Page 49 of These Rough Waters

“Torin,” Ruthie greets, “What are you doing here?”

“Where’s Maya?”

“Maya?”

“Momma isn’t here,” Harper chirps in.

“Where is she?”

“She needed to clear her head,” Ruthie cocks an accusing brow, “Would you have something to do with that, boy?”

I don’t snap at the ‘boy’, “But where did she go?”

Dread starts to worm through me though I had no real reason for it. She would be safe, of course she would be, why wouldn’t she be?

Ruthie shrugs, “I wouldn’t know, she never said.”

“She was un-packing this big bag this morning,” Harper says innocently, “And took these funny looking boots out a box.”

“Boots?”

The girl nods, “They weren’t very pretty.”

“Harper,” I say softly, “I need you to tell me exactly what your mom did this morning.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to know where she is, it’s very cold right now and wet, I just want to make sure she is safe.”

Harper frowns, “We went to that store the other day, um, that outdoor one and got loads of stuff. Said we would need it when we go for a walk.”

“Okay?”

“Well, she got that all out and those boots, she got them at the store too.”

“She’s gone for a hike?” Ruthie gasps.

“Shit,” I hiss.

It was already dark, and the temperature was freezing, no one could survive a night on the cliffside in this weather.

“Torin,” Ruthie panics.

“Keep Harper here, I’m going out.”

“But…”

“She’s alone in that forest, Ruthie. And cold.”

“How are you even going to find her? She could be on any one of the trails!”

“I don’t know,” I growl, “But I’m going to fucking find her.”

I don’t wait another minute; I jump back in the truck and gun it toward one of the small gravel lots that feeds into a trail. It was a popular one in the summer, since it was one of the easier trails that leads to the peak that hangs over, shaped like a raven at the mouth of the bay. It was also where the cabin Rett owned was, so I had to hope she had done this one and had found the cabin. It would be locked, but survival would kick in and she’d find a way inside. I hoped. I had to hope she didn’t go for one of the other harder trails leading to the peak, like the one behind my house.

There was no way I was getting the truck up this part of the cliffside, there was only one dirt road further down but that was overgrown and too rough to drive in this weather, so I grab the waterproofs and thermals from the back of the truck and shove them on. I was in no way prepared for a hike and these clothes will only do so much against this storm, but I was going to find her and I was going to bring her back.

I grab the keys from the center console and lock up the truck, switching on the flashlight as I begin the hike, feet sinking into the sodden ground and slipping over rocks. Fuck, this was bad.

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