Here I am, constantly thanking God, and yet I’m still lacking faith that all will be fine. What is wrong with me?
“Roger that,” Ryder confirmed. “If they do have airborne support, they’ll be blind, unlike you.” He peeked at me in the mirror, adding, “And don’t worry, our drone won’t be impacted.”
“The snowplows are almost to your location. Your ten-minute window starts in thirty seconds. Visibility is going to drop again for you in about two miles, where the storm is hitting now. Be safe.”
“Thanks, Natasha.” Ryder ended the call as someone was walking our way outside.
My heart squeezed at the realization that it was Alex. He waved at Ryder, then kept on walking.
The second he was in the passenger seat of the SUV with Reed, Ryder pulled back onto the road and the little blinking light on my phone went offline. My stomach muscles banded tight at the loss of the visual.
“We’re ghosts now,” Ryder said, and a few seconds later we passed the area where Alex had sent the rental car over the cliff.
“No one I’d rather be dead with than you,” Seraphina said in a teasing tone, reaching for his hand on the steering wheel.
“Real funny.” He shook his head. “She loves to give me an ulcer.”
“We’re going to be fine. I can make jokes because I trust you.” She twisted around to look at me. “You’re in good hands, and when they get you to Boulder, they’ll figure this all out.”
I nodded my thanks to her and closed my eyes.
The next ten minutes were going to be the longest of my life as I waited for that little blinking light to return.
The second it did, a breath of air whooshed free from my lungs, and a text quickly followed from Trevor’s burner, which I’d preprogrammed into my phone.
Trevor:In the Jeep. All clear. Our son is safe. I have every intention of keeping him that way.
I texted back without hesitation, relief bubbling up inside as a shocking smile hit my lips.
Me:You shouldn’t be texting while driving.
Trevor:Voice texting, relax.
Me:Talk about deja vu.
Trevor:No repeats of Friday night, please.
Trevor:And the fact you’re responding means you’re safe too. Good. Stay that way.
I let go of another deep breath and shifted around to ensure the only tail we had was the one we wanted. At the sight of Alex and Reed right behind us, I faced forward and texted Trevor back.
Me:I plan on it.
Me:Tell Chase I love him infinity times infinity.
Trevor:He says he loves you infinity cubed.
I clutched the phone to my chest while letting them know: “They’re okay and now in the Jeep.”
“I can see them on my screen,” Seraphina confirmed. “Natasha patched us in so we can share the view.”
Technology could be both a blessing and a curse, and right now I was grateful for it. “And Eden? She good?”
“She’s at the sheriff’s department with Beau. All good,” Seraphina answered. “He has our hostage in a cell.”
“Y’all really did Houdini us to safety. Thank you. I don’t know what I’d have done without you. If my mom didn’t tell me about you at Thanksgiving, then ...” Tears gathered in my eyes as the memory grabbed hold of me, right along with the fact I’d barely spoken to my mother since that night, still so hurt that she’d kept a brother from me all my life.
“Speaking of your mom ... who have you told about what’s going on?” Ryder asked.
