Chapter Twelve

Chase

I toss the burner phone beside me on the bed, running my hands through my hair in exasperation as I fail to get in touch with James for what feels like the hundredth time.

Why is his phone still off? Has he gone into hiding, or left the country maybe? Or did something or someone convince him not to get in touch with me? I sure hope it’s either of those two, because I’m not liking the third possibility– that he might have gotten caught snooping around. And punished.

I shake off the thought, trying not to cringe from it as I form a tent with my hands over my nose and mouth.

James is smart. Maybe he turned off his phone because it isn’t safe. He can still turn it back on when the situation improves. He can still call me.

But what do I do in the meantime? Just sit here? And what if I never hear from James? What then? Do I just stay here at the ranch forever?

As pleasant as that idea sounds, especially now that Lauren and I are lovers – though she and I have kept our distance from each other since we almost got caught by Isaac – it’s not possible. If Lauren’s right, my mother is in an asylum and I have to get back to her. I have to get her out of there and set things right in the company before the damages go beyond repair.

Unable to figure out my next move, I frown as I get off the bed, heading outside.

One thing I do know – if I don’t start doing my evening chores, I’m going to get another visit from Isaac and maybe a lecture. As aware as I am that my life as a farmhand is only temporary, I don’t want to leave the ranch worse than I found it.

I get out of the barn, pausing to stare at the horizon that is turning from turquoise to amethyst, the dying rays of the sun scattered across it.

Another day almost over.

Suddenly, I stop, spotting two broad silhouettes against the fiery landscape. Even from far away, I can tell they’re bad news.

I run back into the barn, closing the door. Not for the first time, I wish I could lock it, but I can’t. Instead, I close it firmly and hide under the bed, the only place I can hide.

I press my arms to my sides, turning my head to the side as well so that I’m not staring at the dust and cobwebs above me.

Maybe I should have gone out the window instead like Lauren did the last time but I want to hear what these men have to say in hopes that I might get a clue about what to do next. Besides, it’s too late now.

Seconds later, the door to the barn bursts open, a pair of black, leather boots and silver Nikes appearing on the floor.

I swallow the lump in my throat, remembering those shoes all too well.

Fuck.

“It’s empty,” one of them says, the voice familiar.

The other man grunts. “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

Mr. Nike steps forward, stopping by the bed.

“This place is shit. The horses have it better. Do you really think that kid we tried to kill could live here?”

“Who knows? If he’s desperate, he’ll settle for anything, though I still can’t believe he survived. We should have split his skull on a boulder.”

I suppress a shiver.

Mr. Nike approaches the bed and I hold my breath, not moving a muscle.

“Hey. Look at this,” he says. “A burner phone. Didn’t James say he gave Chester a phone?”

James? They spoke to James? Not good.

I hear him press a button on the phone then hear the same message I’ve been hearing.

“The number you are dialing is currently not available. Please try again later.”

I hear a laugh. “Seems like Chester’s out of options and friends.”

My jaw clenches. My hands roll into fists at my sides.

Bastards.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching.

More men?

“Chase?” Lauren calls out and I grow deathly still.

Fuck.

Of all the times she has to come visit the barn, she has to drop by now?

I see her brown flat shoes and continue to curse silently, fear churning in my gut.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” one of the men asks.

“Who are you?” I hear the fear in Lauren’s voice, which causes my chest to tighten. “What are you doing here?”

Mr. Nike walks up to her.

“What did you say your name was again? Lauren?”

She doesn’t answer.

“Didn’t you say the name of your farmhand was Jake?”

“I said I don’t remember,” she answers, voice trembling.

“You know it’s a crime to lie to a federal employee,” Mr. Nike says. “But I’ll forgive you if you tell me everything you know right now.”

For a moment, all is silent, my heart stopping as well, but then I see Lauren’s feet scurrying off.

As the men chase after her, I roll out from under bed, getting on my feet in one swift move and darting after them.

“Let me go!” Lauren shouts a few feet away from the barn, wrenching her arm free from the grip of a man with long, light brown hair.

I grab the hoe resting on the side of the barn and swing it, hitting the back of the man’s head. He falls sideways. The other man, the one with the Nike shoes, reaches for his gun but I hit his arm, the weapon flying through the air. Quickly, I bury the end of the hoe’s handle into his chest and as he falls on his knees, struggling to breathe, I swing the hoe again, hitting the back of his head. He falls face down not far from where his comrade has dropped, both unconscious.

