Page 53 of Rescued By the Operative

Just then, Olivia walks up.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she says. “But we’re missing one of the women.”

“I thought everyone was accounted for,” Ennis says with a worried look.

“Based on the camera footage, yeah, there shouldn’t be anyone still on the compound,” Curly says.

Olivia bites her lip. “I’ve talked to Mary, Mother Grace, Mother Irma, Gloria. No one has seen Floydene Blatch.”

My stomach drops.

“Maybe she went with her husband?”

“She was in the tunnel with us. She didn’t say much. She seemed angry, but compliant. Hungry, like the rest of them. She seemed really interested in the tunnel. She was like, inspecting every inch of it as we were leading them out. It was weird. But she came to the barn and ate, making sure all her kids were fed. But I’ve been doing a head count, and she’s definitely missing,” Olivia says. “Her kids haven’t noticed. That’s one good thing about having seven moms. If she decides to go back, they won’t be alone.”

“But it’s weird to abandon your kids like that,” Wylie says.

“Not really all that unusual,” I say.

Jake turns to me. “Do you think she ran off? Do you think she’s trying to reach the elders?”

“It’s possible. I think she’d…” my words trail off when I see someone pacing behind the barn about a hundred yards away, right at the mouth of the abandoned mine.

“Y’all?” I say, “I think we found her.”

Everyone turns to look where I’m pointing.

“She looks like she’s losing it,” Jake says. “And what does she have in her hand?”

Suddenly, Ennis’s face blanches.

“Shit. She found the switch,” Ennis says.

“Switch? What are you talking about?” Jake says.

Ennis doesn’t answer, but takes off running at full speed toward Floydene.

“Jake, what’s happening?”

Jake doesn’t seem to hear me. He’s having a moment of realization that nobody else has picked up on. “Oh shit…oh shit…oh shit, I am the biggest dumbass…”

Wylie says, “Brother, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

Jake says one phrase that makes every hair on my body stand on end. “The fucking nitrate.”

That’s all it takes for me to run straight toward the mine.

“Stay there, Blondie!” Jake hollers at me.

Yeah, no. That’s not happening.

No one runs into danger and leaves me behind.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jake

The woman sees us and runs into the mine.