The man reached for his cell phone.
Hope couldn’t let them kill two people because of her. Jake’s grip was strong and would probably leave bruises. Through her peripheral vision, Hope saw Vicki reaching behind her. Did she have the gun?
“I’m sorry I took off,” Hope said, staring at the couple. Maybe they would still call someone. “It’s just that they’re not my parents.”
Jake dug the knife in harder, making Hope squirm and let out a little yelp.
“She’s right. She’s not ours. We’re her foster parents,” Jake said.
The couple glanced at each other. Would they believe Jake? Foster parents shouldn’t be leaving bruises on a kid. Please don’t believe him, Hope thought.
“Sorry for the scene. We’ll get going now. You folks have a good day,” Jake said, dragging Hope by the arm.
She peered back over her shoulder mouthing the word “help,” but the couple just stood there watching. Maybe they’d find her message in the bathroom. She should have left more than “help,” but writing in blood was harder than she thought it would be.
Once they were out of sight of the couple, Jake stopped and held out a hand. “Give it to me.”
“What?” Hope asked.
“You know what, you little brat.”
Hope stared him down, trying to be brave, but not succeeding. The phone. He had to be talking about that. She slid her hand in her pant pocket and gave it to him, her message still unsent. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she did her best not to cry. She didn’t want to show any signs of weakness.
Jake handed the phone to Vicki. She dropped it on the ground and stomped it with her foot, the glass shattering. Then she snatched it up and tossed it in the bushes.
Jake put his face close to Hope’s. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and the nasty body odor. She turned her head away, but he grabbed her chin.
“We’re going back to the van and you’re getting tied up real well. You better behave, hear me?”
Hope nodded, still fighting the tears back. A few escaped and rolled down her cheek. This was her chance to get away and she’d blown it.
Chapter Five
Maya loaded her go-bag in her patrol SUV. She opened the door for Juniper to jump into her special compartment. The Mal was happy to be doing something other than barking at a cat and leapt right in, doing a couple excited circles before sitting and staring at Maya expectantly.
“You may not get to work, girly,” Maya said, scratching behind Juniper’s ears. Juniper gave a happy groan in response and a lick on Maya’s cheek. “Even if you don’t get to work, we have a long day ahead.”
Josh came out of the house, put his go-bag on the front seat of his car and loaded Finn into his compartment. The compartment in Josh’s car was new. Pops had agreed to the department purchase after Josh and Finn had passed their certifications for search and rescue including human remains. In August, Josh was planning on taking Finn to do a water certification. Maya was excited to have Finn’s skills. Combined with Juniper, they had a lot of options for K-9 work that could save lives.
Josh headed toward Maya and stepped around a sign in the front yard that saidColten For Sheriff. Popshad talked Josh into running and he was starting his campaign. Maya knew that Josh had been hesitant, but Pops could be persuasive. Josh had finally agreed to run since Pops was planning on retiring. So far, there was no one running against Josh. But rumors had it that there were some other deputies from various counties considering it.
“Keep in touch and stay safe,” Josh said as he got over to Maya.
“You too.” Maya pulled him down to her and gave him a long kiss. She didn’t know when she’d see him again with this fire. They could both be working long hours doing different jobs.
“Where are you headed first?”
“Up to the campgrounds in the fire area,” Maya said. She glanced west and saw that the plume had continued to grow and the smoke was blowing east. If the fire became big enough, the smoke would be seen for miles and air quality in other states would be affected. “Hopefully the weekend campers haven’t all arrived yet and I can get those areas cleared out.”
“Pops has already been in touch with state patrol and other counties to help close roads,” Josh said. “I’ll have a lot to learn through this.”
“It’s good experience on one hand,” Maya said, “but I wish the forests didn’t burn. Although I know it’s healthy for them in the long run and part of living here.”
Juniper started barking indignantly, telling Maya she wanted to get going. Finn, hearing her, decided to join in and howl.
“I think they’re saying we better get a move on,” Maya said, giving Josh another kiss.
“I think so too,” Josh answered.
