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“As far as we’ve seen so far, no one is out this way, but I promise to be careful. Now get moving so we can get out of here. It’s going to be dark in an hour or so.”
Despite my calm tone, Jackson still looks uptight as he strides off in the direction we came. At first he’s moving at a kind of speed walk, but after a minute I see him pick it up to a run.
The big dummy is going to run all the way there and back.
He’s been gone about fifteen minutes when I hear an engine in the distance. At first I think it might be him. Maybe he found a working vehicle and is driving it here. But then I realize it’s coming from the wrong direction. It’s coming from ahead of me on the road.
I stand up and aim my pistol toward the faint blur of an approaching vehicle.
After a minute, I can make out the shape of an old Jeep Wrangler.
When it keeps coming my way, I fire a warning shot. It veers off the road, clearly giving me a wide berth. I relax slightly at the display of courtesy, but I don’t lower my gun.
I relax even more when it gets close enough for me to see it’s driven by a man and there’s a woman in the passenger seat. The woman has both hands up, and the man is driving with one hand and has the other extended out the window, palm up.
They’re making it clear they’re not a threat, but I’m not silly enough to trust they mean me no harm.
“Do you need help?” the woman calls out when the Jeep has pulled up level with the ATV. They’re still far off the road, giving me plenty of room. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I don’t need help. I’m not alone. My man will be back any minute.” I aim my gun. My hand doesn’t shake.
The woman is extremely pretty with a sweet, heart-shaped face. She’s probably about my age, but she’s wearing her hair in two long brown braids that make her look even younger. “Are you having engine trouble? Travis is a mechanic. He can help you with your engine if you’ll let him.”
Her man, whose name is evidently Travis, looks older than her. Not bad-looking with his piercing gray eyes and longish hair, but also not safe. Tough and efficient and observant and strong. Maybe even a match for Jackson. “We’ve got it covered. I told you. My man will be back anytime, and he’s not going to like seeing you here.”
I’m telling them the truth. I like the looks of the woman, but I’m not sure I trust the man. And I know for damn sure that Jackson isn’t going to give them the benefit of the doubt if he returns to find them lingering.
“We’ll head out if you really want us to,” the woman says, leaning over Travis so she can talk out the window at me. “But you can come with us if you want.”
“What?” I’m so surprised I just stare.
“You can come with us. If you don’t want to be with your man. If he doesn’t treat you right or if you think you don’t have a choice except to be with him. You do have a choice. You can come with us right now. Travis might look kind of rough, but he’s a really good man. No one will touch you. No one will expect anything from you. We can keep you safe. We’ve got a lot of friends, and we can help you have a life where you don’t have to rely on a man to stay alive. I’m Layne, and I’m telling you the truth. You can come with us right now, and your man will never know where you went. You’ll be safe.”
I’m surprised but oddly touched by the earnest offer. I didn’t think it was in me to trust strangers anymore, but I trust this sweet-faced woman. Instinctively.
“Thank you,” I say in a gentler tone. “I mean it. But it’s not like that. My man isn’t like that. Really.”
“Okay. I’m glad. Is it all right if we stay here until he gets back? You look like you know what you’re doing, but it’s really not safe for anyone to be alone.”
I hesitate. Maybe I’m being foolish. But I’ve relied on my instincts all this time about whom to trust and whom to shoot, and they haven’t let me down yet.
“Okay,” I say. “I guess that would be all right. He shouldn’t be long.”
Layne is smiling at me as Travis puts the Jeep into park. It doesn’t have any doors, but it seems to be in pretty decent condition. For the first time, I notice a dog is sitting at Layne’s feet. Some sort of shepherd mix with a pointy nose and intelligent, dark eyes.
“This is Duke,” she says, stroking the dog’s head.
“Hi, Duke. I’m Faith.” I’m still holding my gun—I’m not about to put it away—but I’ve lowered it so it’s not pointed right at the Jeep anymore.
“Faith?” Layne glances over at Travis, who returns her look like they’ve both thought of something. “You don’t happen to have a farm in central Kentucky, do you?”
I blink, my heartbeat accelerating. “Wh-why?”
She shrugs, still smiling. “Just that there’s a Faith who picks up requests on this help network we work with. Mack mentioned her. She offers produce sometimes and has someone who can help with cars. If that happens to be you, then it’s very nice to meet you.”
I’m relaxing even more now. I wasn’t wrong about these two. “You know Mack?”
Layne is grinning like she ran into a long-lost friend. “He’s a good friend of ours. He never stops raving about your eggs and vegetables. I can’t believe we ran into you here. We were just helping get some people resettled and are on our way back home. What are you doing so far east?”
