Carrie’s breath caught in her throat and she looked away. “It’s not okay.”
“You did everything you could.”
Carrie laughed to herself.
“Come on,” I said. “Don’t do that.”
“I listened to her scream when they dragged her out of her room. That was all I could do.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she stopped me.
“I saw what happened. I was here.” She paused, stared at me. “Don’t ever tell me I’m not involved.”
My legs felt weak, and I sat beside her on the bed. For a while, neither of us said anything. Then Carrie came around the cornerheo“How do you know that?” moved closer and leaned her head against my shoulder.
I put my hand on her leg.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“We’re going to get her back.”
Carrie looked up at me. “What happened, Matt? Who were those people? What did they do with her?”
I thought about it, but I couldn’t find the words. “I don’t know where to start.”
Carrie reached up and touched my chin, turning my face to hers. Then she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine.
I didn’t stop her, and I didn’t pull away.
I let myself drift in her.
When we broke, she slid her fingers down my cheek and said, “Start at the beginning.”
So I did.
I told Carrie everything, starting with the night I met Jay in the bar. By the time I got to the old woman and the warehouse down by the river, Carrie was up, pacing the room. When I told her what happened in the holding cell in Pella Valley, she waved a hand in front of her face and said, “I don’t want to hear any more.”
“There’s not much more to tell,” I said. “That’s when I came here.”
“For your gun?”
“That’s right.”
“What exactly were you going to do with it?”
I thought about my answer, then said, “I’m going to find Roach and get Pinnell’s address.”
“And then?”
“And then I’m going to find him and make him tell me where she is.” I paused and looked up at Carrie. “And if he doesn’t tell me, I’m going to kill him.”
“My God, Matt!”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Yes.” Carrie sat next to me, took my hands. “Let’s go to the police. They have special departments that handle this kind of thing. They can help us.”
“If I go to the police, he’s going to kill her.”
“He won’t find out,” she said. “I can go myself. I can talk to them and tell them the situation. They can track her down a lot faster than you can.”
“No, they can’t.”
“Matt, please.”
“Listen to me,” I said. “We can’t go to the police, not now, not ever, do you understand?”
“But—”
“If I do this right, if I can get to him, I can bring her home.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But if I go to the police, Anna is as good as dead. I don’t know who this guy is, but he knows things. He has the sheriff’s department in Pella Valley working for him. God knows who else.”
“That’s crazy, Matt. No one—”
“You saw what he did here,” I said. “I told you the light>s out of what happened to me. It’s too much of a risk.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
I shook my head, slow.
“Don’t you dare,” she said. “You can’t go off and expect me to sit here and wait for you like I’m—”
“I need you to stay out of it, please.”
“I can’t sit here helpless, Matt. I won’t.”
I got up and took a marker and a piece of yellow construction paper from Anna’s desk. “I’m going to try and call you tonight, but if you don’t hear from me by morning, there’s someone—”
“Don’t hear from you?”
“—I need you to call.”
“Matt, don’t do this.” Carrie got up and stood next to me. She put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me around to face her. “Don’t go running after this guy, please. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
I told her I’d be fine, but my voice sounded weak and unsure, even to me.
“Matt?”
I turned back to the
“You did everything you could.”
Carrie laughed to herself.
“Come on,” I said. “Don’t do that.”
“I listened to her scream when they dragged her out of her room. That was all I could do.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she stopped me.
“I saw what happened. I was here.” She paused, stared at me. “Don’t ever tell me I’m not involved.”
My legs felt weak, and I sat beside her on the bed. For a while, neither of us said anything. Then Carrie came around the cornerheo“How do you know that?” moved closer and leaned her head against my shoulder.
I put my hand on her leg.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“We’re going to get her back.”
Carrie looked up at me. “What happened, Matt? Who were those people? What did they do with her?”
I thought about it, but I couldn’t find the words. “I don’t know where to start.”
Carrie reached up and touched my chin, turning my face to hers. Then she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine.
I didn’t stop her, and I didn’t pull away.
I let myself drift in her.
When we broke, she slid her fingers down my cheek and said, “Start at the beginning.”
So I did.
I told Carrie everything, starting with the night I met Jay in the bar. By the time I got to the old woman and the warehouse down by the river, Carrie was up, pacing the room. When I told her what happened in the holding cell in Pella Valley, she waved a hand in front of her face and said, “I don’t want to hear any more.”
“There’s not much more to tell,” I said. “That’s when I came here.”
“For your gun?”
“That’s right.”
“What exactly were you going to do with it?”
I thought about my answer, then said, “I’m going to find Roach and get Pinnell’s address.”
“And then?”
“And then I’m going to find him and make him tell me where she is.” I paused and looked up at Carrie. “And if he doesn’t tell me, I’m going to kill him.”
“My God, Matt!”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Yes.” Carrie sat next to me, took my hands. “Let’s go to the police. They have special departments that handle this kind of thing. They can help us.”
“If I go to the police, he’s going to kill her.”
“He won’t find out,” she said. “I can go myself. I can talk to them and tell them the situation. They can track her down a lot faster than you can.”
“No, they can’t.”
“Matt, please.”
“Listen to me,” I said. “We can’t go to the police, not now, not ever, do you understand?”
“But—”
“If I do this right, if I can get to him, I can bring her home.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But if I go to the police, Anna is as good as dead. I don’t know who this guy is, but he knows things. He has the sheriff’s department in Pella Valley working for him. God knows who else.”
“That’s crazy, Matt. No one—”
“You saw what he did here,” I said. “I told you the light>s out of what happened to me. It’s too much of a risk.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
I shook my head, slow.
“Don’t you dare,” she said. “You can’t go off and expect me to sit here and wait for you like I’m—”
“I need you to stay out of it, please.”
“I can’t sit here helpless, Matt. I won’t.”
I got up and took a marker and a piece of yellow construction paper from Anna’s desk. “I’m going to try and call you tonight, but if you don’t hear from me by morning, there’s someone—”
“Don’t hear from you?”
“—I need you to call.”
“Matt, don’t do this.” Carrie got up and stood next to me. She put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me around to face her. “Don’t go running after this guy, please. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
I told her I’d be fine, but my voice sounded weak and unsure, even to me.
“Matt?”
I turned back to the
Similar Books
