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And then I let myself fall asleep.
“Cheyenne,” Wade’s voice roused me, the soft gravel in his tone comforting. “Cheyenne...”
My eyes fluttered open to see Wade looking at me with curiosity and concern. My whole body was sweating, and everything ached from laying on the bathroom floor.
“How long have I been asleep?” I mumbled, squinting up at him. Takoda was still curled up against me, but he was stirring as well.
“Almost three hours.” He gave me a smile and then held out my phone. “While you were snoozing in here, I was able to charge your phone for you. Your sister’s been blowing up your phone, and her last message was like thirty minutes ago, threatening to file a missing person’s report if you didn’t call her soon.”
“Ohshit,” I groaned, dread filling my chest. “I don’t want her to do that. That’ll make such a mess. I don’t need that at all.”
“Yeah, but I think she’ll know that your phone is back on now—the calls should be coming through.”
I nodded, taking the phone from his hands, and unlocking the screen. The text thread from her was overwhelming to say the least. “I guess I need to call her.”
“I’ll give you some privacy. Come on, Takoda,” Wade whistled at the dog. “I know you need to go to the bathroom.”
“Thank you,” I said to him as the two exited and I hit the call button beside my sister’s name. I braced as I held the phone to my ear, my heart jumping with apprehension. Iknewshe was gonna be mad.
“Cheyenne Sue Mato!Where thehellhave you been?”
I cringed. “It’s a long story.”
“You sound awful. Are you okay? Are you in the hospital somewhere? Did you get into a wreck?”
Oof.
My stomach churned as I tried to keep up with her. “No, no. I just... The van broke down on the side of the road, and then a tornado came—and I got stuck in this cabin with a guy who helped me. And then we made it out of that and back to this huge ranch where he lives, and now I have a stomach bug.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“It’s been a really crazy time and there hasn’t been any power,” I continued before adding, “But I’m fine. I’ll figure out how to get back on the road as soon as I’m well.”
“Not in that van, Chey. I knew that thing wasn’t a good choice. Iknewit. I can’t believe that you’ve made it as far as you have. I can just come and get you as soon as I get a chance.”
“No, it’s storming like crazy, and I don’t want you to have to do that. I’m fine the way I am right now. Like these people are billionaires, but are also super nice.”
“Okay, but how do you know they’re not just a bunch of closet psychos, Chey? I don’t trust anyone these days. I’ve watched so many true crime documentaries that I don’t think anyone is too good to be a criminal. In fact, it’s usually the really good people on the outside that end up being the—”
“Stop, sis. They’re not like that. I promise. If they wanted to kill me, they would’ve by now. They’ve been nothing but nice, and Wade saved my life. I don’t know how I would’ve faired had he not found me before the storm hit.”
She let out a sigh. “Okay. I know that you’re a grown ass woman and you can handle yourself. I’ve just been worried sick, but I guess you found a way to charge your phone?”
“Yeah,” I groaned, feeling the urge to vomit again. “There’s still no power, but they have battery chargers.”
“You need to make sure you drink lots of fluids and get a lot of rest. Take something to break the fever if you need to.” Leia was back to her motherly tendencies and I couldn’t help but smile.
“You got it. I have Gatorade and crackers right here. I haven’t eaten any—but Takoda ate one, and he’s fine. I don’t think they’re poisoning me.”
“Oh mygosh,Cheyenne. Don’t even put that thought in my mind. I’ll seriously fly to Texas if I need to.”
“I’ll drop a pin so you know where I am.”
“Thank you.”
“Love you, sis, but I gotta puke.”
“Oh god, okay. Love you. Text me.”
