Page 121 of Saving Grace

Downhill.

The engine noise lightens. We must be traveling over the mountains. Away from Montana. Heading for the River State, most likely.

The temperature in the trunk cools further. I shiver. My teeth rattle in my head. I grit my teeth, and my puffy eyes burn. A wash of goosebumps floods my skin. To ward off the cold, I fill my mind with memories of Mackinlay. His arms wrapped around me. His warm breath against my neck, the shell of my ear.

“I will find my way back, Mackinlay,” I whisper to the void. “I promise.”

The darkness that has swallowed me whole since the trunk slammed shut drags me under.

I lose sight of the hole and the single beam of watery sunlight.

Exhausted, I let go.

Chapter Thirty-Four

MACK

“Fuck,” Reed drawls.

“What?” I snap.

“Need gas.” He swings the truck into the gas station on the outskirts of Lewistown.

I run my hands through my hair before dragging them down my face. “Make it quick, gunny.”

He nods sharply and flies out the door to the pump.

Across the parking lot, a figure is striding toward us. Morley. I flick my gaze to anywhere but him. Reed pumps gas into the tank, telling the thing to pump faster. As if that will do anything.

“Rawlins!” Morley waves a hand. He’s dressed up in jeans, a denim jacket, and a white hat that makes him look like cowboy Ken.

Fuck off, Morley.

“Not now, buddy.” Reed tries to wave him off. He walks over to the passenger door.

“Sure, but I thought you might want to know I saw your girl before. Was getting gas but forgot the paper and had to come back. She was with two guys. Wasn’t happy about it either. Sending fists into the skinny one. He shoved her into the back seat before locking her in.”

Reed stares at him. The pump gurgles and clicks in his hand. “Fuck.”

I’m out of the truck faster than humanly possible. “Speak, Morley.”

A stupid smirk crosses his face, as if he’s happy he has something we want.

“Swear to god, Morley, I will rearrange your fuckin’ teeth.” My words are barely more than a growl.

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Simply reporting what I saw. She was upset. They put her in the back seat. She was covered in something blue. They had it on them, too. They bought smokes and screeched their way out of here, heading south.” He nods to the highway running south.

“Is that all?”

“You could say ‘thank you.’ It’s not like she’s anything to me.”

Goddamn asshat.

The outside temperature is cold and dropping as the clouds overhead shift. I pray to god we find them before they make it too far.

“Not today, Morley.”

Reed jogs for the truck, clearing the station’s automatic door. He fires the truck up and we head south. Morley watches us from his truck. About time the waste of space did something worthwhile.

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