“I’m coming home,” she said.
“Hurry, Whisper Creek is backed up, you won’t be able to make it over the bridge much longer.”
“I’m already on my way. Three to four minutes and I’ll be at the bridge.”
“I’m looking at it now, I have to cross to get to the shed, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to cross back.”
“Just let me know when you have Bobby, and don’t do anything dangerous. Please. If you can’t get back across, go back to the Mendozas and stay there.”
“Not when Avery is in trouble. If I can’t cross the bridge, we’ll walk along the bank and cross over at Baldwin’s property line, or I might be able to get to Uncle Travis’s place if I go the long way.”
When Baldwin had bought the property years ago, he’d had engineers come out and put in a ten-foot pipe to go under part of his farm, to divert Whisper Creek into a seasonal lake. The McKennas had been furious at the time because the creek used to meander back to their property and helped with irrigation on the southern portion of their crops. But, ultimately, it had helped manage the seasonal flooding and Baldwin had allowed them to tap into his lake during dry spells. The project had an added benefit of creating a land bridge over the creek.
She had a million questions, but she trusted Jake. “Be careful.”
“Did you call Sheriff Perez?”
“Yes. He can’t get up here, the roads are closed at Mule Run. I have to find Avery. I have no idea why they took her or where to start looking, but I have to find her.”
“We will. I’ll be home as soon as I have Bobby.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The rain had turned the road into a stew of glistening rock, dangerous potholes, and slick mud, making it extremely treacherous.
Avery had finally figured out all the players as Rena cried half-hysterical into the phone. Rena was married to the asshole who had restrained her in Gianna’s room—his name was Brock, and he’d told Rena to take a hostage.
Her.
Sam was in the backseat. He was Rena’s brother, Avery was pretty certain. He had a bullet in the leg, which wasn’t too bad since he could walk, and another in his side, which was bleeding through the bandage wrapped around his abdomen. It was bad, and Avery wondered if it was already too late for him.
Avery blinked and stared through the windshield as the rain came down in sheets. The wipers couldn’t keep up, the rubber blades hissing with every frantic pass. Her fingers clenched the steering wheel hard, but it wasn’t like she had a choice. The plastic teeth of the zip ties bit into the soft skin around her wrists, already sore from the first time she’d been restrained. She was literally tied into the ten and two position on the steering wheel. She could barely feel her fingers anymore.
“Okay, okay! We’re on our way,” Rena was saying. It was clear that the storm was screwing with the cell phone reception, because for the last five minutes Rena kept sayingwhatand Brock repeated himself. “Will you be there? We have to go. We have to get out of here. I don’t care about those stupid contracts, I don’t care about the money, I just want to go home!”
He must have given her a positive response, because she pocketed her cell phone and wiped her snotty nose with the back of her gun hand.
“Do you know where Privett Road is?” Rena demanded.
“Y-yes,” Avery stuttered.
“Go there.”
“It’s—it’s a long road.”
“Just get to it and I’ll tell you which way to go.”
“It doesn’t go anywhere. If you want to get to the highway, there’s a faster—”
“Shut up. And don’t fuck with me. My brother needs help. I just want to get out of this fucking state.”
She decided to stop talking. She’d find out soon enough.
“I’m okay,” Sam said from the back. “Sis, I’m okay.”
“You’re not!” Rena said and tried to force herself to stop crying.
“I can take you to the hospital in Whitesboro. It’s not even thirty minutes away, I can—”
