I quietly and slowly double-check it's still in there and breathe a half-sigh of relief when I feel that it is. Not that he won't notice me using it even if I were slick enough to send a text to Wilder or Mattie.
But if I slide it out and hide it underneath my thigh, maybe I can squeeze the two side buttons to trigger the emergency call pop up.
I wait until his attention moves and once he looks to the left side at a four-way intersection, I shift my body just the slightest to where it looks like I'm readjusting. I manage to wiggle two fingers in my pocket and pull out my phone.
I conceal it with my hand before gliding it halfway under my thigh.
"Sit still," he barks, making my heart stop.
Leaning back against the seat to avoid him paying attention to me, his gaze returns to the road.
Without moving, I look down and lift my leg just enough to get my fingers around my phone. I squeeze the two side buttons until the red bar appears and prompts me to swipe.
Without drawing attention to what I'm doing, I swipe the screen. Then I lower the volume so he doesn't hear them on the other line.
"Jonah, where are we?" I ask, hoping he'll give something away. I need to provide a landmark or something.
Assuming they can even hear me.
"I don't recognize this road," I say, hoping to prompt him to speak.
"Are we headin' out of state?" I try again, but the fear of that happening is real.
None of this makes sense.
What the hell does he want with me and why can't he tell me?
"No, it's only an hour away."
"An hour from Sugarland Creek?"
"Yeah."
"East or West?"
I didn't pay attention because I was too busy panicking and coming up with a plan to get my phone.
He turns and looks at me suspiciously. "East."
I nod, swallowing hard.
"Can you tell me why? Why're you takin' me an hour east?"
"Not yet."
I tap my foot, trying to come up with more questions to keep him talking and revealing where we're headed.
"Does Raven know you're doin' this?"
His fingers tighten around the steering wheel and he clicks his jaw.
"Just be quiet. No more talkin'."
I keep my mouth shut but manage to tap my screen to see if I'm still connected. With a sigh of relief, I can only hope they have a way to track my location or can overhear our conversation.
Sugarland Creek is already on the east side of the state, but he said we weren't leaving Tennessee, so it has to be close to the border.
A call from Mattie comes through and I contemplate answering it but I don't want to hang up on 911, so I send it to voicemail.