Page 32 of Desperation

“Shit. You’ve gotta give me more than that. You didn’t take someone against their will, did you?”

“No, of course not!”

“I’m sorry. I just had to be sure.”

“It’s my cousin’s girlfriend,” I confessed. “She was scared, and I had to get her out.” That was all I’d tell him for now, but he could read between the lines.

I could’ve sworn he let out a growl, but he immediately rattled off some coordinates and promised to text them to me. “It’s a hunting cabin in the mountains I only use a few times a year, but it’s secure. Nobody knows about it. She’ll be safe up there.”

I thanked him and prepared to ask for another favor. “I need you to send someone to my house too. My mom is there, and that’s the first place he’ll look once he figures out I’ve taken her.”

“Consider it done.” He didn’t even hesitate. I was fully prepared for him to tell me no on all fronts. I thought I would have to squeeze my mom into this already crammed truck and find my own little hideaway, but Mark came through for me.

“Thank you,” I croaked out then cleared my throat. “This,” I began, struggling to find the words, “goes beyond anything a normal boss would do for an employee.”

“Haven’t you realized yet, I’m not a normal boss?” That made me crack a smile, the first since receiving the call from Hannah.

“Yeah, I have,” I confirmed with a chuckle.

“There’s a sat phone in the cabin. No cell service that far out,” he explained. “Call me on it when you get there. If you’re worried about being tracked, disable her phone or toss it. Yours is encrypted, so it can’t be traced.”

“Will do.” I would heed his advice. He knew what he was talking about. “Thanks again.”

With that, I disconnected the call and pulled up the text, typing the coordinates into my GPS. “It’s about a three hour drive,” I told Hannah. “We’ll be there before he even makes it home and sees you’re gone.” I glanced over at her, and she nodded, her eyes squeezed shut as tears rolled down her face. “Hey.” I reached over to place a comforting hand on her arm but thought better of it. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“I should’ve gone with you,” she cried, pressing her sweater-covered palm to her mouth. I wanted to ask her what she meant but stayed quiet. I’d let her speak on her own terms and in her own time. She took a shuddering breath and turned to face me. “When you offered to take me away before, I should’ve gone with you. I never should have stayed. What if he’d done something to—” Her voice trailed off as she glanced into the back seat. She couldn’t say it, but I knew what she meant. What if he’d hurt Jameson? She was torturing herself with thoughts that she’d put him in danger.

“He wouldn’t have,” I assured her. At least I didn’t think he would. He was just a child, and Drake adored him. I didn’t believe he would ever be that kind of monster.

“I was so stupid,” she declared, her anger flaring to life.

“This is not on you,” I cut in before she could say anything else. “This is on him. It is not your fault he hurt you. Don’t ever blame yourself for that.” Her shoulders sagged, and the tears returned. She sobbed silently until she cried herself to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hannah

I was startled awake at the sound of a car door slamming shut. I looked over to find Devon rubbing his hands together and blowing on them to warm them up. He noticed me watching him and gave me a sheepish smile.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s alright.” I wiped a hand over my face, wincing at the rawness of my cheeks. My nose was crusty and chapped, and I was certain my eyes were puffy, one more so than the other.

“I had to stop for gas, so I ran in and grabbed some drinks.” He handed me a bottle of water and twisted the cap off his own. “There are some soft drinks in there too,” he said, passing me a plastic bag, and I thanked him. “We need to disable your phone if you don’t want to be tracked. Drake might not be able to figure it out, but his father will know how.” I shuddered at the mention of Sheriff Wilder. I wondered what lies he would spin about me leaving. Would he tell Sandra I was crazy like he told his deputies? I handed my phone over without hesitation and watched as he tapped the screen a few times and prepared to disable it. I didn’t want any of them to know where I was headed. “Have you backed up your photos?” I hadn’t thought of that. There were already hundreds of pictures of Jameson on there, and I didn’t want to lose any. I shook my head, a fresh mist of tears threatening to break loose. Noticing my change in demeanor, he hurried to add, “They should still be there when you reactivate your phone, but I didn’t want to risk it.”

“Wait! I have a photo storage app on my phone. If I upload them onto the server, I’ll be able to access them later, right?

“That could work, assuming your accounts don’t get deactivated.”

“Do you think Drake would do that?”

“I don’t know. It depends on how desperate he gets. He may do it simply out of spite.”

“Do you have another solution?”

“I can import the photos onto my laptop just to be on the safe side.”

“Won’t we need an internet connection for that?”

---