Head Start (Cedar Tree #7)

by Freya Barker

  Before I know it, I’m planted on a stool at the counter and Neil is leaning in to me. “I will find her,” he says through gritted teeth.

  “Please,” I whimper, not able to stop the tears from rolling.

  “I will fucking find her,” he repeats before turning to Seb and pointing a finger at him. “With your life,” he snarls.

  “You’ve got it, brother,” Seb calmly says as Arlene wraps her arms around me and we watch the two of them sprint outside. A second later, they tear out of the parking lot, tires squealing.

  I’m not one to pray, but I’m praying now.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Neil

  “Gus is on his way. He’s calling Gomez,” Mal says as we peel away from the diner.

  He’s driving, so I have my hands free to make a call of my own and save some time.

  “Drew,” I say when he answers his phone. “Where the fuck is your detail on Kendra’s house?”

  “What do you mean? I put my best guy on it. I don’t make mistakes twice,” he says defensively.

  “That right? Well just so you fucking know, Kendra just listened to her sister being attacked on her own fucking doorstep. Where was your best guy then, huh?”

  “Fuck! Hang on,” he shouts, and I can hear him put a call out on his radio. “No fucking response,” he says when he gets back on the line. “I’m on my way.”

  The line goes dead just as a loud explosion rattles the car. Jesus Christ. “Hustle!” I yell at Mal, who’s already flooring it.

  “On it,” is his gritted response.

  The moment we round the corner onto Kendra’s street, chaos hits us. Debris litters the street and people are running out of their houses, panicked and scared. We ditch the car and start hoofing it only vaguely registering the patrol car parked halfway down the street. The front of what was once Kendra’s house is a jagged pile of rubble. The front porch and most of the front of the house is gone. The only recognizable feature is the stairway going up toward the bedrooms. I don’t think, I run up the drive, avoiding large chunks of the house, and start pulling on debris where I think the front door might have been. Although with the blast, anyone standing there would’ve been blown to pieces. Jesus. The scene is eerily familiar to ones from a time in my life I have no wish to revisit, but I can’t stop the shaking that takes over my body. Nevertheless, I forge on, surprised to find Gus coming up beside me, helping to pull the rubble out of the way.

  “Is she under here?” he questions as he helps me pull a large chunk of roof out of the way.

  “I don’t know, man, I don’t know.”

  We don’t stop working, not when Joe, Mal and some of the neighbors join us on either side. After what feels like hours, but was likely only minutes, we finally hear sirens in the distance. Gus steps back. “Fire and rescue are here, boys. Let them do their job.” His voice sounds as dejected as I feel, and from the look on the other guys’ faces, they are no more optimistic. Either he has her, or she was killed in the explosion, and I don’t know which would be the better outcome for her.

  Kendra. I know the phone ringing in my pocket is her, or possibly Seb. They surely heard the explosion. What do I tell her? Leaving Gus to explain things to the first responders, I walk away to find a quieter spot to take the call. The diner’s number shows up on the screen.

  “Seb?” I’m guessing.

  “He’s okay,” I hear him shout out. “Brother. We’ve been going nuts here since that explosion. Good to hear your voice.” His relief is evident. Then he continues on an almost whisper. “Don’t know what happened, but we’ve had to almost physically restrain your girl from flying out the door. Better talk to her.”

  “Put her on.”

  There’s the sound of movement and some rustling before I hear her panicked voice. “Neil? Oh God. What was that? Are you hurt? Did you find Karly? Where are you?”

  The barrage of questions pierces my chest. I don’t want to do this over the phone. “Pup.” I get her attention in as calm a tone as I can manage. “I haven’t found your sister yet, and I didn’t get hurt, but there’s some damage to your house.” That’s got to be the understatement of the century, but first concern is Karly.

  “The explosion? It was an explosion we heard, right? I’m coming right now.” The thought of her leaving the relative safety of the diner when we have no fucking clue what’s going on has my hair stand on end.

  “No. Baby, listen to me; this is the last place you should be, there is confusion, panic, people from the area milling about. It’s not safe. Please stay where you are,” I plead with her.

