Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
She wasn’t my friend, but I felt a connection that she tried to conceal for fear of losing her job. She despised Carter, too. That was obvious in the way she’d stare at his back like she wished he’d drop down dead in front of her.
Is it enough to risk getting in touch and asking her about Hallie?
She might know nothing, but then again, she might know something crucial, and I don’t think I can go on like this with worry flaring beneath my anxiety. I can’t be a deadbeat mom who isn’t doing everything in my power to make sure my daughter is safe.
I pull up my messenger app and find Shona’s number in my bag. I add her as a contact and type out a quick message.
Hey Shona, please don’t share this number with anyone. I had to change it because of C. I’m far away in a place he’ll never find me. I’m safe, but I don’t have H with me. C took her. I don’t know where she is, and it’s driving me crazy with worry. I’m desperate. Have you seen her? Do you know where she is? Is she okay? I hope you’re okay. If you can get out of there, you should. It’s dangerous. He’s dangerous. Do what I did and get away if you can. S
I don’t put any names in the message, although leaving them out doesn’t make it less obvious that it’s from me. As soon as it’s sent, my guts twist with worry. I don’t think she’ll tell Carter, but I can’t know for sure. I think she’s a good person, but knowing Carter has made me question my own sanity more times than I care to remember, and any trust I had in people withered away with my love for him.
I hope she’ll tell me Hallie’s okay.
My sweet princess will miss me. I know she will. The bond we formed is so strong that even a few weeks apart won’t break it. You’ll be away for a year, my mind whispers. Even if you do get her back, she won’t remember you after all that time.
Whoever Carter has found to look after her will become her momma. His sister, maybe.
Tears drop from my eyes, staining my pajamas with dark spots before I can swipe them away. My empty breasts ache for my baby, making me curl in on myself.
I stare at the phone, waiting for Shona’s reply, but nothing comes.
Have I made a mistake that will put my life in danger again? Have I risked the three lumberjacks who are my ticket to freedom once a year of contractual obligations is over?
You should read the contract, West urged me.
So, instead of focusing on a black screen or trying in vain to sleep, I find the contract and read it from beginning to end.
Shona doesn’t reply.
So, now I’m not only worried about Hallie, I’m also worried that this cabin that’s supposed to be my safe escape might become a place of danger from the outside as well as inside.
I close my eyes and try to conjure Hallie’s sweet face.
I have to focus on each step it’s going to take me to get her back.
I’m clear on everything Finn, West, and Jack expect of me.
Three-hundred-and sixty-three days to go, and then I’ll find Hallie, even if it kills me.
9
FINN
FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES
Early morning rain wakes me from a fitful night, the pounding on the cabin roof replacing the usual sound of chirping birds.
It matches the throbbing in my head.
My mouth is cardboard, and a lingering bitterness from the red wine is cloying in the back of my throat. I'm not a big drinker, and a wave of nausea ripples in my stomach.
How many of those damn shots did we do last night?
I slide out of bed and open my window, inhaling the fresh scent of damp earth, which suggests the rain has only just started. I hold out my hand, and I savor the cold, wet drops.
After living on the streets for so long, I appreciate everything about living in this cabin in this forest.
Jack's jibe last night hit me hard. He called me a stray dog. A fucking stray dog.
I know that he sometimes struggles to hold his tongue. He's gotten into many bar fights by unleashing that tongue on the wrong man. Jack's fierce enough and strong enough to come out on top most of the time, and he's always regretful after. He's a good man and has been more like family to me than I could expect of a stranger. But knowing all that doesn't make it hurt any less.
I spent much of the night tossing and turning. Jack was on a mission to rile us all, and he did a damn good job.
The season is changing now, and winter is coming. But this is the season that I love the most, exploring the forest, taking a pencil to sketch or some paints to capture the colors as they fade into paler shades. The frost begins to add a glistening effect to the landscape.