Page 44 of Wolf's Fate

The little air I had in my lungs left me with a whoosh as I was manhandled to the position that allowed me to wiggle through the window. It was a bit bigger than I’d thought, but I had no time to be thankful. A firm hand landed on my butt for a shove, and then I felt his hands on my sneakers, and I was practically pushed through the window.

Headfirst.

I swallowed my scream as I fell.

Land in a crouch? Was he joking? The fact I never broke my neck was a miracle as I clambered to my feet. A hand grabbed for me, and I yelped in fear, but a warm hand over my mouth and a flat palm between my shoulder blades let me know Ned was right behind me.

With a gentle shove, I started to run. We ran around the back of the motel, and I was confused as we ranawayfrom where the truck was parked, but as promised, I never said a word. I needed my breath to do the sudden sprinting that was expected of me and to hold back the fear that was robbing me of every deep breath possible.

When I heard the footsteps behind us, I didn’t need Ned pulling my arm out of its socket to encourage me to run faster. My feet found their second wind easily.

The lights of a truck caught my attention, and I said nothing as I was scooped up, the door open, and then I was being bundled into the back seat of Doc’s truck. Doc alreadyhad the engine running and had the truck in reverse before Ned had closed the door.

“Hang on,” he told me.

The tyres screeched, screaming against the asphalt as they spun at the speed Doc used to reverse. The sharp smell of burning rubber surrounded us, and my body jolted forward as the car lurched into drive. I gasped against the tight pull of the seat belt against my chest.

“Seat belts work,” I grumbled through clenched teeth, but he ignored me.

Doc put his foot down, his hands gripping the wheel tightly, his eyes on the rearview more than the road in front of him. Every nerve in my body was on edge, and my heart felt like it was in my head with the pounding in my ears so loud.

We raced out of town, and from the tension of Doc’s shoulders, I kept my questions to myself, peering out into the darkness to see if I could see if we were being pursued.

The tension eased from him gradually, and it was only when his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel lessened that I dared ask my first question.

“Where’s Ned?”

“Behind us,” he answered, the tone of his voice tight. “Your backpack is on the floor. Check you have everything?”

I hadn’t even seen it, that’s how high my adrenaline had been. Pulling it onto the seat beside me, I didn’t ask why my backpack was fully packed, including my toiletries. I rifled through my sketchbooks, and when I looked up, Doc was watching me in the rearview.

“I left one,” I whispered, and I saw his eyes close briefly. “It wason the bed.”

“I’ll let him know.” He had the phone at his ear, and I heard a man’s voice answer, too low for me to identify. “One’s behind. She says it’s on the bed.” He paused. “Yes, we checked the bed, but if we missed it, we missed it.” Another pause. “I understand.” He hung up and dropped the phone beside him, turning to look at me. “You okay?”

“Not at all.”

That made him smile. “Yeah, I get that.” His next look was assessing.

“It had a new sketch of Caleb,” I told him before he asked. “It was generic. Just Caleb in jeans, boots, a shirt, and a jacket.”

“Dressed?” Doc asked me, and my cheeks flared with heat. Did he know that I spent far too long admiring Caleb’s abs?

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Why?”

“Where was he?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t work like that. I don’t know.”

“Forest, mountain, town?”

I thought about my sketch before bed. “Trees…thinner than usual. Not as dense.”

Doc cursed and picked up the phone again. “He’s on the move,” he told the person who answered. “She left a sketchbook. The most recent drawing is of Caleb, fully dressed.” He listened to the person, nodding along. “Sure.” He reached behind him, the phone in his hand. “Cannon needs to ask a few questions.”

Taking the phone with trembling fingers, I put it to my ear. “Hello?”

“How are you holding up?” His voice was low and steady. It soothed me instantly.