Page 5 of Their Reluctant Catch

Chapter3

Savannah

“Goddamn, motherfucking piece-of-shit car!” My voice bounces off the empty road and echoes sharp and shrill back against the tree trunks lining both sides of the road. It’s freezing, and whatever’s coming from the sky is not quite snow, and it’s damn cold. I slam the hood shut harder than necessary, with an echoing metallic clang. “Fifteen miles. Fifteen fucking miles left to go, and you couldn’t just get me there?”

The rental car sits there, its lifeless hunk of metal mocking me. The engine didn’t sputter. It didn’t cough. It just fucking died like a coward, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere. No streetlights, no passing cars, just me, this icebox of a road, and a sky so vast it feels like it’s swallowing me whole.

I tug my jacket tighter around me, but it doesn’t help. The cold slips through every crack, biting into my skin and settling deep in my bones. I glare at the car as if that’ll magically bring it back to life.

“Fuck you. And fuck this stupid town. And fuck this whole stupid state.”

I stomp around to the trunk and pop it open, rooting through my bag for anything that might help. Tools, duct tape, literally anything. I should’ve had my tools shipped, but no. Dumbass me thought I wouldn’t need them, that I’d survive without my lifeline. I slam shut the trunk and press my freezing hands to my face.

“I could fix you if I had a goddamn alternator belt,” I mutter at the car, pacing in the dark like an idiot. “But no, I don’t carry spare parts in my pocket. Dumb of me. Real fucking dumb.”

The wind picks up and slices through the layers of my clothes, making me shiver. The cold isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s dangerous. My breath fogs in front of me as I pull my phone out of my pocket. No bars. Of course. Why would there be?

“Great. Just perfect. Middle of Nowhere, Maine, and no reception. What the hell did I expect?”

I glare down the road, searching for any sign of headlights. Nothing. Just the quiet hum of the trees in the wind and the faint huff of my own breath. The road’s so dark and empty it makes me feel smaller, like the world could swallow me whole, and no one would even notice.

I slump against the car, sliding down until I’m sitting on the frozen pavement. The cold seeps through my jeans, but I barely notice. I stare at the road, my mind whirling with options. What would Danny do?

Danny. The image of him comes back so clearly, it’s like he’s standing right in front of me. That stupid lopsided grin, the grease smeared on his cheek from working under the hood. “You always overthink it, Savannah,” he says, shaking his head. “Just break it down. Problem, solution. One thing at a time.”

My chest tightens, and the memory shifts. Danny’s lying on the floor, his body crumpled like a broken doll’s. Mitch is beside him, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes. The crack of gunfire still rings in my ears, and the weight of my phone is heavy in my hand. I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t save them.

A sob escapes my throat, and I press the heels of my hands to my eyes. “Stop it. Don’t go there. Not now.”

The tears come anyway, hot against my frozen cheeks. I swipe at them angrily, smearing mascara and cold air across my face. I don’t cry. I don’t do this. But the cold, the loneliness, and the sheer fucking hopelessness of this moment rupture something inside me.

I tilt back my head and laugh, the sound bitter and sharp, breaking apart in the freezing night. “Great start, Savannah. Great fucking start. You’ve been in Maine for two hours, and you already want to hop on the next plane out.”

Two hours. Two hours since I landed at Bangor International Airport and felt this state’s biting chill for the first time. Two hours since I climbed into this rental car, praying it wouldn’t give me trouble, considering its mileage. Two hours since I regretted this entire plan, this entire insane idea my mom forced me into.

“Northwick Cove,” I mutter, the name dripping with sarcasm. “What a great name. Can’t wait to see how ‘quaint’ it is. Thanks, Mom.”

I hug my knees to my chest, trying to think clearly. My options are limited. No cell reception means no calling for a tow. It’s too cold to sit here much longer, and I don’t fancy walking fifteen miles in the dark. Even if I tried, I’d likely freeze my tits off before I made it halfway.

I look up at the sky, the stars scattered like broken glass across the black. Danny would’ve figured it out by now. He’d have a plan. He’d know what to do.

“Yeah, well, I’m not Danny,” I whisper, the words bitter on my tongue.

The wind howls through the trees, and I shiver, pulling my jacket tighter. The world feels too big, too cold, too empty. And for the first time in weeks, I let myself feel it—the fear, the loneliness, the crushing weight of everything I’ve lost.

I don’t know how long I sit there. The cold seeps into my skin. I’m going to give myself a few minutes and a good cry then I’ll walk to that stupid town.

* * *

Todd

The old van rattles as it hugs the narrow road’s curves, each bump and groove threatening to jar it apart. I give the steering wheel a reassuring pat, like I’m talking to a skittish horse. “Hang in there, girl,” I mutter under my breath. “You’ve got at least one more trip in you.”

Colton sits beside me on the bench seat, staring out the window like he’s trying to will the forest to disappear. He’s quieter than usual, and I know exactly why. My brother hates leaving Northwick Cove, let alone driving to the next town for supplies. If it were up to him, we’d never cross the town limits. But sometimes, you need more than bait, tackle, and thermal socks from the Cove’s general store.

Thank God we didn’t have to go to Bangor today. Colton would’ve sulked for a week if we’d had to deal with that much traffic and noise. Bangor’s not even a big city by most people’s standards, but it’s plenty big for us. For Colton, it’s downright overwhelming.

The silence stretches between us, broken only the occasional thud of a pothole I can’t avoid. I reach for the radio, twisting the knob to see if I can pick up a station. Nothing but static. Figures. Not only do the trees here block cell signals, they strangle the airwaves, too.

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