by Zoey Parker
When Ellie pulled up and saw us waiting for her in the parking lot, she started crying again. Did she think she was actually going to be alone for this ordeal? Damn. She probably did. The woman didn’t yet know who we were.
It was the old ladies who had been hanging with her at the house who sounded the alarm about the phone call with McAfee. They had been listening to Ellie’s part, and put together easily enough what directions the psycho gave my wife. They called me first, then their men, and we were off. The system did exactly what it was supposed to.
She climbed down from the truck and came straight into my arms.
“Shh, it’s okay, baby. We’re gonna do this. We get Peter back today. Yeah? We got this, Ellie. This ends today.” She nodded, mopped up her eyes on my sweaty tee, and lifted her blotchy face to me.
“I didn’t expect…”
“You gotta trust us, babe. We will have your back. He said Echo Canyon Trail, right? Okay. Look at this. That trail is way over there, on the east side, so we’re not near the trailhead now. I’ll take you there on the bike, we’ll all be heading over there. The guys who aren’t here yet are gonna be coming in from where we are now, so in case he manages to run and tries to get out this way, he’ll run into them. But all the guys here now, we come with you, and then we’ll follow behind you on the trail. Once you meet up with McAfee, and he takes you to his camp, you gotta trust that we are on your tail, we will take that motherfucker out, and we are going to get both you and Peter out. Alive and well. You with me?”
Relief flooded her face, and more tears—but thank Christ, this time, no sobs—and she nodded her head with more determination. She was strong. It did my heart good to see it.
We hooked her up with a CamelBak filled with a double supply of water and a bunch of trail bars and a few small bags of cheese puff snacks—they were the easiest breadcrumb variation to follow. Then we all were back on the bikes and headed around the park to the campsite closest to the trailhead.
We staggered parking along the off-road track in order to hide the roar of the engines should McAfee have had an ear tuned for us.
Once off the bike, I took Ellie’s hand and intertwined our fingers, leading her to the trailhead. There, I turned her to face me, and took her other hand as well. I needed her to listen to me, to concentrate, and get all of my instructions down. She was new to Arizona, and there was a lot she needed to be aware of.
“You getting an idea of this park, Ellie? It’s completely crazy, the whole thing, and it gets worse the further you go in. It’s a confusing madhouse.
“So you stay on the trail until Brian finds you. Do not take even one step off of it. When McAfee meets up with you, I’m pretty sure you’ll go off-trail quick. Drop those cheese puffs immediately, right there, and keep dropping as much as you can, every few feet.
“If this is where he’s been hiding out for months, he’ll know his way around. He won’t like seeing you drop a trail, Ellie. Do it on the sly. You got plenty of packs in there, use them.
“We will be right behind you. Know that. But you won’t see us. You have to trust me, trust all of us, to have your back. Okay, baby?”
Her eyes were wide with fear and worry, but she nodded and swallowed.
“Also, you gotta drink lots of water. Keep drinking. This sun will kill. We don’t know how long this is gonna take, right? So keep drinking, eat your bars, drop the puffs.
“Let us worry about McAfee, once he finds you. Doubtful he’s gonna have Peter with him when he does—more likely, he’s gonna have camp set up somewhere. You just make him take you there. It’s what he wants to do, anyway. Let him. Try not to let him touch you, though. Makes me crazy to think of his hands on you.
“But the main thing is, you get to Peter, first. We’re packing—all of us. Even you. I put a small handgun in your pack, tucked in between the water reservoirs and your back, you see? It’s locked and loaded. Here, let me show you.”
I slipped it out and showed her how to unlock, and lock, and unlock, and lock it again.
“You only use this if you really have to, El. I hope to God you don’t need to, but I wouldn’t feel right sending you out there without it. You got it if you need it.
“But remember: it’s not on you to take him down. Let us do that. You just get to the baby, do what you need to, to take care of him. We’re gonna be minutes, at most, right behind you. We got this, El.”
She nodded, and I wrapped my arms around her, my head bowed down to face-plant in her hair, breathing her in. We stayed there for long moments. I think she was gathering her courage, while I was willing her strength and comfort and determination.
I hated sending her out there, alone, to meet the fuck-wad who had stolen her baby and continually fucked with her peace of mind. I’d had enough. This ended today. On that point, I was fucking determined. McAfee was done. It was just a matter of minutes now.
But as much as I hated the circumstances today, I was aware that a part of me was thriving like it hadn’t done in weeks. I loved that she was seeking me out for comfort, and that she was putting her trust in me. I felt good about us again, and I knew I would always do everything in my power to make sure she was protected and safe.
She was mine. Peter was mine. No matter what any agreement was, no matter whether we were married or not.
I had got my woman back, and despite the unknown that was on our immediate horizon in this park, I felt better and stronger and more sure than ever. We were gonna be good. I knew it.
