“She was waiting for me after work. She got in the passenger seat, pointed a gun at me, and told me to drive. We were on the highway for a long time, but I’m not sure where I took her.”
Before I could ask her any other questions, her nurse entered the room and started examining her. She asked her a series of questions, shined a light in her eyes, and gave her something for her pain.
“What happened to me?” Aspen asked as soon as the nurse left the room.
“I’m not entirely sure. Someone saw you on the side of the road and called an ambulance. You were brought to the hospital with a head injury, and you’d been shot in the chest,” I explained carefully, unsure of how she would react.
“Well, that explains why it hurts like a motherfucker when I breathe,” she said flatly.
Her reaction, or lack thereof, wasn’t what I expected. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she confirmed and exhaled slowly. “I’m just trying to decide if I’m more shocked by the fact that she actually shot me or that I can’t remember it.”
“Trust me, not remembering it is a good thing,” I said, speaking from my own experience. I vividly recalled everything about being shot and wholeheartedly wished I didn’t.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said as her eyes started to droop. Suddenly, they popped open. “Where’s Luke? Does he know what happened?”
“He does. He’s back in Devil Springs trying to find Pamela. Do you want me to call him?”
“Yes, please.”
I dialed his number and handed my phone to her. “Coal, please tell me you have good news,” I heard him say.
“He has good news,” Aspen said with a small smile.
“Aspen,” he breathed. “I’m so happy to hear your voice. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve had better days.”
They continued to talk for several minutes before she held the phone out to me. “He wants to talk to you.”
“Get as much information from her as you can, but don’t press her too hard. I’m going to work on making arrangements to have her moved back to Devil Springs now that she’s awake, but we don’t need any setbacks between now and then.”
“Understood.”
I resumed my position at Aspen’s side and took her hand in mine. It wasn’t long before her pain medicine kicked in, and she fell asleep. And for the first time since we were both taken, I fell into a deep, restful sleep right beside her.
13
PHOENIX
When my phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize, I stepped out of Aspen’s room to answer it. Coal was sound asleep for the first time in days, and I didn’t want to risk waking him. The boy had been running on fumes and needed any rest he could get.
“Phoenix Black,” I answered.
“Hey, Phoenix. This is Jimmy Sullivan. I’m the one who found your son in the woods.”
“Yes, of course. What can I do for you, Jimmy?”
“Well, I’m not sure, to be honest. I had a couple of agents come to my door today asking about a missing hiker. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about them didn’t sit right with me.”
“I see. And you think this has something to do with my son?” I guessed.
“I didn’t at first, but the description they gave matched your son, even the clothes he was wearing.” He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “Your son’s business ain’t my business, but we both know that boy didn’t get lost while camping with his friends. That was obvious by the state he was in when we crossed paths. If I had to take a guess, I’d say whoever he got away from is trying to figure out where he went.”
“I see. May I ask what you told the agents?”
“I told them I hadn’t seen anybody on my property in years and left it at that.”