“Ryder’s on theline.”
“Yourphone?”
I nodded. “His speech isslurred.”
She was already busy typing. “Keep himtalking.”
“In my truck?” Ryder finally answered. “The…I must have blacked out for aminute.”
He coughed again and it didn’t soundgood.
“Are you hurt? Honey. Are youhurt?”
I could hear his breathing, wanted him to answer, needed him toanswer.
“Delaney?” he said it clearly, like he was trying to get a grip. “Right. I’m outside Sisters. Was…last I…before I blackedout.”
“The GPS on your phone is active.” I had resorted to cop-voice because any other voice would betrembling.
“Jean’s getting a lock on you. Are you on the road? Are youdriving?”
“No? No. I got out. A woman and kids. Oh, hell. I need to check. They were stuck and I was pushing, pushed. Theditch.”
He grunted and I heard the creak of what I could only assume was his truck dooropening.
“Ryder Bailey, do not exit your vehicle,” I ordered. Images of him on a precarious cliff or stalled in the middle of the highway, or stuck in a snow bank filled mymind.
“They were babies, Laney, justbabies.”
“Who? The woman and kids you pushed out of aditch?”
“Yeah.” He panted, each inhale hitched as if hooking on something sharp. “They werehere…”
“Are you on the road? Do you see anymarkers?”
When he didn’t answer, I shot Jean alook.
“I don’t think he’s outside Sisters,” she said. “Heavy snowfall took out a couple towers. Give me asecond.”
“Ryder,” I said. “you need to get back in the truck where it’swarm.”
I heard wind, I heard his breath, then all I heard was a very soft, “Oh,” before his phone cutout.
The Christmas music in the background was sweeping throughCarol of the Bells. For some reason, I noticed it, like that one detail wasimportant.
The rest of my brain refused to work, to move past the silence, that final: “Oh.”
I stared down, down, down at my phone as if my hand belonged to someone else. As if I were floating somewhere near the ceiling, operating my body from adistance.
“Answer your phone.” I whispered as I dialed himback.
It went to voice mail. I dialedagain.
Andagain.
Andagain.
“What?” Ryder’s voice. Rough.Faint.
