I took a quick shower and returned to find the bed empty and perfectly made. The sounds of pots and pans led me to the kitchen to find him making breakfast. I took a seat at the breakfast bar and watched while he continued to move around the kitchen.
"How long can we stay here?" I asked. I knew we couldn't hide out forever. Eventually we would either have to go back, or disappear completely with new identities. I didn't want to be the reason he gave up everything he had worked so hard for. This was not a permanent solution and he would resent me if he had to give up his career, family, and friends because of my past. I'd rather live without him, than live with him hating me.
"We need to go into town later and get some groceries. In our rush out of town we didn't bring much. I'll have to go buy a pay-as-you-go phone from the store. I don't want to risk being traced here because we used our phones. I'll call my friend Daniels, and see if he's learned anything," Reed said.
The rest of the day passed in uncomfortable politeness with both of us trying not to let on that we were going stir crazy trapped in the cabin. Reed wanted to wait to go into town when there would be less people out shopping. I wasn't sure what he was afraid of, but his unease set me on edge.
We made it into town around 8:30, after most people were home with their families, but before the store closed. I'm sure I was being paranoid, but I could have sworn the cashier was watching me while we shopped. I mentioned it to Reed, but he reassured me that no one besides our friends knew where we were. Still, he hurried up and we left the store without getting too many groceries.
I didn't sleep as soundly that night. The stress and exhaustion caught up with me and I swore I heard noises outside. Reed didn't sleep as well either. He tossed and turned, mumbling incoherently in his sleep.
When morning finally came, the light burst through the curtains and assaulted my tired eyes. I blinked trying to ease the discomfort, but it felt like running sandpaper over them. I felt completely drained, physically and mentally, and a little sick because of it.
Reed groaned and stiffly rose out of bed. "I left the phone in the car. I never called Daniels last night and I want to see if there are any new developments."
I lay in bed for a little while longer, dreading facing another day stuck in the cabin. When I came downstairs I realized Reed still hadn't come back into the house. I slipped on my shoes and ventured outside. Reed tensed when he saw me and urged me to go back into the house.
I wanted to be stubborn, but something about his demeanor had me doing as he said without argument. Moments later he followed me inside and began to lock every lock in the house. He closed the blinds and pulled the phone out of his pocket.
"Daniels," he said in a clipped tone. He nodded a few times, and made a few grunts in response to whatever Daniels was saying. "Look, I don't know if it means anything, but I found Aiden's car with a flat this morning...Yeah, I guess it could have been a rock, but...No, we haven't used our phones...Listen, it looks like the tire was cut with a knife...Yeah, we are going to move on just to be safe...A body?...Seriously, don't let them go alone...They already left? Fuck! She isn't going to like this...Yeah, I better go talk to her."
"Tell me what?" I rushed the second he hung up.
Reed placed his hands on the top of his head and paced back and forth. It was something I'd seen him do a few times before, when he was really stressed or frustrated.
He dropped his hands and looked directly into my eyes. "There was a body found in a ditch outside of Ellensburg. It was found by some students headed out to hike Manashtash. It's probably nothing."
The agony in his eyes suggested it was something, but didn't want to tell me.
"Reed," I demanded.
"No one has seen Cameron since shortly after we left the other night. Toni and Jeremy found an address written on a scrap of paper in his apartment and are going to check it out. I told Daniels not to let them go alone, but they already left," he answered.
I felt the room tilt. I grabbed on to the counter to steady myself, but I still felt everything crumbling around me. I wanted to sink with it. Not my brother, I begged silently.
I hadn't prayed once since my parents died. Not while I was married to John, not when I miscarried, and not when Cameron and I ran for years afterward. But I was praying, or more like begging now.
Reed moved toward me at the same time I noticed a shadow pass by the window.
"Reed!" I shouted.
I wanted to warn him. Everything moved so slow it seemed like there should be enough time to tell him what I saw, but the loud pop of a gun made time speed ahead again. I barely registered Reed leap toward me and knock me to the ground.
