“Do you want to watchGolden Girls?” Cecily asked.
“Sure,” I said, because who didn’t likeGolden Girls? Anyway, there wasn’t anything else to do while I waited to be rescued. I scooted over to make room for her on the bed.
She hit play on her laptop. The theme song filled the van. Cecily nudged me with her elbow, smiling. “That’s going to be us someday.” She nodded to the screen. “You’re Blanche and I’m Rose.”
Well, that settled it. Cecily was batshit crazy. In no world was I a Blanche. I was a Sophia through and through. I only dressed like a Blanche.
“You are definitely a Rose,” I said. “That’s for sure.”
That seemed to please her. “What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. You’re kind. That’s what made you go back to help Miguel. And you have a way of always looking at the bright side of things. Rose-colored glasses, I guess. Except when it comes to men.” I paused, studying her. “Did something happen?” I asked carefully.
She frowned, rubbing her belly. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“Okay. Whenever you’re ready, I’m here.”
“Thank you.” She reached into the mini fridge and pulled out two Diet Cokes and a bag of Skittles. “Here. We can share.”
She looked heartbreakingly young, the way she smiled at me. Like watching TV together while eating candy was everything she’d ever wanted. What was going to happen to her when Jeremiah found me? She had hurt Miguel. Taken me against my will. She couldn’t go free, but I couldn’t imagine her in jail, either. She needed help. Professional help. The kind that came with intensive therapy and drugs.
Five episodes and a Diet Coke later, I couldn’t hold it anymore. “I need to pee,” I said.
Cecily nodded. She grabbed a roll of toilet paper and we exited the van. “Don’t go far,” she said with a little smirk at my bare feet.
I rolled my eyes. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather I pee right in front of you? Since you clearly don’t trust me.”
“Gross!” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not a perv.”
I carefully picked my way over the campsite to the trees for some privacy, wincing as a twig got my toe. I did my business and wiped, then buried the evidence.
A loud bang pierced the air and I yelped, startled. “What the hell was that?” I hollered to Cecily, zipping up my jeans.
“We gotta go, Lennon! Move!” She ran to me and grabbed my elbow to hurry me along.
“My feet!” I protested. “I can’t go very fast. What’s going on? What was that noise?”
“A booby trap. Back at the turnoff. I set a few bombs to go off?—”
“Bombs?” I squeaked. “How?” My heart raced in my chest. Who had set off the trap? Was Jeremiah down there?
“There is nothing you can’t learn on the internet.” She threw open the passenger side door and impatiently gestured for me to get in. “I know another way out. We need to go.Now.”
I didn’t budge. “Someone could be hurt.”
“Yeah, your boyfriend, probably,” she bit out. “Let’s hope.” The venom in her tone made me take a step back. A rock bit into my heel but I didn’t flinch.
“I’m not going with you.” Panic surged through my veins, but I reined it in. “The stun gun isn’t charged. How are you going to get me in that van, Cecily?”
“I don’t need a stun gun.” She unlatched the glove compartment and pulled out a handgun. Pointed it right at me. “I’ve got arealgun.”
Fuck a duck. I really should have seen that coming. This was Wyoming. Everyone had a gun.
I cocked my head, watching her but also listening. The silence worried me. What set off the trap? A deer? A car? A man?
“If you’re wondering if I’ll actually do it, I will. But I’m a good shot. I’ll try not to kill you.”
I hoped she meant it. Jeremiah might be bleedingout right now. Deep in my bones, I knew it was him down there. He found me. I bounced a little on my bare toes. Getting my muscles ready to move.
