Page 27 of Fighting Shadows
Ten days…
I regret going dark on the others. The moment I turn my phone back on, the notifications pour in, ranging from concern about my lack of communication to frustration because my phone’s shut off.
I got a lead, though, and I’m rushing to follow it.
I’m so close.
Not long now, Babygirl, I’ll have you home soon.
14 days…
Breckenridge, Colorado.
Forests for miles, but I’ve finally caught up to them.
He stopped continuously on the way here, hiding down streets and in deserted spots where surveillance wasn’t available for hours before he began driving again. He took the wrong turns to try to throw us off, but all it took was one helpful gas station cashier to tell me that he had seen them and what turn he had taken, and I was able to track them down easily enough.
All the sightings Sebastian was sending me, while helpful, also threw me off the trail more often than not.
Now I’m gazing up at the treeline, smoke rising to the sky from the cabin he’s hiding in.
Me
I found her. Breckenridge, Colorado.
8:11 AMMeet me at Ollie’s Pub & Grill.
Shutting my phone off before they can bombard me with questions, I climb out of the car and slam the door behind me with a bit more force than necessary.
I want nothing more than to run into the cabin now, not caring that I don’t have the others with me for backup.
She’s not even two miles from me, so close yet so far.
Anxiety unfurls in my gut; all I can think about is what she’s been through these last fourteen days, and I feel sick.
Ordering a burger and coffee, I sit at the closest window to the door, determined to see the moment they pull up so we can get straight into getting her back to us.
It’s a twelve-hour car journey, but I think they could be here in ten with the motivation of getting our girl home.
Chapter 15
Noah
‘Nameless – Stevie Howie’
Ihear his heavy footsteps before I see him, his boots against the wooden floor, rousing me from the light sleep.
“Wake up!” he hisses at me, “Why isn’t she waking up?”
“She’s fucking dying, Dad, and you won’t let me help her,” I hiss back at him but don’t take my eyes off Strange Girl, too scared in case her chest stops moving.
“I took her out of the chains like you asked,” he huffs as if it were a hardship.
The girl is unconscious, unable to move, and somehow, he’s still convinced she’s going to magically get better and run away.
I'm sighing because I know there’s no use in trying to argue with him. I tried it, got locked up in chains, and was left alone for nearly forty-eight hours. I don’t want a repeat.
“Can I use the toilet? I’ve been holding this in for too long,” I say.