  “But Karly—“

  “Listen to me. That’s exactly why you should stay there. We have to focus on finding your sister and the best way to help us do that is to stay safe.” It breaks my heart hearing her cry on the other end of the line.

  “Please tell me she wasn’t in the house...”

  She’s killing me. I have to swallow down hard before I can reply. “Kendra, baby, we’ve looked, but nothing we found indicates she was there. We’ll keep looking, I promise. Now can you put Seb back on the line?”

  “Okay...”

  “Love you, Pup.”

  “Yeah...” I don’t know if she heard me because next thing I know Seb’s on the line. I don’t know if it was the right thing to say, but I needed to say it.

  “...is about empty.”

  I just pick up the last of what Seb said so I ask him to repeat.

  “I said, after the explosion, most of the crowd ran outside and the place is about empty. I’m keeping the girls close to me in the kitchen.”

  “Sounds good. I better go,” I tell him, as I watch Kendra’s neighbor, the white-haired nosey neighbor, wave to me from her front yard. Ending the call, I walk across the street.

  “I saw him,” she says when I’m near her. “Didn’t have the same car, though. That’s why it took me a while, but I know it was him. Tossed that girl in the back of the truck and took off. I was just about to call for help when the house blew up.”

  “Did you get the make and color of the truck?” I snap impatiently, earning me a huff.

  “Well now, it looked like it might be an older one, beige looking. But it could’ve just been dirty white. I don’t know much about brands. They’re all big noise makers to me. But I did notice a trailer hitch when I was memorizing the license plate.” I could rattle the old woman when she smirks at me.

  “You have the number?”

  “Yes, that’s what I was trying to tell you. Reason I was taking a moment before calling 911 was because I wanted to make sure”—she shows me a piece of paper before continuing—“I wrote down the number before I for—Hey!” she yells after me as I snatch the paper from her hand and take off, running to where my team is standing.

  “He’s got at least a fifteen-minute head start,” I call out when I get close. “Older truck, no known make, beige or white in color. I’ve got the plate.” Gus takes the paper from my hand and starts dialing, just as Damian and Luna jog up from down the street.

  “Hey, you know you’ve got an unconscious cop in that patrol car back there?” he says rather casually. I’d forgotten about the patrol car. “He’s breathing, just has a sizable gash on his head. Fire department’s EMT is looking him over now.” His eyes focus on Gus. “What’ve we got?”

  Gus calmly explains the sequence of events before handing over the scribbled license plate number. Damian immediately passes it off to Luna, who steps away with her phone in hand.

  “Assuming he has Karly, they’ve got about a twenty-minute lead, at least, by now,” I point out impatiently. An eerily familiar feeling of doom weighs heavy on my heart and I force myself to focus. Mal shoots me an understanding glance. The all too observant bastard probably noticed the lingering tremors in my hands. I tuck them deep into my pockets, away from prying eyes before turning my attention back to Damian.

  “We alerted the state patrol. They’re setting up roadblocks north and south of Cortez on t
he 491 at the junction with the 160. Another one...” I walk away as my phone starts to vibrate in my pocket and don’t hear the last bit. A quick glance shows me the diner’s number again.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s Kendra,” I hear Arlene’s voice. “Seb’s taken off after her.”

  “What happened?” I quickly walk back to the huddle, set the call to speakerphone and hold up my hand to silence everyone.

  “I don’t know. She was upset after talking to you and went to the restrooms. I followed her in, but she said she wanted to be alone, so I left her. Next thing I know, I’m cleaning off tables, look outside and see her running across the parking lot. I yelled for Seb who took off after her. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear a thing.”

  No. My heart is pounding so hard, I swear it’s going to explode in my chest. Gus is the first one to speak up as he takes the phone from my shaking hand and starts talking to Arlene. “You stay right there, girl. Any patrons left?”

  “Julie’s still here and just two booths. The rest are gone.” If I wasn’t numbed with fear, I’d probably be shocked to hear Arlene crying. It’s not something you see every day.

