Oh and the morning sickness? Also Cade’s fault.
Addy stared into the Outlanders’ campfire, adding to the growing list of reasons why Cade was an asshole. In fact, spending several weeks on the back of a horse was giving her plenty of time to blame him for everything that had ever happened to her. She knew Cade was still alive. She could feel it more and more each day. That relieved certainty gave her carte blanche to find him guilty of ruining her whole life.
Who was responsible for Addy being the chubbiest kid in the sixth grade? Cade. Who was responsible for her stupid, least-favorite bra cutting into her shoulders? Cade. Who was responsible for her being pregnant, and grouchy, and kidnapped by Outlanders, again? Cade, Cade, a thousand times Cade.
Christ, she missed him.
On the plus side, Quel and his band of a dozen, two-eyed followers were actually treating her fairly well, all things considered. No one had tried to kill her, rape her, or eat her. They gave Addy her own tent, and a cotton candy pink mount to ride as they headed towards Yellowstone. Feeling maudlin about her final dance with Cade, she’d named the horse Cyndi Lauper, before she’d realized he was actually a male.
The landscape changed the farther west they traveled. That was another slightly positive aspect of the trip. According to the guidebook, this section of the country had once been a vast inland sea. When she looked around, Addy could see the rolling hills that had once made up the ocean floor and visualize the water shaping the geology.
Not that any of that did a damn thing to help her current situation, but it was still an interesting fact. More importantly, it kept her mind occupied from her overwhelming fucking anxiety.
Addy was smart enough to think of escape plans and the Outlanders were complacent enough that a clever scheme might have worked. Unfortunately, she’d been unconscious for nearly twenty-four hours after Quel’s attack, which put her at a distinct disadvantage. No way could she find Devils Tower again, now.
Addy didn’t know how to stay warm at night, or how to catch food, or how to read a compass. She didn’t even have a compass. All the hobbies she’d tried in her life and not one of them had prepared her for trailblazing. Cade had been right. She currently hated him, but she could admit the truth. It would’ve been impossible for her to get from Shadow-of-the-Gods to Yellowstone on her own. She couldn’t survive in the mountains by herself.
So, while she could’ve made a break for it any number of times, where the hell was she going to go? Trekking back to town would’ve been like flying to the moon.
Unpregnant-Addy might’ve given it a shot, anyway. Optimism and impulsiveness made up a huge part of her personality, after all. It was why she’d spent her life neck-deep in chaos. Any other time, she would’ve escaped, damn the torpedoes full speed ahead.
Except, she couldn’t risk her baby.
Stuck with the Outlanders, she was --granted-- stuck with the frigging Outlanders, but she was also somewhat protected. She was valuable to them, so they were sheltering her from wolves and snowstorms. Her odds of dying were markedly lower while she was with them. …At least until they reached the geyser. Because, she wasn’t back in time. No way in hell.
Basically, Addy was at an impasse. Unable to go backwards because the route was lost and getting way too close to a future that involved pissed off cannibals. Unless someone came looking for her, she was screwed.
No. Correction. Unless, Cade came looking for her.
That was the real reason she was trying to focus on anger and geologic trivia. Because, if she stripped that away, all Addy had left was a really, really deep pit of fear. No one had ever come looking for her before. What if Cade didn’t care enough to search? Even if he somehow figured out who’d taken her and where they were headed, fighting the Outlanders was dangerous. What if he decided she wasn’t worth the risk? Their last conversation hadn’t exactly been poetry and declarations of love. Maybe he was over her. Maybe she was on her own.
No. Addy shook her head. She wouldn’t believe that. She didn’t believe it. Terrified as she was, she had faith in Cade.
He would find her.
The Outlanders were talking amongst themselves, ignoring her presence. It was just as well. Addy was sick of hearing how eyeballs were counted, past, present, and future. That was the only thing they ever wanted to discuss about and it was getting seriously old.