I tightened my hold on her briefly, kissed the top of her head, and whispered, “You ready?”
She backed up, put her hands on my ribs and pushed me away, then tipped her head up to look me straight in the eye. With great determination, she spoke, low but strong. “Yes. I’m ready.”
Damn. She was fierce. I nodded, and went for her hand again, to give her one more minute of my support and strength—
And she pulled away. She wouldn’t look at me anymore. Obviously, she didn’t want to touch me anymore.
That fucking hurt.
But she needed to do what she needed to do, and I got that. I didn’t like it, but I understood it.
And I respected her for it.
She wasn’t hesitating now. She strode straight over to the trailhead, dug into her bag for the first pack of cheese puffs, pulled it open, and began her journey into the twisted rock formations.
My heart clenched for a moment, and then I got a grip. I had a job to do, and it was time to do it.
I grabbed up my own backpack of water reservoirs and snacks, checked that my holstered guns were strapped and fully loaded, signaled to my brothers that we were moving, and followed her two minutes later.
It was go-time.
Chapter 22
Ellie
When I walked away from Jack and entered the trailhead, I felt like I had finally gotten a firm grip on my priorities.
Jack was not one of them.
I needed to focus solely on Peter.
Relying on Jack, leaning on him, was disastrous for me personally. I had finally figured that out. I was in this alone. All I had was Peter, and once I got him back, Peter would be my lodestone.
Not that I wasn’t grateful and super-appreciative of all the help and support and generosity of Jack and all of the Iron Bandits, including the old ladies. They were awesome to me, and to Peter, and I felt way better about entering this trailhead knowing they had my back, and had a plan for taking down the psycho. My newest determination to keep independent of Jack really had nothing to do with today’s activities, which considered alone, might have made me come to a completely opposite realization.
But I also knew that once today was over, I needed to be Jack-free. I needed to focus on building a life as a single mom for my sweet son, because I was utterly determined that I would get him back. Within minutes, hopefully, or hours, at most, I prayed to God.
Oh, I knew what Jack said, what he had meant when he told me that the MC would all have m
y back. That was the way they functioned, and since Keith had been among their members, I also understood that they would always be there for me and Peter, should we ever need them like this in the future—good God, but I hoped not. Once was plenty, thank you very much. More than enough.
But leaning too much on Jack, focusing too much on Jack, made me lose track of my baby. My mind had been on Jack, not on Peter, when Brian had entered the house and stolen my son. I had forgotten to turn the alarm back on after a quick run to the grocery store yesterday morning, as well. It was a series of unfortunate events, really. But every time my mind wandered to all things Jack-related, it was like I got lost in a fog.
And that was unsafe for Peter. I needed to cut that crap out of my life. It made me a bad mother. And that was unacceptable.
So, Jack had to go. Regardless of how great he was being today. That hug he gave me just before I started out on the trail, to me was like a send-off. I chose to take it that way. I knew that’s not exactly what he was probably thinking about, but it’s where I needed to go with it. So when I pulled away, I was ready. For Brian. For Peter. For whatever came next.
I was going to get my son back. And then, I was going to be Super Mom.
I was going to kick ass, starting immediately.
# # #
I followed the twisty-turny trail, in awe of my surroundings. The living rock formations were like something out of a Hollywood movie set for Planet Freak Out. They were huge boulder-like things, but also like columns, rising in bunches and dotting the land everywhere I could see.
The trail made no obvious linear sense, and I almost got dizzy as I followed the path.
Just being on the trail alone was a scary thing. I felt vulnerable. It took an effort not to look behind me, like Orpheus, in search of a chance sighting of Jack or any of the MC guys.
But I remembered my determination, stiffened my spine, and plunged onward. I could do this, and I would. Peter was out there, and he needed me. That was all that mattered.
I walked onward for what felt like forever, but what was probably closer to a half-hour, maybe forty minutes. The landscape had opened up enough for me to see that I was generally following along the bottom of a canyon, with walls rising up to be topped off by more of those amazing, intimidating rock columns. If Brian had wanted to choose a campgrounds that would give him an advantage over a person less familiar with outdoor survival—like myself—he could hardly have made a better choice. Had I not known that the MC was at my back, I would have been entirely freaked out by now.
The trail took another curve, and the vista narrowed again. It was beautiful, but also somewhat suffocating. I stopped for a moment in some shade to dig out a trail bar and sip some water, when I heard something rustle ahead.
Finally. Brian appeared, complete with camo paint on his face. What a fucking freak.
But then again, I thought, the saying was true. Just because a person might be paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not out to get him. There was a whole pack of people out to get Brian today.
Before he got very close, I pretended to jostle myself awkwardly, adjusting my backpack, in order to dump some of the cheese puffs on the ground, to mark the meeting spot.
