Jesse
“How long has it been now?” I asked into the receiver.
“An hour and ten. Over,” Marty replied, almost on a groan.
I’d been asking him the same question every five minutes for the last hour and ten, since he and Zak had got to me with flashlights. That meant it was just under two hours since I’d seen Millie.
I’d gone back to the fork in the path, and scouted around there while I waited for Zak and Marty, not going far off the track, though, because I didn’t want to miss them. Once they’d gotten there, we’d split up; each of us with a radio, a flashlight, and luminous chalk to mark our routes. Zak and I had grown up playing in these woods, but over the years it had grown a lot denser, and with the dimming light, even we weren’t confident about not getting lost.
“You see anything? Over.” I knew I sounded desperate, but I was and I didn’t care who knew it.
“Nope, sorry Jesse. I’ve shouted until I’m hoarse but either she’s deaf or she ain’t anywhere near where I am. Over.”
“Zak? Over.”
“Nope. Same as Marty, been shouting but nothing. I reckon we should maybes think about coming back in the morning. It’s gonna get dangerous out here, last thing we need is to have to shoot a damn horse because it’s broken a leg. Over.”
Zak sounded beyond pissed. His folks lived on a farm a couple of miles down the road, and he still lived there with his wife and twin boys. This time of year was real busy and we worked all hours, so when the guys got an opportunity to finish early, they grabbed it with both hands, which was what Zak had done. Today was his wife’s birthday, so he was at this minute supposed to be sitting down to dinner and birthday cake. Guilt pricked at my conscience.
“Zak, buddy, you go home. Get Garratt to come out here instead. I know it’s Sarah’s birthday. Over.”
He sighed on the other end of the receiver. “I already called home before I came out to you. Sarah’s cool, although its cost me a damn new, expensive as all shit, designer purse. Over.”
I couldn’t help but smile. That was what it was like working on a ranch; you knew that you could rely on your men, your buddies, even if it got them into shit with their women.
“Well you let me know what that expensive as all shit purse costs and it’s on me. Over.”
Zak chuckled. “Fuck, Jess, you might just regret that. You know Sarah and how she likes the good stuff.”
I did know Sarah, and she did like the good stuff, but unlike Melody, she didn’t go out and just buy what she wanted. I knew from Zak that if she saw something she liked, she either saved the money for it or asked her family to get together and all of them buy it for her as a gift at Christmas, or on her birthday. So for her to ask for the purse, meant that, although Zak had said she was cool, she was probably real mad that her birthday dinner had been ruined. She was a great girl though and I knew she wouldn’t be angry at Zak for too long.
“Okay guys,” I said, opening both channels. “Let’s give it another half hour and then we’ll rethink what we do. Over.”
They both agreed and I was left with silence once again.
“Millie!” I shouted, moving Dillinger forward. Nothing except the scurrying of some animal that I’d startled. “Millie!”
Again, no response. Now I was real scared. The three of us were searching a wide span of the woods and she should have been able to hear at least one of us. If she couldn’t, then maybe she was hurt. Bile threatened my gut as my fear spiked. We were about three miles from the edge of the mountains, but that distance was nothing to a hungry Mountain Lion on the prowl for food.
I had to find her. I couldn’t leave her out here, alone, all night. Zak and Marty could go back if they wanted to, but I wasn’t giving up. I wouldn’t give up until she was in my arms, safe and secure.
I carried on along my route, numbering trees as I went and shouting out her name. Not having a watch on, and my cell having died a while back, I guessed it was almost time to meet up with the guys. I was just steering Dillinger back around when the receiver buzzed at the waistband of my jeans where I’d clipped it.
“Jesse? You there buddy? Over.”
“Hey Zak, what’s up? Over.”
“I’ve found her. We’re about two miles in. How the hell she wandered off the path this far I don’t know. Over.”
I heaved out a huge sigh of relief. “Fuck,” I groaned. “Is she okay? Over.”
“Yeah, a little scared and cold, but she’s fine. Over.”
Zak had a smile in his voice, so I knew he was telling the truth, but my stomach was still knotted.
“Let me speak to her, Zak. Over.”
There was a few moments of silence and then I heard that sweet, sexy, British accent.
“Jesse, it’s me. Do I need to say over?”
I heard Zak’s laughter and then some muttered words.
“Over.”
“Are you okay?” I breathed out. “You hurt? Over.”
“No, I’m fine. I just feel stupid. I’m sorry, Jesse, I shouldn’t have left you like that. Over.”
I shook my head and smiled. “No baby, you shouldn’t. I’ll see you soon and do not, I repeat, do not lose sight of Zak on the way back. Over.”
There was silence and I wondered whether I’d lost transmission.
“Millie, you there?”
“Sorry, Jesse,” she said quietly and then sniffed.
“Hey, don’t cry,” I soothed, not waiting to hear whether she’d finished speaking. “You’re going to be okay, Zak will take care of you, I promise.” Silence again. “Millie?”
“I was waiting for you to say ‘over’.”
I started to laugh and the relief that she was okay brought a lump to my throat and I couldn’t speak.
“I’m so over this over thing.” I heard her hiss at Zak.
“Jesse? Over.”
“I’m here,” I sighed. “I’ll see you soon. Over.”
“Okay, bye…oh alright, Zak. Over.”
“Tell Zak, to meet me at the fork. Over.”
“I heard ya. Over.” Zak replied.
I let Marty know that Millie had been found and then headed back to the fork, desperate to see her, and I knew then that whatever was happening between us was far from over, no matter what I’d damn well said.