  “Buck up, Arlene. I need you to lock the doors. Explain to whoever is there that there’s a massive manhunt underway outside and that they should stay put until law enforcement clears you. They give you trouble, let me know right away. We can’t have them get in the way. Help is coming, honey. Hang tough.” He ends the call and immediately starts dialing again.

  “Caleb, I need you at the diner ASAP. Make sure Katie locks up tight behind you. We’ve got a serious situation here.”

  The diner. Without thinking, my feet start moving in that general direction, no thought other than the need to get Kendra on my mind. A firm hand on my shoulder pulls me to a stop.

  “Stop. Think.” Gus’s voice barely penetrates, but it seems to be stuck on repeat in my head as I accept my phone back. Mal steps up on the other side of me. I hear more sirens approaching and detachedly watch as Drew’s duty vehicle pulls in behind the fire truck. Not in any shape to deal with him, I turn my back and face my teammates.

  “What?” I force out through my tightly held control.

  “Let Mal take you to the diner. We’re setting up shop there. Grab your computer, get Jasper on the line. Let me sort things out here and I’ll bring the feds over there. Anything happens on either end—notify immediately. Got it?” I nod once. “I’ll text you the license plate number in a minute. You know what to do.”

  Mal claps his hand and on my shoulder and steers me to his car. The moment I sit down, my phone buzzes in my pocket again and I scramble to fish it out. A message reminder. I must’ve missed it earlier. It’s from Kendra’s phone.

  My finger hovers over the screen hesitantly for a minute before sliding it across, and my breath hitches in my throat.

  Kendra: Sorry xox

  Kendra

  “Please, just give me a minute,” I plead with Arlene as she follows me into the bathroom.

  “I’m right out here if you need me,” she says as she pulls the door shut behind her.

  I pull my phone out of my pocket, sit on the toilet seat and check the message again that had just come in while Arlene was cashing someone out. I’d been so eager when I saw it was from Karly...until I saw the message. I need to think.

  -

  Karly: 5 minutes. SW corner parking lot. Crossroad. Hide in brush. White F150 westbound.

  Get in back, cover with tarp. ALONE or first cut will be your sister’s face.

  -

  The second time reading it has more impact than the first, and I have a hard time getting my head around the instructions—my entire focus is on his last line. Karly. My wild, crazy, bighearted little sister. I drop my head between my knees when the room starts fading out. I can’t pass out now. Making sure I breathe in and out in a deep, steady rhythm, the panic slowly eases. Then another alert sounds on my phone, and this time, it’s an image of my sister, curled up under the dashboard on the floorboard of a truck. Her eyes are closed, and I gasp when I see a trickle of blood at her hairline.

  I have to get out of here. Looking up at the tiny window, I dismiss it outright. Even if I could get my ass up there, I would run the risk of getting stuck. No. Out the front door, it’ll have to be. I tuck my phone in my pocket with the sound turned off, after typing out a quick message to Neil. I don’t want to give up my only connection with him. Then I get up, pull on the door, which thank God, doesn’t make any noise and peek out. Arlene is wiping down tables, and there are only two booths full at the back. I can’t see Seb or the other waitress. I wait until I see Arlene turn her back to me completely when she turns her attention to the next table against the far window.

  Now, now, now. I slip through the door and move as fast and as quiet as I can toward the front where I push the door open and start running. Thank God my legs are in decent shape. If only I can get to the shelter of the trees here before someone...

  “KENDRA!”

  I hear Seb yelling just as I break through the tree line and head onto the road. I hope he hasn’t seen me. With no traffic coming, I fly across to the other side and duck down behind some bushes. I can still hear Seb calling my name. Then I hear an engine start and within seconds, Seb’s truck pulls onto the road. And stops.

  I hold my breath waiting to see which way he’ll turn and let it all out when I see him swinging right. Toward town.

  Only moments later, I can see a dirty, old, light-colored pick-up truck coming from the direction Seb just disappeared in. My body seizes up in fear and I squeeze my eyes shut.