Brian noticed, but didn’t realize the significance. He smirked.
“Where’s my baby?” I wasn’t going to waste time. He knew I was here for one purpose, so there was no point in making small talk.
“Safe enough. God, but you are a sight for sore eyes, Ellie. You look beautiful.” He was really cracked.
“Bring me to my baby, you psychopath.” I was not going to play nice. I saw no benefit in playing games with this man.
“Just let me hold you for a minute, Ellie. We’ve been waiting for so long.”
Whaaat? Um, no.
“Brian, please. I really need to feed him. Just get me to my baby, let me feed him, then we can catch up.” I hoped that would put him off, and get me what I needed, without more delay. Clearly, he was delusional. I’d have to play his game, from the looks of it. But I would play it my way.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. That kid cries so much, Elsabeth.”—I flinched at the made-up nickname.—“ I don’t know how you stand it. I almost went out of my mind last night, couldn’t sleep, he was crying so hard, all night long, felt like.”
I felt the blood flood my head, and my vision nearly went red. My ears pounded with my heartbeat. I hated this man with every fiber of my being.
“Let’s go, Brian.”
He tried to take my hand, but I pulled it away, and indicated he needed to go ahead of me, to lead the way. He looked dejected for a moment, furrowed his brow, and muttered, “So difficult. Why do you have to be so difficult?” But he did as I bade, and we finally began moving.
It was easy, with him in front, for me to leave the trail of cheese puffs. So that part of the plan was working out well. I hadn’t heard so much as a rustle of dead bush or leaf or the pop of dried twigs coming from behind me. Either Jack and the guys were way far behind us, or they were stealth-maneuver masters.
After a few minutes on the trail, Brian took us off-trail at a sharp angle around a short but deadly-looking cactus. I dumped the whole rest of my bag there in an arc; Brian didn’t turn around to notice. I couldn’t believe my luck. The guy was way less with it than I had imagined—and I hadn’t been giving him much credit for greatness, before.
I quickly plucked another bag of puffs out of my pack and opened it, popping one in my mouth when Brian turned to check that I had followed his curve.
“Mm. I love cheese puffs.” And he back-tracked to me and opened his mouth, like a baby bird for me to feed. Ew.
“Here, take the bag if you want some, Brian. I want my own bag.” I was not going to hand-feed this psycho.
“Thanks, darlin’. You do know how to take care of me, don’t you? It’s part of why I love you so much. You’re the best.” And he smiled at me.
I did my best to smile back, but it was so extremely fake that I felt it must more resemble a grimace than a smile. He failed to notice the difference, took the bag, and raised my extended hand to his mouth to kiss. I pulled it away before he got there, and pretended like I had an itch on my arm. He watched me for a moment, and seemed to get lost in thought.
“Brian! Come on. Let’s go. I really need to get to Peter. Like, now. How much farther do we need to go?”
“Not much, darlin’. Just a few minutes away.”
Well. A few turned into probably twenty-five, but who was counting?
All the while, I was thinking about what I might do, myself, to get Peter and myself away from Brian without the help of the MC guys. After all, I had heard nothing the whole way along, and was beginning to wonder if they were really out there behind me or not. Better that I sort out a plan for myself, just in case. If they did happen to show up and do something, great. But I was not going to be up shit creek without a paddle. I had brains, and I would use them.
Even so, I kept it up with the cheese puffs—no point in not using a tool when one is given. Even if the MC guys gave up and turned around, I would need the trail to get Peter and myself out of here.
Eventually, we finally got close. I knew it when I heard the very unhappy, weak wails of my son from somewhere in a close vicinity, hidden from my sight by an outcropping of those damned rocks.
I started running toward the sound, having to trail around the formations as I went, and making several wrong choices along the way. This I knew from the deranged laughter of the psychopath behind me, but I didn’t let it slow me down. I knew I was close—I just kept moving toward the soft wails as best I could, trailing those freaking cheese puffs the whole way along in a steady stream from the now-down-tipped bag.
But finally—finally—I saw the site. Brian had a grey camo tent set up, a firepit built, and two camping recliner chairs set up. He had a cooler outside, a blanket spread out, and a dry-line hung for laundry. How long had he been here?
…Never mind. The thou
ght had occurred, but I didn’t care about the answer. All that mattered was Peter, who I still did not see. I figured he had to be inside the tent, and as I approached it, I found this to be true.
Without looking behind me, I dove in without grace, but carefully enough so I wouldn’t trip over my baby if he was right there at the entrance flap.
He wasn’t. He was tucked up in a bunch of blankets, on his back, wedged in so he couldn’t go anywhere.
Well. At least Brian had had enough sense to secure him in one place, so he couldn’t roll around and hurt himself. That was something.
