Page 149 of Forbidden

Our eyes meet, and her words mean more than she’ll ever know.

“Now, you go get her, Lorenzo, and don’t ever let her go.”

“I won’t.”

“Good,” Martha says. “Because for what you’ve put her mom, and me through, we need grandchildren.”

“What?” I say before realizing.

“I’m kidding,” Martha says, with her perfect and gentle energy. “Kind of.”

We laugh, but this time it’s short, and I’m on a mission.

As I run down her steps and towards the chopper across the road, I hear, “A boy and a girl!” I run for the chopper, and I leap into the pilot’s seat

“Buckle up!” I say to the Peregrine, as the chopper’s blades turn.

As I flytowards the mountains, I think about my next move. Because Storm has ignored my calls, and messages, the only way I can find her, is her friend Madison.

Not wanting to alert the entire small town in South Carolina, or create unseen drama, I land in a field. It’s half a mile behind the main road, and I head off on foot.

After getting two more steak sandwiches for myself and Falcon to go, I walk down the main street.

Storm once mentioned Madison, had a small cafe, and it’s all I have to go on.

As I walk into one of the only cafes in the small town, the old school doorbell rings. A woman Storm’s age, walks from out back, wearing a yellow dress.

She is holding a half iced muffin, and the muffin hits the floor.

As I dust off the muffin, I step up to her. “You must be Madison. I’m Lorenzo, and I’m here for Storm.” Madison says nothing, but she lifts her chin, and eyes me with caution.

“I love her, and she’s meant to be with me,” I say, laying down the law.

Again, nothing. I have not slept for twenty-two hours, and my patience is low.

“Where is she, Madison?” I step closer, and her eyes take me in. “Look, I’m going to marry her, I’ll never love another. What do I need to say?!”

“Okay!” she says with a sigh. “Okay!”

“Where?” I growl.

Ten minutes later,and with a badly drawn map of roads, a river and some mountains, I leave. An hour later, I’m lost, but it’s likely my mistake.

I flew up the old mountain road, and I tried to take all the right forks. To make every turn. Finally, I lost patience, and now I’m fucking lost.

Lost in the mountains.

As I burn through fuel fast, I start to worry about putting the chopper down. That is, if we can find somewhere to land in the endless forest.

As I push on, and sweep along endless valleys, I get deeper and deeper into the stunning mountains, but further from help.

It is now obvious, I have only one chance.

I change my strategy, and look for a landing spot. It seems to take forever, but finally, I find a patch of grass on a plateau. As I nervously let Falcon out, I make it clear. “You have one job to do, and that’s find her before dark.”

The Peregrine is slow, and it cries out.

The sound carries across the valley, and it echoes again and again in the mountains.