The flames danced higher and Addy huddled under the red furs she was using as a blanket. She had a feeling she was better off not knowing what animal the fuzzy skins came from. Wildlife got crazier and crazier, the longer they traveled. Those ghaa beast things were scary as hell, the birds overhead were the size of small planes, and crossing streams was like something out of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.
Damn it, Addy was a “doer” by nature and she had a baby to protect. She couldn’t just sit here, depressed and scared. Cade was coming, but she still needed to come up with a plan in case he arrived too late.
So fine. Once they got to Yellowstone, she’d find a way to get free of thirteen armed men and ride to safety. Preferably to someplace warm. And urban. And close by. Cody might be her best bet. The Westins talked about that town like it was pretty big. How hard could it be to find?
Knowing this stupid time period, probably really, super, incredibly hard. And then there was the starving-to-death issue and the being-eaten-by-monsters problem. Right. Clearly running was still a last resort.
Her other option was to just do what Quel wanted. The Outlanders needed her to “open the magical portal to the Apple Store.” That gave her some power. It went against her grain to help them, but it was safer for her child if she cooperated. The geyser was a doorway. If she took the Outlanders there, it might trigger another earthquake and send them all back to the present.
Except, that wouldn’t work either. The twenty-first century wasn’t Addy’s present, anymore. It was the past. Whenever Cade lived, that was her present and her future. They belonged with each other and she wouldn’t leave him.
So --new plan-- Addy would take the Outlanders to Yellowstone, send them down the rabbit hole, and she’d stay behind. Then she’d have their food and supplies after they left. Addy could take care of herself until Cade showed up.
Because he was going to show up.
“You are very quiet, human.” Quel observed. He was the only Outlander who never wore his Stormtrooper mask. She figured it must be a sign of his new leadership status. “If you’re plotting an escape, I’d advise you against it.” He chewed on part of the neon-striped snake they’d caught earlier. The sight of it turned her stomach. “You are safe here with us. I will not risk disruption of the supernatural forces by touching you. For whatever reason, you are chosen for greatness and must be protected.”
“Yeah, you’re a very thoughtful kidnapper.”
He ignored that. “It would be foolish of you to leave the protection of our camp, though. Not everyone in these parts will see you are special. This is a dangerous land for a woman alone, especially one with child. You are far better off with me watching out for you.”
Addy glowered over at him. “Wow, what a hero.” She said sarcastically. “Oh wait, you’re the one who tied me to the railroad tracks to begin with. So excuse me if I’m not overly grateful when you promise to protect me from the oncoming train, Snidely.”
Quel frowned. “What is a train?”
Addy made a frustrated sound and rephrased. “I’m only in danger, because you brought me here. Everything that’s happening is your fault.”
“I had no choice but to abduct you, woman. Two-eyeders are nothing in my world. My people ostracize us. Give us no respect. Assign us the lowliest tasks. I must flee this world and you are a means to that end.”
“I’m not a means to an end. I’m Addy Mulhaney. A person, just like you.” She glared at him. “If you want to improve how two-eyed Outlanders are treated, you should do it without hurting innocent people. Lasting social justice is only achieved through changing hearts and m
inds. Believe me, I come from a world where we work on that every day.”
“You don’t understand.” Quel seemed irritated by her refusal to accept her kidnapping with a happy smile. “How can you? You are beautiful, even without six eyes. You don’t know what it’s like to be born different.”
“Where I come from, I’m not beautiful. My whole life, I’ve been picked on. Called fat and a scatterbrain.” She shook her head. “It’s only since I came here, that I realized all of that was total bullshit. I’m fine just the way I am and so are you. Other people will see that, if you stand up and show them.”
Quel snorted, not believing her.
“It’s true.” Addy insisted. “The Voltyn are also discriminated against, but Cade knows I’m right about this. He’s learning to embrace who he is. You can do that, too. This doesn’t have to end badly for any of us.”
