Page 7 of Embedded
“Where are we going?”
“It’s not in me to ask twice.”
I gave him a look and figured I’d be safer in the back, so I climbed up into the container again.
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and shut the door in my face. Once again, I was left in the dark. I was afraid to put Chase down, so I sat with him in my arms, ready to move quickly if I had to.
The girls’ faces flickered in front of me. I tried so hard to believe they’d be okay. I hated that they were gone, but I was glad I was the one stuck in the back of the truck, and not them. Maybe, just maybe, they were heading back to their families. As the truck took off again, I closed my eyes while I stroked Chase on the back and imagined them being reunited with their families. I needed something to keep my mind busy.
The last thing I remembered were tears streaming down my face as I drifted back to sleep once the sun faded away for the third time since I’d been put in that steel trap.
I jerked awake at a bump in the road and felt around for my bag. I cupped Bruno’s phone and licked my lips. I didn’t have Cole’s number anymore, but I knew Jack’s number at the Washington Post by heart. I hovered my fingers above the on button and fought a battle inside.
“Fuck it.” Just as I went to press the button, the truck came to another hard stop. I managed to support myself against the wall, but I dropped the phone. “Shit.” I carefully shifted Chase so I could see out the crack. We were at another truck stop, and I could see a few cars in parking spaces. I quickly rescued the phone and dropped it back into my bag, silently wishing I’d had a chance to power it on and make that call. The door rolled up, and I grabbed my things. I’d leave nothing behind if I was being transported elsewhere.
“Time to rest.” Chili offered me a hand, but I used the handle on the side instead and carefully hopped down so as not to jostle Chase. “You don’t need that.” He pointed to my bag, but I held it tight against me. “Whatever.” He used his chin to point to a table. “Let’s get a place to sit. I’ll bring you something to eat.”
“Please get some children’s Tylenol,” I begged, and he nodded.
We crossed the parking lot and stepped onto the dry Texas grass where he chose a table that was shaded by a tree. I untied the arms of Paul’s hoodie from around my waist then lay Chase on top of it. His eyes fluttered open, but the glazed look that filled them let me know he needed care, and soon. His breathing sounded wheezy, and it had my worry factor at a full ten. I decided to change his diaper and pulled a clean one from the bag.
“What can I do?” Chili asked but remained a few feet back.
“You can start by letting me go.”
“I’m not keeping you captive, Nicole. I just can’t let you out of my sight yet.”
Yet? Such an interesting choice of words, given that he’d had us for three days.
“Why wasn’t your truck scanned at the border? Do you have people working for you?”
He moved his head around like he was watching for someone. “Don’t worry about it.”
Oh, sure, I’ll just add that to the growing hype of anxiety I’m ‘not supposed to worry about.’
“Are you going to hurt us?”
His brows pinched behind his sunglasses. “I don’t make it a habit to hurt people.”
“No,” I rolled my eyes, “you just traffic young women.”
“Just because things look one way doesn’t make it so.” He checked his phone, and his jaw tightened. His lips thinned out into a straight line.
“So, those girls are okay?”
He looked away. “Yes.”
I didn’t know if I should believe him or not, so I went back to dealing with Chase. Once he was changed, I gently sat him up on the picnic table in front of me while I sat down. My back ached from carrying him so long.
“Mama, Mama.” He held out his little arms, and I leaned in to give him some love. “Arriba.”
I smiled at him. “Oh, you want up. You do know more than one word, you smart little cookie.” I pulled him onto my lap, and he immediately snuggled against my chest in his favorite spot. I noticed Chili’s interest as I interacted with Chase, and I hoped maybe if he saw how sad the situation was, he’d help me get to Cole.
“He likes you.”
“I hope he does,” I confessed. “Look, you said you’d try to get him some Tylenol. He really needs it. I’m worried…” My words trailed off as three government issued vehicles stopped right next to Chili’s big rig. He immediately stepped close to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I tried not to flinch.
“Nicole, be very careful with these men. They’re not people to fuck around with.” We watched as they approached us. His hand stayed heavy on my shoulder, weighing me down as a secondary warning to mind my next move.
