Page 90 of Unforgotten

“Bethanne, keep yelling! We’re coming for ya!”

“I’m here!” Ignoring the pain radiating from her feet, she started running along the path again. “I’m right here!”

“Don’t move. Stay where you are. We’ll come to you.”

Stay? She wasn’t that far from Scott. Would he leave Candace behind to stop her from yelling? Or, in retaliation, would he hurt Candace so badly that even if she wanted to get free, she couldn’t? Indecision paralyzed her.

No choice seemed right. Nowhere felt safe. She closed her eyes and made herself concentrate on steady, slow breaths. The way she used to breathe when she was having a panic attack while trying to leave her room.

“Don’t move, Bethanne!”

She stopped and looked around. The voice had come from another direction. Was it Scott’s? She didn’t think so, but it didn’t sound like the same voice as before.

“Help me!” she yelled again. Even if Scott grabbed her or tried to silence her, she still had Candace to think about.

The noises all around her grew louder. Rougher. More broken. Careless.

“Bethanne?”

“I’m here! I’m not moving!” More softly she added, “I’m right here, God. Please hurry. Please,pleasehurry.” No one would hear her but the Lord, but she didn’t care.

“Bethanne? Sweetheart, where are you?”

Jay. That was Jay’s voice. “Jay? I’m here!”

“We’re coming!” His voice sounded wonderful. Relieved. Happy.

Perfect.

“Keep yelling, Bethy! Yell as loud as you can!”

“I’m here!” She screamed it. Realized that she wasn’t just yelling to her rescuers. She was yelling to God. Yelling to the world. Yelling to herself.

She was alive and she was worthy and she counted. Never again was she going to hide in a room and convince herself that her own company was better than the love of others.

Never again.

“I’m here!” she called again. So loudly that her voice was already hoarse.

In the woods around her, leaves rustled. Footsteps pounded the ground. And then, practically at the same time, four men appeared. Jay and Lott ... and Chief Foster and Ryan.

All of them stopped abruptly and stared at her as if she’d appeared out of nowhere.

And then Jay rushed forward and pulled her into his arms.“Thank God,” he whispered as he ran his hand over her hair that was now falling down her back. “Thank You, God.”

She clung to him so hard, she was afraid she might be hurting his arms and chest. Keeping her head against his chest for just a moment, where she could hear each beat of his reassuring heartbeat, she whispered, “Jay, I ... I canna believe it. You found me. But Candace is still there.”

Hearing him take a ragged breath, she lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. They were as blue as ever. But they were also filled with tears of relief. Lifting her hand, she swiped her fingers on one of his cheeks, realizing after the fact that she’d left dirt on his skin.

Suddenly, he tensed and kind of thrust her away from him. “I didn’t even think. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“I don’t think so. Not too badly, anyway.”

He grabbed one of her hands. “There’s blood on your fingers. And your wrists! Oh, Bethy, what did he do to you?”

“We were tied up and then I had to get a nail. It’s a long story.” Turning to Chief Foster and Ryan, she said, “She’s in some sort of building. Scott was kicking her when I left. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to get help. She told me to go.”

“Do you know where it is?” Ryan asked. “Can you get back there?”

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