Page 74 of Wanted

Stop, Frankie. Calm down.

I slow to a walk and listen. I carefully move back onto the trail just as a deluge opens in the sky. Within seconds, I’m soaked by the heavy rain pelting my skin. The oversized jacket provides little protection from the onslaught and weighs heavily on my torso. My hair plasters to my cheeks. I run my hand over my head and push as much of it as I can back from my face.

“Elvis!” I curl one hand around my mouth and call. The other, I keep hidden in the jacket sleeve to protect my cast from the water.

A flash of movement across the trail ahead catches my attention through the abysmal visibility. My feet slap over the wet, dirty trail.

“Here, boy!”

Elvis belly crawls beneath a thick bush on the edge of the next bend.

My shoe catches on a loose rock, sending me flying onto my stomach. The air leaves my lungs. Mud splashes against my face, and my uncovered fingers burrow into the loose ground. Tiny rocks scrape against my exposed skin like small shards pricking me all at once.

I cough and spit out pieces of dirt from my tongue.

Sitting up, I catch my breath. The back of Elvis’s hind legs remain visible from where I sit. The poor thing found a place to hide, but I know he’ll be much happier if he lets me help him get back home.

“It’s okay, Elvis.” On hands and knees, I crawl slowly across the ground. I just need to get close enough to reach the leash. Once he’s in my grasp, I can lead us back. “It’s okay.”

Another rumble of thunder, followed by a crack of lightning, illuminates the dark sky. I use the sound to my advantage and surge after the leash. My fingers just close around the loop as Elvis lets out another agonizing howl.

“I’ve got you.”

His body shivers and shakes so hard the leaves on the bush rustle. I run my hand over his soaked back. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Frankie!”

Jude’s voice blends with the thunder, carried from somewhere unseen on the wind.

“I’m here!” I yell back, holding the leash tight in case Elvis decides to bolt. Relief sags my shoulders.

The roar of the four-wheeler sounds a moment later, followed by a beam of yellow light.

“Frankie!” he shouts again. He must not be able to hear me over all the chaotic sounds.

But I can see him.

My heart breaks at his apprehensive expression. The way his head whips side to side, checking all visible parts of the trail for signs of me. The black tee shirt clinging to his skin as if he realized I wasn’t home and ran straight out into the rain without his jacket to search. He squints ahead through the rain, and then he spots us.

The four-wheeler skids to a stop twenty feet away. He leaps off the machine and runs across the trail. My pulse thunders in relief.

Jude’s here.

Jude can help.

His large strides eradicate the distance, and he doesn’t stop until he’s in front of me. The tips of his boots nearly touch the toes of mine. His hands wrap around either side of my head, tilting my rain-soaked face for his inspection.

“Are you hurt, baby?”

His fingertips tense, pressing gently as individual points on each side of my head.

“I’m fine,” I yell to be heard above the storm. Raindrops kiss my face, dripping onto my lips where I gather them with my tongue. “Elvis got away.”

Jude’s thumb strokes across my cheek, relief in his gray eyes. “You didn’t answer your phone.”

“Neither did you.”

“I’m sorry.” He drops my face to gather my exposed hand in both of his despite me still holding the leash. “Fuck, your hand is freezing.” He drags it to his mouth and kisses the smooth, wet skin on the back. The spot he touches heats instantly.

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