I frantically searched him for a wound, and released my breath when I didn't find one.
"We need to move," he mouthed.
I nodded. He pulled a gun from the back of his waistband and we crawled toward the back door.
It was eerily quiet. The gun shot had scared away all of the birds, and the only sounds I heard were my blood rushing through my veins and my heart pounding in my chest.
It was a gamble to go out the front door. For all we knew, John had taken a wild shot to send us running out the back and we were about to run head first into a trap. John was horrible with guns. It wasn't a surprise that he missed Reed. It was surprising that he brought a gun. He preferred to be up close and personal when he was causing damage. But it had been years since I'd seen him; people change, and often not for the better.
The old wooden stairs on the front porch creaked. Reed reacted swiftly, yanking open the back door and shoving me in front of him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the woods.
The loud thud of boots thundered through the house. My breath came in pants, partly from running, and partly from the fear that we wouldn't make it to the cover of the trees before John got a clear shot at one of us. No, at Reed, because John would want to "teach me a lesson." That was something he'd want to do with his hands.
I struggled to keep up with Reed. His long legs and prime physical condition made it more than difficult. To make matters worse, the house was on top of a hill and I was running downhill, trying not to hit trees.
I heard a snap of a stick behind me. I was only distracted for a split second, but that was more than enough time for me to lose my footing and twist my ankle. I tried to stand, but the pain was excruciating. I swallowed a whimper and attempted to get up again without putting much weight on my leg.
My leg buckled underneath me. I couldn't move and the rustling sound of pine needles and crunching of sticks behind me told me I was running out of time. "Go," I demanded. "You will not stay here with me just to die."
Reed's jaw clenched. "Shut up," he ordered. He tossed me over his shoulder in a fireman carry and started running again. The jostling movement made my ankle scream, but I bit my lip to prevent crying out.
The forest floor was covered in pine needles, thick ferns, and short shrubs. Vines and ivy grew in a tangled mass along the ground, but Reed navigated the dense vegetation with ease. Light rain fell constantly, slowly soaking both of us.
After what felt like forever, but was probably only fifteen minutes, we came to a cliff face. Reed helped me down and balanced me on my good leg. "I need you to climb on my back," he whispered.
I hopped awkwardly trying to wrap my injured leg around his waist, almost falling with each attempt. Reed squatted down so I could climb up more easily. He reached around, grabbed my thigh, and pulled me onto his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, careful not to choke him.
He took a careful step onto the narrow trail and his foot slipped. He grabbed the wall to steady himself. "Hold on tight and try to stop squirming. The rocks are really slippery."
I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in his neck so I wouldn't see the sheer drop off right next to me. I tried to stop shivering, but the cold rain seeped through every layer I had on.
"Open your eyes," Reed whispered. I forced one eye open and saw we stopped movi
ng. He helped me slide off his back. "We can rest here. Look," he said motioning behind him. There was a small opening in the rock. "Lean here. I'm going to make sure there aren't any four legged critters sharing this spot with us."
Reed crawled back out of the cave and tried to wipe the dirt away from his damp jeans. "The conditions aren't ideal, but it's dry and out of the wind." I scooted into the cave as carefully as I could. I yelped when my foot dragged across the ground.
I crab walked back the best I could with my foot raised off the ground. I winced each time my foot even lightly touched down, but I managed to squeeze myself into the cramped opening.
Reed rubbed my arms quickly, but the chill clung to my damp clothes. "Sorry I can't start a fire. Come closer and I will try to keep you warm." I snuggled into his side and tried to absorb some of his body heat.
The temperature continued to drop as day turned to night. The cold day turned into a wickedly frigid night. Violent shudders racked my body and prevented me from falling asleep. My fingers and toes felt like they were being stuck over and over with dozens of tiny needles.
