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After I got Chase tied around me and the bags in place, I peered around in the dark. I moved to look around the side of the house and saw a car a little way down the drive. I figured it waited to hear from the guy inside, so I headed in the opposite direction. I wondered if I’d killed him, but I wouldn’t waste a tear over him.
Without a flashlight, the ground was tricky. It was uneven and there were holes everywhere. My knees and ankles took a beating, but nothing registered. I lost track of where I needed to go, and when I hit the road, I almost cried with relief.
Chase had a death grip on his bunny with its ear shoved in his mouth. His terrified eyes were huge, and tears streaked his cheeks, and I felt like the worst human ever that I was just happy he was quiet. Headlights lit up the dusty road, and I ducked into some bushes. I wondered if I should wait out Paul or try to get to where the chopper would be at daybreak. I remembered my phone and pulled it out with shaky hands to call Cole.
“Nicole?” Concern was evident in his voice.
“Cole,” I didn’t wait for him to ask what was wrong, “the baby got sick. We made a call for Paul to go get meds, and after he left, a man broke in. I think I killed him.” I sucked in a deep breath. “I’m running. I’m at the road trying to figure out what to do next. I think I should go try to meet up with the chopper. There’s no sign of Paul.”
“Good, Nicole, that’s just what you need to do.” Then he went over a few contingency plans, should something go wrong there. “I’ll contact Paul and let him know what’s happened.”
“So, you haven’t heard from him?”
“Not yet, but I will. Your job now is to get you and the child to the rendezvous point for the chopper. We’ll find our way to you as soon as we can. Nicole, listen to me carefully. If something happens and you can’t get to the chopper, your next move must be to get to the El Paso border. Once there, look for a gray Toyota parked in lot two with a mismatched black trunk cover. We have a guy there. His name’s Manuel, and he’s a paid border agent who helps us cross the border when we need him. I’ll let him know there’s a small possibility you might need him, but hopefully all will go as planned if you get to that chopper. Keep me in the loop, and I’ll help you navigate through this.”
“Gray Toyota, black trunk, lot two, Manuel border agent,” I repeated.
“Good.”
“Okay, but Cole—” Silence. “Cole?” I pulled the phone away from my head and saw it had died. “No!” A new level of fear settled in my chest as I looked around at the darkened nothingness and quickly realized that it was now just the baby and me.
“Gray Toyota, black trunk, lot two, Manuel border agent. Gray Toyota, black trunk, lot two, Manuel border agent,” I repeated so it’d stick in my memory.
“All right, buddy, we need to focus on getting us out of here.” I spoke out loud to calm myself down and knew it would be good for Chase to hear my voice. I’m sure my rapid heart was thumping against his little ear. “I promise you’ll be safe with me,” I assured him. “We’re going to get you to where you’ll be loved, and you can run free like a little boy should. You’re not going to be a pawn in their chess game for power. Those monsters aren’t going to get you as long as I’m alive. No way.”
“Mamá.” He whimpered so sadly I started to cry. It was my turn, after all.
“I know I’m not your mamá, Chase, but I’ll try to be the next best thing.” I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. He seemed to like that because he nuzzled close and repeated the word Mamá. We hurried along the side of the road, constantly on the lookout for anything scary, and I checked to make sure I was headed in the right direction. It was cool out, but Chase’s fever hadn’t let up, and his hot little body kept me warm.
I searched my brain and pulled at some memories from when I used to watch the kids at the orphanage and remembered how baby Jackson loved to be sung to. “I’ve sung a few times on stage, you know,” I said to him, “but that’s not saying much.” I chuckled as I thought about the few fun times I’d sung in a pub in Billings, “But I’d do anything right now to help you feel safe, so here it goes.” I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on the lyrics. The last team I worked with used to sing Nose on the Grindstone by Tyler Childers, and before long, I’d join in with them. I had a cry in my voice that worked well with the song as I tried my best to soothe the little guy in the only way I knew how.
The sounds of insects seemed to join in on the song and provided company for me while I continually scanned the horizon for trouble. It was just us and the moon, and I was happy it provided me with just enough light to see the ground.
Soon, Chase’s eyes grew heavy, and I felt like somewhere in the universe Talya was smiling.
My feet ached by the time I hit a major road, and the side of my head felt wet. I figured I had a gash in my hairline from where I’d hit the chair. At least I was still standing.
Headlights from behind cast my shadow in front of me, and before I could hide, I knew I’d been seen. My heart was in my throat as the stake-bed truck slowed to a stop. I moved the bag to my front and wrapped my fingers over the handle of the gun and kept my hand out of sight.
“Hola.” A man waved. “Necesitas un disco?”
I stepped back nervously. “Sí.” As much as I was scared, I knew we needed a ride. Time wasn’t on my side anymore.
“Vamos.” He waved for me to take the front seat, but I didn’t move.
“No,” I pointed to the open back of his truck, “me sentaré atrás.”
He shrugged. “Bueno.”
“Señor?” I called him back to make sure he understood what we needed to find was a bus stop. “Parada de autobús, por favor.”
“Sí.” He waited for us to climb in, then once we were settled, I raised a hand for him to leave.
He never asked about the baby, and I wasn’t about to offer any information.
I had to shift Chase up to lie on my chest so I could wrap my arms around him like a seatbelt.
After a bit, the vibration of the road made it hard to fight sleep, and whenever my eyes grew heavy, I’d mentally kick myself for letting my guard slip. I constantly had to ask myself how Blackstone would deal with the situation, but I couldn’t find the answer.