51

It was a windy day. And that made the difference.

The undergrowth in the forest, called “dog hair” by loggers and “fire ladder” by people who had to combat blazes, was thick in the area. It had been a mild winter and an early spring, and the vegetation had turned to the equivalent of straw.

The fire, hopscotching from the burning Honda, had an easy time unfolding in all directions. The breeze coming from the west drove it straight up the hill toward the highway.

The smoke turned the light orange.

It was as if a gauzy ginger curtain had been pulled in front of the sun.

Emily looked over at Destiny, who had pushed herself away from the steering wheel and was slumped deep into the driver’s seat.

Moments before they had been victors.

But now they sat in silence for five minutes. They had returned to being victims.

Emily found her voice and managed to whisper, “Did we just run him off the road?”

Destiny stared through the empty windshield. “He did that to himself.”

Emily took in a deep breath. She could see the column of rising smoke in the distance. “There’s a fire. Down below where his car went over.”

Destiny had to pull herself up to get a better look. Adrenaline still pumped through their bodies, but they were emotionally crashing. Hard.

“I guess he really messed with the wrong two girls.”

Emily stared at her hand. It was shaking. She realized that her knees were hitting each other. By looking at the side mirror, she could see the back of the big rig. It took up part of the lane behind them.

“We’re on a curve. We should move the truck. And we have to go back to the rest stop. We left that man there. We have to tell people.”

Destiny nodded as Emily continued: “We have to report the car crash, and now the fire.”

Destiny turned the key in the ignition, and the big rig fired to life. “Maybe you should make us a to-do list.”

Emily took the suggestion literally. “First thing is go back to the dead man.”

Destiny added, “And then we report that your kidnapper crashed his car.”

“And we think that when he plunged into the gorge, it might have started a forest fire.”

Destiny put the truck into gear. “Did we forget any other disasters?”

Little tears formed in the corners of Emily’s eyes. “You hooked up with my boyfriend. That seemed like a catastrophe at the time.”

Destiny’s face fell. “Correction: I tried to hook up with Sam. I admit that. But I got nowhere. I climbed into his lap and couldn’t make it happen. On any level.”

Emily looked doubtful. “Really?”

Destiny nodded again. “After everything we’ve been through, you think I’d lie to you?”

Emily shrugged. “You saved my life. You’re entitled to all kinds of bad behavior.”

Destiny found the hazard lights on the console and flipped the switch, sending everything on the outside of the truck blinking. “Up until today, all I had was bad behavior. Maybe I just turned the corner.” Then she looked down at her feet. She was wearing only one orange slipper. “I left my shoe back in the parking lot. I hope it’s still there.”

“I’ll buy you another pair when we’re back home.”

Destiny’s eyes suddenly glistened. “I don’t have a home.”

Emily’s look said it all. “You do now.”

Destiny grabbed the air horn as she maneuvered the big rig off the shoulder and onto the highway.

The sound blasted through the surrounding forest.

They would have to go thirty-two miles before they would reach the first place where the big rig could be turned around.