Staring at them, I drop the hoe to the ground, my shoulders heaving as I gasp for air.

I turn toward Lauren just as she drops to her knees, her pleated blue skirt billowing about her knees. She has one hand clasped over her mouth and I can’t tell if she’s just gasping or she’s about to throw up. A bead of sweat rolls down one of her pale cheeks, her lips and her shoulders trembling.

I frown. I wish she hadn’t seen what I had just done. Still, I don’t regret doing it.

Even though those men are already on the ground, unmoving, my blood still boils from looking at them, my fists clenching. They took everything away from me.

“Who are they?” Lauren asks, her teeth chattering slightly, her voice soft and quivering. “Are they the ones who tried to kill you?”

“Two of them,” I answer.

She turns her head to look at me, one eyebrow raised. “There are more? There are more of these… monsters?”

Instead of answering her, I kneel beside her, drawing her into my arms. I can feel her heart pounding, her body quaking. Her sweat feels cool against my skin.

“Shh.” I stroke her hair. “It’s all right, Lauren. It’s going to be all right.”

“One of those men…” She gulps a deep breath. “…was here earlier. He said he was from the Census Bureau. I told him we had a new farmhand living in an old barn. I shouldn’t have told him. He could have killed you.”

I pause. It was her they were trying to hold captive, yet it’s me she’s afraid for?

I kiss the top of her head and continue stroking her hair. “It’s all right.”

For a while, I just hold her as she trembles in my arms, the sky turning purple and then inky above us. A lightbulb flickers to life a few feet away, one of several that Isaac lights just before six in the evening. It chokes like a child with stage fright and then finally glows steadily. A moth comes close, precariously hovering over it along with smaller insects that I can’t identify, casting their shadows on the bulb.

Finally, Lauren stops trembling, her heart and breathing slowing down.

I let her go and get on my feet.

“Go to the barn and wait for me there. I’ll take care of this mess before your father sees it.”

I fetch the wagon where I left it somewhere near the storage barn, pulling it. When I reach the bodies, Lauren is still there, standing over them. I go to the body of the long-haired man first, lifting him by the shoulders. To my surprise, Lauren appears across me and grabs the man’s feet.

I stare across the man’s body at her, wondering if she’s sure she wants to help me with such a grueling and shady task. I don’t ask her, though. She looks calm, determined. Besides, she may be better off having something to do than just sitting and waiting.

I nod and she lifts the man’s feet. Together, we carry him and toss him into the wagon followed by the man with the silver shoes. Feeling vindictive, I take off the shoes, thinking I’ll burn them later on.

Lauren and I push the wagon, neither of us speaking. Only the turning of the wagon wheels crushing the soil beneath them and the chirping of insects pierce the silence.

Finally, we reach the ditch outside the ranch. I lift the wagon, dumping the men there.

It’s only fitting. They dumped me off a cliff and I’m dumping them in a ditch.

“Are they dead?” Lauren asks, breaking the silence.

I turn my head to look at her. Her hair is even more chaotic now than before, ebony strands sent in various directions by the breeze. Her white blouse is dirty now, too, a dark brown stain on the Peter Pan collar. Then again, I’m not much better, my own white shirt with splotches of brown, a large wet stain on the front where the sweat has gathered on my chest. I can feel the sweat on my forehead, too.

I wipe some of it as I gaze down into the ditch where the men I’ve knocked out are lying face down.

“They’re just unconscious,” I say. “I applied just the right amount of force to give them concussions. That way, when they wake up, their minds will be muddled and they’ll have a hard time remembering what happened. Hopefully, they won’t remember me.”

She nods, wrapping her arms around her.

“Let’s go back. It’s late. Your dad must be looking for you.”

I start pushing the wagon back toward the ranch. Lauren walks beside me. We remain silent.

With the wagon empty, the trip back is faster. Still, the moon is already high above the clouds. I park the wagon under a tree then stand by Lauren.

“I’ll walk you back to the house.”

“Okay.”

As I follow her back to the house, I glance back just once to make sure no one is following me.

There’s no one. There’s only the moon behind me.

I swallow.

I told Lauren I didn’t kill those men but the truth is I’m not sure. Who knows? Maybe I did.

Maybe I’ve become a murderer just like them.