I was relieved when the pain started to ease off, but the part of my brain that was still functioning knew that it wasn't a good sign. My shivering had slowed down to an occasional shudder. A fog started to creep over me, dulling my senses along with my nerve endings.
"Shit, shit," I heard Reed mutter over the chattering of my teeth.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest. I could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. I wanted to help him fight the danger he was sensing, but the numbness was sucking me under.
Another violent shudder racked my body. Reed wrapped himself around me, pulling me into his lap.
"I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry. Please don't leave me." I heard him whisper into my neck.
"N..n...not yo...your f...fault," I chattered.
"You're going to freeze to death out here. Maybe we should move. The moon is bright, we could cover a lot of ground before the sun comes up," he said, looking to me for guidance.
I squeezed his hand in reply and carefully crawled out of his lap. I scooted to the opening of the cave and tried to stand. I pushed off the ground and saw rocks digging into my hands, but I didn't feel the sting.
Reed's jaw clenched tight and I knew he was blaming himself for everything. I didn't want him punishing himself for this, not when I brought it to him.
I tried one more time to stand and winced when my foot touched the ground. He grunted and he lifted me back on his back. I began to protest, but the tension in his body caused me to stop. I didn't want to be a burden, but it seemed like he needed to take care of me.
The journey down the cliff was faster than the way up. My ankle was numb, and stupid or not, I decided to try and walk on my own. It was more like hobbling and I was leaning on Reed, but at least I wasn't riding on his back. I trusted him, more than I ever thought was possible, but I wouldn't be a burden.
The moonlight filtered dimly through the thick canopy, but enough that we weren't tripping over roots and ferns. I could feel the tension in Reed's muscles from my grip on his arm. He scanned the shadows looking for a threat.
I wanted to tell him to relax, but I felt safer with him on alert. Every little sound made me jump, the rustle of pine needles in the wind, the chirping of crickets, and the occasional hoot from an owl, everything. Knowing Reed was scanning the shadows made it easier to control the panic I felt clawing inside of me.
"Reed, where are we heading?" I asked. I limped along side of him, trying not to slow him down too much, but my ankle wasn't the only cause. I hadn't slept well the night before and that was almost twenty-four hours ago. Not to mention that neither of us had eaten since breakfast the day before.
"There is a hunting cabin five miles down the road from mine. The owner, Gerry, was a friend of my dad's family. He won't be there this time of year, but he keeps an old truck there. He's old and forgetful. I'm hoping he forgot to turn off the landline when he left for the season," Reed explained.
"Reed," I began in a shaky voice, "can you ask if anyone has found Cameron?"
I had to believe that my brother was fine. He had to be, because I wouldn't be fine without him. The pain and cold distracted me through most of the night, but I'd be lying if I said I was able to put it out of my mind. A body. Shit. It had to be someone else and how horrible was I that I wished it was someone else?
Reed squeezed my hand. "I'm sure it isn't Cameron, but I'll ask. Just hang in there until we know something." I heard his words, but the look on his face betrayed how worried he was.
We walked the rest of the way to the cabin in silence. It was difficult enough concentrating on not putting my weight on my injured ankle, especially since I couldn't feel it much anymore. Carrying on a conversation would have been impossible. My medical training made me realize I had probably torn a ligament in my ankle. I didn't say anything though. The only thing Reed could do was worry, and he had enough on his mind already.
We made it to the cabin just as the sunlight began to filter brightly through the dense forest. Reed lifted up a loose post on the porch and pulled out a key. He opened the door and held it open for me. I limped across the threshold and sank to the floor.
I tried to listen to Reed's conversation with his partner, but I couldn't follow his short responses. I leaned my head against the wall and willed myself to be patient a few more minutes.
When he came back I could see by the tightness in his jaw that the news wasn't going to be good. "No, no, no," I chanted.
Reed crouched down in front of me. "I don't have any news. I can see you trying to read my expression. Daniels is on his way to the morgue. You aren't there to try and make an identification, and now he can't get a hold of Jeremy either."