“That Voltyn is so beguiled by you, he will swallow any fvreing lies you tell.” Quel snapped. “I know better. You are the only one this ends badly for, if you try and cross me. I will have my future in the past, no matter the cost. If I must kill you and your child to have all I desire… so be it.”
Addy gave up getting him to see reason. Quel was too angry and bitter to realize there was another path. She sighed and looked back at the fire. “How can you tell I’m pregnant, anyway?” She asked after a long moment.
“It doesn’t take a healer to deduce it. You are sick each morning. You are highly emotional. You refused most of the food we offered you yesterday…”
“You offered me human fingers!”
“And they were delicious! Almost all meaty thumbs.”
There was absolutely nothing a sane person could say to that. Addy drew in a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Look, I can take you to the place where I crossed through time.” She promised. “Just so you don’t hurt me or the baby, or feed us Soylent Green, I will get you there. But, I’m staying in this century, agreed? You go and I stay.”
Cade never technically asked her to stay with him, but fuck it. Misery brought clarity. Addy didn’t need Cade’s permission to do what she wanted. She wanted him, so he’d better just adjust to having her around. Quite frankly, his whole attitude sucked. When he showed up, she planned to tell him that, too.
Quel watched her for a long moment and then grunted around a mouthful of snake. “We have a deal, woman.”
“Good.” Addy nodded in satisfaction at how simple it was to implement her awesome plan and went back to watching the flames.
The world would be a better place if everybody just did what she told them. Addy was always right. Always. But no one ever listened.
None of this would’ve even happened if Brian had held the corporate retreat in Vegas, like she’d suggested. Addy could’ve been watching handsome men strip, while she drank margaritas and played roulette. Instead, she was freezing, hungry, and abducted by mutants. Worse, she didn’t even want to go back to her own time for margaritas and male strippers, because she was in love with an idiot, who probably hadn’t even noticed she was gone, yet. Christ, she really had lost her mind out here in the tundra.
…And that was definitely Cade’s fault.
Chapter Seventeen
Did you know Yellowstone National Park is bigger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined?
Be sure to stick to the trails and listen to your glamping-ranger,
because it’s a heck of a place to get lost!
Brown’s Glampling Tours Official Pocket Guide
The Strickland Geyser was calling to her.
Yellowstone was so vast that Addy had wondered if she could find it again, even with the confusing map. The National Park was huge and she wasn’t exactly an avid explorer. When she’d traveled through it before, she’d been in a heated tour bus and paying more attention to her text messages than the route. Now she was back, only all the helpful brown signs and paved roads were gone. Frankly, for someone of her dubious wilderness skills, finding one geyser in 3,500 square miles seemed pretty impossible.
But, something drew her back to the spot where she traveled into the future.
Addy knew which way to go, even when it was impossible for her to know which way to go. She just had a feeling. The canyons and forests and geologic features weren’t the impenetrable maze they first seemed. Not even the melting snow was slowing her down. She might not know how to get back to Devils Tower, but she knew how to get to Strickland Geyser. It had an almost magnetic pull, guiding her towards its towering surface.
The farther they moved into Yellowstone, the more anxious the Outlanders became. Being there frightened the warriors. Their people had always lived in “The Wilderness,” but now the landscape was scarred from fighting. All around them, there was evidence of the Wilderness War. Burned tree stumps. Long trenches, where bodies were stacked in mass graves. Destruction and death marring the scenic vistas.
Addy could only imagine the terrible battles the soldiers had witnessed in this serene place. Judging from the devastation, they must have been horrific. No wonder Deke was still haunted. Nature was reclaiming the damaged areas, bringing them to life again, but it was slow going. She didn’t blame him for vowing never to return to the sight of so much misery.
Even the animals seemed to avoid the dead spots in the countryside. And there were a lot of bizarre and weird-looking animals around. Yellowstone had always been a haven for wildlife and this time period was no different. Creatures she’d never seen before moved in the brush around them. Ducks with shark-like teeth. Rabbits the size of German shepherds. Mountain lions with tiger stripes. Of course, there were also the normal herds of buffalo. And elk. And sanbor.
