Page 119 of This is Why We Lied

Faith sighed as she continued her downward trajectory. Only a few seconds had passed before she was wrenching a boot out of the muck. This was why concrete had been invented. People weren’t meant to be outdoors like this. She batted away dangling limbs as she navigated the steep slope. Part of her just accepted that she was going to end up on her ass at some point, but she was still annoyed when it happened. The trail was no less steep when she stood up. Faith had to go into the woods to avoid a slippery-looking section.

“Fuck!” she jumped away from a snake.

Then she cursed again because it wasn’t a snake. A rope was lying on the ground. One end was attached to a boulder by a hook. The other end disappeared down the trail. Faith probably would’ve left it there if Alejandro hadn’t told her about the other ropes on the Rope Trail. She let out a few more fucks as she grabbed on and continued down. She was sweating like a motherfucker by the time she heard the rush of water over rocks. Thankfully, the temperature had dropped as the elevation lowered. She swatted away a mosquito that was circling her head. She wanted air conditioning and phone service and most of all, she wanted to find her partner.

“Will?” she tried again. Her voice didn’t echo so much as compete with the forest racket. Insects and birds and venomous snakes. “Will?”

Faith grabbed a tree limb to keep her foot from slipping as she made her way down to the bank. Then her other foot slipped and her ass was on the ground again.

“Jesus,” she hissed. She couldn’t catch a break. She grabbed her satellite phone off the ground. She pressed the walkie button. “This is Agen—”

Faith let go of the button when an awful squealing sound nearly broke her eardrums. She shook the phone, then pressed the button again. The squeal returned. It was coming from her purse. She opened her bag. She saw her satellite phone.

She looked at the phone in her hand, then the phone in her bag.

How did she get two phones?

Faith stood up. She walked down a few feet. She could see the creek now. The water was swirling around large rocks. Faith took another step. The toe of her boot hit something heavy. She saw a paddle holster with a Smith and Wesson snub-nosed five-shot. Weirdly, it looked like Amanda’s side piece. She searched the ground. Earbuds still in the case. Farther along, there was an iPhone. Faith tapped it awake. The lock screen glowed: a photo of Sara holding Will’s dog.

“No-no-no-no …”

Faith’s Glock was in her hands before her brain could fully process what she had seen. She did a three-sixty, wildly scanning the forest, panicked that she would find Will’s body. There was nothing out of place but an empty half-gallon jug and a rod with a lethal-looking hook at the end. Faith rushed to the edge of the creek and looked right, then left. Her heart stopped until she was sure his body wasn’t in the water.

“Will!”

Faith jogged along the creek. The terrain dropped. The water was flowing faster. In another fifty yards, it took a sharp turn to the left, bowing around some trees. Faith could see more rocks, more churning water. Something could’ve gotten swept up in the roiling current. Something like her partner. Faith started running toward the bend.

“Will!” she screamed. “Will!”

“Faith?”

His voice was faint. She couldn’t see him. Faith holstered her Glock. She jumped into the water to cross to the other side. It was deeper than she’d calculated. Her knees bent. Her head dropped below the surface. Water swirled around her face. She pushed herself up, gasping for air. The only thing that kept her from going downstream was luck and a giant tree root sticking out from the side of the bank.

“Are you okay?”

Will was standing above her. His bandaged hand was pressed to his chest. His clothes were soaked. Kevin Rayman was behind him with a man’s body slung over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Faith saw a pair of hairy legs, black socks and yellow hiking boots.

She didn’t trust herself to speak. She used the tree root to pull herself out of the water. Will held out his hand and practically lifted her up the bank. Faith didn’t want to let go of him. She was breathless. She felt sick with relief. She’d been sure that he was lying dead somewhere. “What happened? Who is that?”

“Bryce Weller.” Will helped Kevin lower the body to the ground. The man flopped onto his back. His skin was pale. His lips were blue. His mouth was open. “Also known as Chuck.”

Kevin said, “Also known as heavy.”

Faith turned on Will. “What the fuck are you doing coming down here without telling me where you were going?”

“I wasn’t—”

“Shut your mouth when you’re talking to me!”

“I don’t think that’s—”

“Why did I find Amanda’s gun and your phones on the ground? Do you know how terrifying that was? I thought you’d been murdered. Jesus, Kevin.”

Kevin held up his hands. “Whoa.”

“Faith,” Will said. “I’m okay.”

“Well, I’m not.” Her heart was clanging like a cow bell. “Jesus Christ.”