searching for the telltale red dot that said an alarm was armed.
Hudson had said there’d been a rash of crime recently.Installing a house alarm made sense.Would the keypad be in the kitchen, though?
She glanced around and didn’t see anything.What about the hallway leading to the garage?
A quick check revealed nothing; there was no sign of an alarm system anywhere.Open the door, and you’ll find out.
Did she really believe there was an alarm, or was she looking for a stall tactic?Besides not wanting to be alone out there in the woods, which was a terrifying thought, she was having a hard time leaving Hudson.You’ve always relied on yourself.This is no different.
Okay, you’ve got this.
With that, she reached for the door handle, half expecting someone to step into the room and stop her.A twinge of disappointment settled in her chest when no one did.
The night air was warm against her skin.She closed the door behind her and headed into the thicket behind the barn.She could stay in the trees and move along the road.Borrowing a vehicle crossed her mind.Great way to get caught.
She would have to leave her rifle in Hudson’s truck.Making noise might wake someone.She couldn’t afford it.
Chirps filled the air.The thought of insects crawling around in the dark gave her the heebie-jeebies.She wasn’t ten minutes into her trip before walking into a spider web.Cassie let out a yelp as she fought her way through the spider’s silk.She involuntarily shivered.She spit.
This escape wasn’t off to a good start.
Keep going.She repeated those words in her head until they became a mantra.You can make it another five minutes.Anyone can walk for five minutes.Five minutes is nothing.
A few tears welled in her eyes, escaped, burning a hot trail down her cheeks.The thought of never seeing Hudson again stole the air from her lungs, causing her to gulp for precious oxygen.
She hadn’t felt this way since…ever.
After walking for what felt like hours, she paused to rehydrate.The sound of a vehicle coming down the road startled her at first.But then, she remembered ranchers kept hours like bakers, often waking up and starting work around four o’clock in the morning.She couldn’t fathom waking at this ungodly hour on a regular basis.The six-month stint she’d spent as a barista in Austin around her sixteenth birthday had proved she wasn’t cut out for early mornings.To her, this was and would always be the middle of the night.
The vehicle was moving slowly.Hudson?Was it him?Was he out looking for her?
Hope was quickly dashed.Why would he be?If anything, one of the Sturgess family members was out searching for Nikki.As they should be.
Why would anyone care what happened to me?