Hope rolled her eyes. Adults. They were so worthless. Obviously going to school hadn’t helped them. She pointed straight ahead. “That way.”
“What? Sorry, I can’t hear you.”
Good Lord, these people were annoying and stupid. Hope took a step closer and repeated, “That way.”
“I don’t suppose you could bring it up on the phone?” the guy asked, handing the phone to the lady. She hadn’t said anything. In fact, she’d barely looked at Hope.
Hope shrugged and went over to the van. She reached for the phone, and as soon as she did, the lady grabbed her arm with surprising strength.
Fear coursed through Hope as she struggled to pull away. But she couldn’t. The lady hung on tight as the man leapt out of the vehicle, came around and grabbed her from behind. Hope kicked as hard as she could, but he didn’t flinch. His grasp only became stronger. She wasn’t a big person and was no match for his size.
The lady kept a tight grip on her arm as she tried to flail around. The guy managed to get one arm around her waist and the other hand over her mouth. Hope tried to bite him, but he had his palm smushed hardagainst her face. The taste of salt and grime in her mouth from his skin made her want to puke.
The lady pulled out a syringe and Hope’s eyes widened as she tried to somehow get away. The needle hurt as the lady nailed her upper arm and pressed the plunger. Hope kept up the fight, but it didn’t take long for her not to be able to feel her arms and legs. She was getting sleepy. She fought it, but darkness fell over her.
Her last thought as everything went black was why hadn’t she listened to her mom and uncle? Even her dad? And then one final horrible thought. With her being such a screwup, would anyone miss her?
Chapter Two
Pinecone Junction
A bead of sweat trickled down Maya Thompson’s back as she packed for the weekend away. Trying to stay as cool as possible in the hot July weather, she’d pulled her long auburn hair back in a bun. Every January she was ready for warmer weather and every July she was ready for fall. But this weekend, she and her boyfriend, Undersheriff Josh Colten, were headed for the high country to camp and relax. The temperature should be lower up at the lake.
She couldn’t wait. The wildflowers at the campsite would be in full bloom, blanketing the meadow like a rainbow. The lake would be cool and the nights would be almost chilly. Warming up by sharing a sleeping bag with Josh would be really nice. Maya needed this quick weekend getaway after the past few weeks with long days working as a US Forest Service law enforcement officer. The Fourth of July holiday meant she was trying to patrol an entire national forest on her own. For the most part, people were understanding when she talked to them about illegal campfires or not riding an ATV into a wilderness area. But there was alwayssomeone who had to argue and make her job hard, which meant this weekend away was good timing to refresh before she finished out the summer and fall.
Based on the barking coming from the backyard, Maya’s K-9 Juniper, a Belgian Malinois, was not ready for a weekend off. A chorus of barking ensued as Josh’s K-9 Finn, a yellow Lab, joined in with Juniper. Maya stopped her packing to head to the back door and see what was getting the dogs riled up.
Josh was already heading out the back door as Maya came down the hall. She joined him in the backyard to see the two dogs leaping up and down at the fence. There was a large ponderosa pine on the other side of the fence in the neighbor’s yard. From that tree, the culprit that started the barking frenzy stared down at the two dogs.
“Do you think it’s making fun of Finn and Juniper?” Josh asked.
“Probably,” Maya said. “I’m sure it’s saying something nasty. Probably calling them narcs or something. We better go get our dogs before something bad happens.”
“Yep, I’ll get Finn,” Josh said, handing Maya a leash he’d grabbed on his way out.
Maya trotted down the steps, eyeing the large black-and-white cat sitting up on a tree branch that hung slightly over the yard fence. The cat’s tail twitched back and forth as it stared down the dogs. Maya had to chuckle at the cat’s audacity and the way it knew the dogs couldn’t get it. Although she wouldn’t put it past Juniper to figure out a way to climb the tree. Malinoises could be very creative.
“Juniper, come,” Maya said as she approached. Josh already had a leash on Finn and the Lab had an expression that said he knew he was busted. Juniper turned and stared at Maya, her golden eyes pleading to let her continue her job of cat patrol.
“Juniper, come.” This time Juniper let out a sigh. Her black pointy ears drooped slightly. She started in Maya’s direction, gave one last peek at the cat over her shoulder and then came to Maya and sat. “Atta girl. I know. It’s hard when a cat makes fun of you.”
Maya and Juniper headed back into the house. Josh had already put Finn away in his large kennel. The yellow Lab was still staring at the back door and yard. Juniper peered at Maya, a hopeful look that said maybe she wouldn’t have to go in her pen. Maybe Maya would change her mind and let Juniper go back outside to do her important work of Operation Cat Deterrent. Maya stood her ground and Juniper let out a groan, going into her enclosure and sitting with her back turned to Maya. She picked up her latest blanket and started to slowly rip it.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be going soon and you can run around our camping area and have fun,” Maya said. Juniper continued to ignore her and shred the blanket. The Mal, realizing Maya wasn’t going to change her mind, spit the blanket out, sighed and lay down.
“You almost done packing?” Josh asked, running his fingers through his hair. He’d barely smiled and when he did, it seemed forced. Along with that, he’d hardly spoken as they’d prepared to go.
He’s been nervous about this camping trip. I wonder why. It’s not like we haven’t been camping before.
“Yep, I’m almost ready,” Maya said.
“Okay, good. I’m all set. My stuff is packed. I’ll go double-check our tent and food supplies.”
Maya watched him head outside. He was definitely nervous and she didn’t know why. She’d talk to him once they were up at their campsite enjoying the solitude and peace of the mountains. The door opened and Josh came back inside.
“There’s a wisp of smoke to the west,” he said, heading to his phone. “I’m going to call it in.”
“That’s not good.” Maya stepped outside and saw what Josh was talking about. The small smoke plume rose in the sky. She roughly knew the area where it was burning. The good news was that it was probably near some wilderness areas where there weren’t a lot of houses, although there were some campgrounds in the area. The bad news was thanks to a wet spring and then hot July, there was a lot of tall, dry grass along with more pine beetle kill in the area—the perfect conditions to kick off a good blaze.
