Page 67 of High Side
“No. We know how understaffed the sheriff is. I need to help. I can cover a lot of ground.” She could find her. Hell, Sadie could find her.
Liz chewed her lip, then nodded. “Okay, go, but be careful.”
“Sadie! Come.” She lifted her phone. “I will call you first when I find her, I promise.”
“Good. And then I’ll call Geoff. Go on, before I change my mind.” Liz waved her away, and she ran for Kylie’s Jeep after she grabbed the keys off the board in the office. She had to get out there on the road Kylie had been on and find her.
That was where she had to be. Josh lacked ambition. She knew that from the tiny bit of time they’d spent together.
He’d dump Kylie somewhere she couldn’t be found. It was Brittany’s job to find her and bring her home.
She headed out along the highway to the let off for the river, scanning the sides of the road. “We have to fine your mom, Sadie. Find Kylie.”
Sadie danced, paws beating out a tattoo on the Jeep’s seat.
“That’s right. We need to find Momma. Do you smell her? She’s hurt.”
Sadie barked, and she slowed down, really giving the border collie a chance to test the air, which flowed in the open windows.
It didn’t take another quarter mile before Sadie started barking furiously, dancing and bouncing in the seat.
She slowed, pulling off, and she clipped Sadie’s leash on before she opened the door. She didn’t want the silly mutt to get run over in the road in her excitement. They hopped out of the Jeep, and she clicked at Sadie.
“Find her, girl.”
Sadie barked, nose to the ground, tail straight up. So she followed, letting Sadie have as much leash as she dared. Her heart pounded, and she picked up her speed, wincing as a car went by too close.
“Kylie! Ky?” She called Kylie’s name, wanting her girl to be safe, to be right there where she could be found and where Brit could take her home.
“Brit…”
Fuck, that was…that wasn’t her wanting Kylie. That was real.
“Kylie!”
Sadie went nuts, pulling at her, whining, this terrible noise that was almost earsplitting. And she took Brit right down the embankment off the road, where Kylie lay about halfway down.
“Oh, my God. Ky. Where does it hurt?” She knelt next to Kylie, holding Sadie back so she didn’t step on something that was injured.
“Mostly my leg. The one I hurt before. I have glass all in me, though, so don’t get too close.”
“Shit. Let me call Liz. She can get an ambulance out here.”
“I can’t afford an ambulance ride, baby. Just get me to the Jeep. And put out a flare or something so Geoff can find the spot.” Kylie reached for her, the grip strong.
“How did you end up here?”
“Well, I was a lot farther down the embankment.” Kylie laughed, the sound wry as hell. “I crawled up to try to get someone’s attention, and a semi blew past me at the speed of sound and his wake blew me back down. I was…uh. Resting up.”
Sadie licked Kylie’s cheek, whining.
“Good girl. Did she help?”
“Oh my God, she smelled you while we were moving.” Brittany looked up the bank. She was going to need help. So she called Liz. That was her job, right? To figure out what was going on and make things happen.
“Brittany. Did you find her?”
“I did. We’re on the state highway between the shed and the drop site, right at that historical marker about the silver mine.”