All in all, it was like Dr. Seuss designed a National Park.
“Are you sure this is the way?” Quel kept the tour book close, hyper-focused on the map, which he couldn’t read well, either. He was paranoid that Addy was trying to lead them astray. “I don’t see that waterfall in these pictures.” He gestured to the torrential flood of water pouring over the gigantic rocks to their left. “How do we know this is really the path and not some human trick?”
“This is the path.” Addy could feel the geyser ahead of them. “The river changed, but I know it’s the right spot.” Cyndi Lauper crested a small hill and Addy saw the distinctive phallic shape of Strickland Geyser looming ahead of them. It stood straight up, at least fifteen feet high and eight feet wide. Dread filled Addy, now that she was back where it all began. She reigned in the horse. “That’s it.”
Quel gave a chortle of joy. “That’s it!” He looked from the guidebook to the geyser and back again. “You found it, woman!”
The other Outlanders let out whoops of excitement, riding forward in triumph.
Twenty yards away, in a beautiful clearing that smelled of sulfur and snow, was the doorway the twenty-first century. The ground smoked in ominous gray puffs and the small offshoots of the river bubbled with trapped gasses, but everything else seemed dormant. As if this incredible spot was just like any other incredible spot in the National Park. Tranquil. Stunning. Normal.
Addy knew better.
“Open the portal!” Quel shouted at her, his yellow eyes glowing with excitement. “Do it now and let’s leave this dismal world forever!”
No way was Addy getting any closer to the geyser. Another earthquake could occur at any moment, sending her back in time, and that was the last thing she wanted. She was staying with Cade and his family --her family-- not matter what it took.
“It’ll happen when it happens.” She told Quel. “When I was transported here, the geyser went off and there was an earthquake.” She gestured into the mist. “Go over there, stand at the base, and wait for something to happen.”
His eyebrows compressed, sensing a trap. “What about you?”
“I told you, I’m not coming.” Sorry citizens past, but a dozen or so Outlanders were headed your way. “I’ll just stay waaaay over here.”
“You must come closer. The portal w
ill not open unless you are with us.”
“Sure, it will.” She had nothing to back up that assertion, but she nodded anyway. “Just try and…”
Quel cut her off. “Do you understand nothing of magic? You are the one with the power, because you were the one chosen to travel here. Only you can go back.”
She scowled over at him. “I don’t even believe in magic. I believe in deals and we had one, remember? You go and I stay.”
“I honor no deals with humans.” Quel grabbed Cyndi Lauper’s reigns. He spurred his own horse on, leading Addy’s mount towards the geyser. “We go together!”
“Damn it, I don’t have any powers!” She frantically tried to slow Cyndi Lauper down. “I did what you wanted and I got you here, now you have to let me go!”
He kept galloping forward. “You’re the key to a better world! Do you think I’ll let you deprive me of the life I deserve?!”
Goddamn it, she had to stop him. Addy couldn’t jump off her horse without risking the baby. …But, she could push Quel off his horse.
Addy reached over and shoved him as hard as she could. He hadn’t been expecting the attack. Instinctively, he slid to the side and slowed the horse, trying to keep his balance. Quel didn’t drop Cyndi Lauper’s reigns, but he was distracted enough that Addy could catch hold on them, too.
She pulled back and the horse stopped long enough for Addy to climb off its back. She was on solid ground again, but it only took her a second to see that the ground was much closer to the geyser, now.
Too close. Way, way too close.
Quel’s angry cursing drew the attention of the other Outlanders. Their pastel steeds thundering, they raced back towards Addy and Quel. Addy barely noticed the Jell-O colored cavalry charge, all her attention fixed on the massive geyser. The smoke was thicker now and, deep within the surface of the earth, she felt the first tremor.
No.
Cowboy from the Future Page 25