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I release his arm and hurry away, yanking the door open as a yellow cab pulls up in front of the building. I climb inside just as the diner door opens, the trucker standing in the doorway with the light illuminating him from behind. He looks almost angelic. I only hope he listens to me, and this is the closest he gets to becoming an angel for a long time yet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Jagger
We found the Audi at the café near the edge of town. A waitress there remembered the pretty girl with white hair. One, because she looked like a fairy princess, and two, because she mentioned walking one of the trails to get some alone time. After we both ran out of there in a panic, trying to figure out which way she went, I realized we’d played right into Astrid’s hands.
“This isn’t Astrid. She wouldn’t come here when she had no idea what she was facing.”
Slade looks at me incredulously.
“Yes, she would. That’s exactly what got her into this mess in the first place. She drove halfway across the country to a strange place filled with strange men to try and convince them of something unbelievable while hoping it didn’t sound like a threat. All while praying we didn’t kill her.”
“Okay, when you put it like that, it sounds bad. But what I mean is this—” I wave around the area. “Does Astrid strike you as the nature type? Or the hiking type, for that matter?”
Slade looks around and frowns. “No. Astrid is much more the play-video-games-and-watch-cats-do-the-funniest-things kind of girl,” he admits, making me chuckle, which turns into a sad sigh.
“I can’t believe we thought this woman was a threat.” I hang my head in shame before lifting my eyes to my best friend, and I see the same guilt I’m feeling reflected back at me. After a moment, the guilt shifts to determination.
“Okay, so where would she go?”
“As far away from us as possible.” I rub my eyes, trying to think like Astrid would. But a pissed-off Astrid is a whole different kind of woman than the usual Astrid.
“She has nothing tying her here, so my guess is she’d go where she feels safe.”
“Without her car?”
I shrug. “It’s not like we left her much choice.” I look at my watch before scanning the area, noticing that it’s getting quieter now.
“My guess is the bus or train station. And since the bus station is closer, we might want to start there.”
He nods as he heads back down the trail, picking up speed when the car comes into view. By the time we get to the bottom, we are both jogging. I jump into the driver’s seat as Slade climbs in beside me. He doesn’t even have his seat belt on before I’m reversing out of the parking spot and swinging the truck around.
“What do we even say to her?” he asks, sounding lost. I don’t blame him. I’m feeling the same way.
“We start with sorry and go from there.”
Somehow, I don’t think sorry is going to be enough. My mind keeps flashing back to her face as she stood in the doorway listening to us talk shit about her. I’ve never been great at figuring out a woman’s emotions, but Astrid never tried to hide how she felt, even when it confused her. In that moment, though, a child would have been able to read the heartbreak in her eyes.
When we pull up outside the bus station, Slade jumps out before I’ve even shifted the truck into park and runs inside.
It’s virtually deserted when I enter the building, not like the big city stations, where it would still be chaos at this hour.I look around and spot Slade running toward the restrooms, clearly not finding Astrid among the waiting travelers. Scanning the area again, I head to the ticket counter, hoping to catch a break.
I reach the counter and lean against it. Sensing my presence, the woman behind the desk lifts her head and gulps loud enough for me to hear through the safety glass. Normally, I would find her reaction funny. I’m well aware that I can come off as intimidating, and I’d try to downplay it, but I don’t have time for subtlety today.
“Hi, I’m wondering if you can help me.”
“Um… I can try.”
“Did you see a young woman come through here with long white hair and pretty purple eyes?”
She freezes, which is all the confirmation I need.
“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t give out that kind of information.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both. I’m sure if she wanted you to know where she was heading, then she would have told you herself.”