"Does that mean he believes it's Cameron?"
"Honestly I don't know. He doesn't seem to have much of a description of the body in the morgue. He is just trying to get information as quickly as possible. I've got to make one more call to make sure we are okay borrowing Gerry's truck and we're leaving," Reed said.
I nodded. I was mentally and physically exhausted. The numbness in my ankle was alternating with a sensation of sharp stings. My body begged to shut down. I closed my eyes and gave in, knowing I was safe as long as Reed was with me.
Chapter 22
Jeremy
Toni held on to the dashboard, her knuckles turned white from her tight grip. "Jeremy, slow down, you don't even know where we're going," she begged.
"Well, I would if you could hack into Cam's find my iPhone app on your phone," I replied.
"I'm not a computer whiz, Jer. Any idea what his password is?" she asked.
"Uhm, did you try password?" I suggested.
"No, that would be stupid," she retorted. A second later I heard her snort. "I can't believe it. Why is it password? You know what, don't tell me. After we find him, and you kick his ass for scaring the shit out of us, I'm going to kick it for this lame ass password."
"The oddest things piss you off," I teased. Toni ignored me and made a small squeak when she narrowed in on the location of his phone.
"Where is he? C'mon, Toni, tell me. His phone isn't in a ditch outside of Ellensburg is it? Why aren't you saying anything?" I demanded.
"Because you won't shut up! Chill okay. I can say I'm nearly one hundred percent sure now that Cameron isn't in the morgue, because his phone is in Yakima. Why would he go to Yakima? There is like nothing there. Unless you want to buy crack. Cameron doesn't smoke crack right? I mean they do call it Crakima for a reason," she rambled.
"Toni, focus," I ordered.
"Shit, sorry. I babble when I'm scared. I'm putting the address into the GPS right now," she apologized.
"You know Cameron doesn't do drugs." I took a look at the GPS, and paused for a moment. "But if he wanted to get them this would be the neighborhood. What the hell is he doing down here?"
"Only one way to find out," she said and braced herself on the dashbo
ard.
"What are you doing, you demented little pixie?" I asked.
"I told you to slow down because you didn't know where you were going, and now you know where you're going," she pointed out.
I winked at her. "Excellent point. How ‘bout we get in and out of 'The Palm Springs of Washington' before anyone sees this car and decides to help themselves to it?"
"I will never understand why anyone thought to call Yakima that, and I'm from here," she scoffed.
"You're right. Crakima is a much better fit," I said, and floored the accelerator.
My phone rang while I was in the process of taking a turn a little faster than the posted speed. Okay, a lot faster. I could afford the ticket more than the heart attack I felt was oncoming every second I couldn't see for myself that Cameron was really fine.
"Could you get that?" I asked Toni.
It was Aiden, calling for probably the tenth time. I couldn't keep sending him to my voicemail. Not that I was afraid of him, but Becca wouldn't hesitate to kick my ass when we got back. I'd developed a healthy fear of red heads during the time that I'd known her. Her temper was as fiery as her hair.
"Uh oh," Toni blurted just as her phone began to ring. "Becca is calling me now. We are in deep shit, Jer."
Toni answered her phone and put it on speaker. I could hear Aiden yelling something in the background before Becca even started speaking.
"It's about time one of you answered a phone!" Becca shouted.
"Sorry, mom," Toni replied sarcastically.
"What the hell is wrong with the two of you?" Aiden butted in over speakerphone. "Couldn't you just let Reed's friend follow whatever lead you two think you've dug up?"
I gripped the steering wheel tight. Losing my shit with my best friend would only make me feel like an asshole later. "Would you sit on your ass waiting if it was Becca?"
"He trusted Reed to find me when it was me. Remember?" Becca chimed in. "What good is it going to do Cameron to go running around searching for him?"
"We know where he is, or at least his phone," Toni informed them.
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