24

 

Why was the breeze blowing on her face? The only sound was wind and her breathing. Her head throbbed. She opened her eyes. Above her was a cloudless blue sky. Her hands and feet were free. Jamie moved to a sitting position. She was in a ditch on the side of the road.

No houses. No cars. No Ryan.

Only blue skies and green fields.

Apparently, she’d convinced Ryan she wasn’t law enforcement so he’d freed her.

Now Ryan, Michael, and Andrew were long gone where she would never find them. She’d failed. “God, I thought this was what I was supposed to be doing. I just wanted to take Andrew home to his mama.” Tears leaked out. She wiped them away. She’d missed the meeting at the diner. How long had she been passed out in this ditch? Had it been hours or minutes or days? She had no idea.

Enrique must be worried by now—or angry, maybe both.

She stared up at the sky. The sun was high. It was still afternoon, but what day?

Remembering the toys in the corner, she rubbed at the tears. She’d blown it. Now she would have to tell Zink she’d failed.

She stood, swayed back and forth, but didn’t fall. Confusion reigned. Why had Ryan let her go?

Just as she was helping her friend, Ryan was helping Michael.

She’d lied to him to get what she wanted. Was that any better than what he’d done? It was becoming harder for her to justify the means, no matter the goal.

Which way was town?

Soon, it would be dark and she’d be out here with the native wildlife. Well, she wouldn’t just stand here and wait for a bear to find her.

Show me the way, God. Please. Turning, she looked for anything that might lead to town or a house. The sight was breathtaking. She was surrounded by snow-crusted mountains. In the distance were trees—a lot of trees. She turned and walked the opposite direction of the trees. Please let this be the right way. The pain in her head lessened as she walked.

Finally, a crossroads appeared. Cars sped down the road. The people inside the vehicles were oblivious to her plight.

There were no other signs of civilization.

Which way should she go?

A car approached and slowly pulled off the road. As it moved closer, the light bar started flashing.

Thank you, God.

A woman stepped out. She wore a black uniform and the traditional rounded state patrol hat. “Need some help?”

“I’m lost, officer. I ran out of gas, and I have no idea how to get back to Jackson Hole.”

The officer’s eyes widened. “Jackson Hole? You’re in Idaho.”

“Idaho?” Jamie’s gaze moved down to the woman’s badge. She should have noticed that before she opened her mouth.

“You don’t look too good. What happened to you?”

“Just a fight with my boyfriend.”

She pointed at Jamie’s shirt. “Is that blood?”