Page 129 of One Step Too Far

“Is that the burn pile?” She points to the laundry heap.

“Exactly.”

“Frankie, you need to rest. Your body is nowhere near recovered. Hell, Daisy and I are nowhere near recovered and all we did was sprint down a mountain after a brief interval of captivity.”

“Are you two headed back to Devil’s Canyon tomorrow?”

“No. There’s more than enough cooks in the kitchen now. And Daisy and I need to recuperate, both physically and mentally. That first day, when we finally emerged from the woods, knowing the rest of you remained stranded and vulnerable at base camp... we had to go back. Till each and every one of you was rescued. We weren’t stopping before then.”

“But still no Martin,” I venture, with just enough question in my voice. I’m very curious about her answer but don’t want to show it.

“A party has been assembled to start scouring the ravine tomorrow. But from what I saw on the map, that’s gonna be a total bitch. Hard to access and almost impossible to navigate given the heavily wooded terrain. Better them than me.”

I nod. “So we’ll return to the hospital in the morning?”

“Exactly. I’ll tell you a secret—Daisy isn’t allowed in, not being a service dog. But I put her in her black work vest, then waltz in like we have every right to be there, and no one bats an eye. The fact she’s adorable and well behaved helps, too.”

“Thank you for coming back,” I murmur. “Thank you for not giving up, for returning to Devil’s Canyon even though you had to be exhausted. Thank you for saving Miguel and me.”

The words come out thicker than I intended. I can feel my eyes welling up. I’m exhausted. I do need to recover. Luciana’s right—we’re all going to need time to process. But not yet. Not for me.

Luciana regards me with her rich brown eyes. They hold a sheen of moisture as well. “Anytime, my friend,” she says quietly. “Anytime.”

Then, while the mood is still warm and fuzzy, I hit her with the question I really wanted to ask from the very beginning.

“Can I borrow your car?”

—

Luciana tries to refuse. I shouldn’t be going out, there’s no kind of errand that can’t wait till morning. But in the end, my unwavering patience wears her down. She slams the keys into my hand. Orders me to be careful, then watches me with genuine concern as I leave the comfort of the motel.

I feel like I’m aging exponentially, gaining more aches and pains by the minute as my body speeds up breaking down.

After this, I will need to sleep forever.

But not right now.

It takes me several tries to find what I’m looking for. I have to pull over, regard the printed map by flashlight, set out again. Then, shortly after midnight, I’m there. It takes me another nerve-racking, horrifying hour to confirm what I suspected.

Back to the motel, where the room is now pitch-black and silent, broken only by the rumbling sounds of Daisy’s snoring, I remove my coat, fumble with the tactical blade at my waist. Then, the trickiest part, bending over and slowly easing my sneakers off my feet.

When I finally manage to straighten, I’m done. There’s not another ounce of energy left in me. I collapse back fully clothed.

I close my eyes and will myself to sleep.

Tomorrow will be hard enough.

CHAPTER 44

In the morning, I wait till we arrive at the hospital before making my next request.

“Sheriff Kelley will be arriving in about thirty minutes. Can you and Daisy meet him when he gets here?”

“Why? What are you up to, Frankie?”

I ignore Luciana’s question. I made two calls while she was in the shower: one to the hospital, one to the sheriff’s department. Both were useful.

“Text me when you and he are together in the lobby. My Tracfone doesn’t make these things easy, so my reply will be short. But it’ll matter.”

---