  Oh God, Karly, I don’t know if I can.

  The crunch of tires on the gravel shoulder is loud in my ears. I take in a few deep breaths and look up. Even though I’m still ducked down, the figure in the cab of the truck seems to be looking straight at me. His body is shadowed, but then he leans toward the passenger side and slowly extends his arm through the open window, crooking his finger at me torturously slow before cocking his thumb to the truck bed.

  Even at this distance I can clearly hear his voice. “Get under the tarp.”

  Karly is in there with him.

  I’m instantly on my feet and run toward the back of the truck, climb in the bed and pull the bright blue tarp over myself, exactly as he said. I can feel the truck pulling away just as there’s the sound of another car passing toward town. We are driving the opposite way, and I’m scared. There’s little that way... A few places here and there along the county road but no towns, no city limits. No safety. Just the Ute reservation on one side and the Canyons of the Ancients on the other, with the Utah border looming beyond.

  My hands restlessly explore the surface I’m lying on while trying to force my mind away from the panicked paralysis it wants to give in to. I will myself to breathe deeply through the nauseatingly sweet smell of rot and decay under the tarp. Don’t think about what was under here before. I brush against something sharp, and I tentatively explore it with my fingertips. A sliver of wood, about the size of my palm. With shaking fingers I manage to slip it up the sleeve of my shirt and thank God for not wearing one of my regular T-shirts or tanks today. Not sure what I can accomplish with it, but feeling the rough texture against the inside of my forearm gives me a sense of control. It’s better than nothing. Still, my hands keep roaming the surface, but unfortunately, there’s nothing else but dirt.

  The temptation to pull my phone out and call Neil is almost unbearable, but I know if I do, I will be putting Karly in danger. I need to get her safe first.

  I can feel the surface we are driving on changing as the truck makes a left turn. Where before it was a relatively smooth ride, I’m now being bounced around in the back. A dirt road more than likely, or a trail. I can’t be sure and I’m too afraid to move, so I just brace myself the best I can. When the truck finally slows down, my breathing becomes erratic again as panic grabs hold of me. A door slams and I hear the dull thud of footsteps coming around the truck.
My fingers close protectively around the sleeve of my shirt, feeling the outline of the wood. I scream when a hand closes around my ankle and yanks me clear from the back of the truck. Landing hard on the packed ground, I get the air knocked out of me. The instant I manage to suck in a breath, I start scrambling backward to get away from the large man looming over me. A large boot comes down on my ankle, pinning me down, and slowly he leans his weight on it. I scream when the pain becomes excruciating, but it only brings a smile to his face. Grinning, he lifts all the weight off his other foot and the sound of a loud snap breaks my bones. The contents of my stomach spew out of my screaming mouth.

  My world fades into gray and just as I’m about to give in, I hear someone yell.

  “Stop! Stop it! Let her go!” My sister comes hobbling around the side of the truck, with what looks to be a flashlight in her hands, waving it around. The man chuckles as he lifts his foot off my ankle, causing a fresh surge of pain. Barely able to focus on the figure of my sister, I try to warn her away.

  “Go...” My voice is barely audible. “Go...run!” I try again, this time a little louder. Harsh hands yank me off the ground and on my feet. But the pressure on my ankle has me scream out in pain. A large arm folds around my neck in a chokehold and his laugh in my ear sounds almost maniacal. With my air supply nearly cut off, I force myself to focus on Karly, who is swaying from side to side in front of us. Her eyes are wild, almost disoriented. “Karly,” I try, my voice now faint and hoarse. Still, she hears me and locks her eyes with mine. “Run,” I mouth and simultaneously I twist in his hold, swinging my arm at his head and feel the wood sliver I slipped into my hand sink deep.

  His hands cover his face as he howls in pain. Now free, I turn to run but my ankle collapses under my weight and drops me to the ground.

  This time the pain is too much, and the last thing I see before my world turns dark is my sister running into the trees.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Neil

  “Anything?” I ask Arlene, who’s standing just inside the diner’s front door.