Cold Highway: Ellie Kline Series: Book Four

by Stone, Mary

  “Yes, Mom. I’m okay.” Her breath shuddered, but she forced herself to inhale and exhale slowly as fear bubbled up and out of her pores. There was more she needed to say, and she was terrified of what her mother’s answer might be. What if she wasn’t welcome? Her heart raced in her chest, her throat constricting. Shaking her head, she straightened her spine, tossing the fear back. The worst Faith Parker could say was no, right? “Mom, can I come home, I—”

  “Yes!” The word burst over the line, followed by additional sobs that seemed to be mixed with joyous laughter from what Charity could tell. “Of course you can come home. I’ve waited for this moment since the day you left. And on your birthday!”

  Tears flowed unchecked down Charity’s face. The tension drained from her muscles, and she was suddenly exhausted as relief wove through every cell.

  Her family didn’t hate her.

  The realization brought fresh tears. “Thank you.” The soft-spoken words were all she could manage.

  “Where are you? We’ll come get you.”

  Charity blinked, turning to the back parking lot and the low chain-link fence that was only there to keep the desert critters out. Overcome with shame, her stomach twisted. She couldn’t let her parents see how she’d been living. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll find my way home.”

  Faith sucked in a breath. “Charity, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing. The important thing is that we get you home. I’ll buy a plane ticket if you need one. Or a bus ticket. Whatever you need. Or we can come get you. I promise, it’s not a big deal. I’m just so happy you called.”

  “Thank you, Mom, but I don’t want Hope to see this place. Things have been,” she paused and searched for a gentle explanation, “difficult.”

  “You’ll get no judgment from us.” Her mother’s voice was firm. “You did what you had to do, and none of that matters now, all right?”

  She nodded, laughing when she realized her mother couldn’t see her. “Yes.”

  “Let us help you, please.”

  “Um, okay.” Charity bit her lip, unsure of her next move, or how much time she had left on the pay phone. How much did she want her mother to know about the life she’d been living? “There’s a Greyhound bus station in El Centro, California. I can be there by tomorrow morning.”

  “California? You’re all the way out there by yourself?” Her mother’s voice wobbled before steadying. “Are you sure we can’t come get you?”

  “No, Mom.” She forced a smile, trying to sound upbeat instead of ashamed. “By the time you drive here, I could be home already, right? I just want to get home as quick as possible, and the bus station is close. I’ll call you when I get there.”

  “How will I get the ticket to you?”

  Charity giggled. Her mom had turned forty while Charity was away, and while Faith Parker probably still looked young, she had never been the best at technology. “Things have changed,” she explained, lips spreading in a wide smile. “You can book my ticket online, and I can check in with my ID at the station.”

  “There’s usually a confirmation number for something like that, right? How will I get it to you?”

  “I’ll call you from the station if they need it, but my driver’s license should work.” Charity dug in her pocket and pulled out her wallet, relieved that she still had her license and it hadn’t expired.

  An operator’s voice came on the line and announced that the time the quarters had bought her was about to run out.

  “All right, sweetie. I’m just so happy you called. I can’t wait until you’re home.”

  “Neither can I.” Charity swallowed past the lump in her throat, sniffing quietly so her mother wouldn’t know she was crying. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, Charity. I’ll see you soon.”

  Charity held on to the receiver long after she placed it in the cradle. She didn’t want to break the connection to her mother, even though Faith was probably already on the second floor of their four-bedroom house, taking stock of what she needed to do to get Charity’s room ready to welcome her home.

  “Did I hear you need a ride to El Centro?”

  Jumping, Charity gasped when the man spoke from behind her. She turned, ready to fight—she’d had to hold her own more than once before—but her frown quickly turned into a smile when she saw who it was. “Lucky. You about scared the life out of me.”

  He grinned and winked, tipping a ball cap featuring a four-leaf clover in greeting. Laugh lines crinkled around his eyes, but other than that sign, it was hard to tell how old he was. The girls all loved him. Not only was he cute, he was super nice. “Sorry to intrude, but I couldn’t help but overhear.”

  “I thought you were sleeping.” She waved a hand toward the trucks.

  Lucky smiled and removed his hat, running his fingers through thick chestnut hair. His eyes locked on some distant point, as if he was watching the highway for occasional headlights. When he caught her watching him, he placed his hat back on his head and stuck his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans.

  “I don’t sleep much these days. I’ve got more work than I can handle.” He nodded at his truck sitting at the diesel pumps. “I’m about to leave if you want a ride.”

  She stared at him, then quickly looked away. “It’s kind of late. I don’t want to sit in the bus station lobby all night.”

  Why was she even hesitating? She didn’t know. Maybe it felt too good to be true to have a nice guy offer her a ride, just as she needed. Unlike Lucky, Charity didn’t have that kind of luck.

  “You can get on the next bus, if it’s not full, long as you have a ticket.” He checked his watch, turning his arm so she could glimpse the clockface. “The last bus usually runs around one in the morning. That’d give us almost two hours to get there, and it’s only a thirty-minute drive.”

  She worried a rock with the toe of her shoe. “I don’t have a lot of money.”

  “You don’t have to pay me anything.” He shrugged one shoulder, giving her a one-sided grin. “Truth is, it broke my heart to hear you crying like that, and I’d move heaven and earth to see my mama again. May she rest in peace.”

  Charity’s heart about dropped out on the concrete, and her eyes began tearing up again. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thanks.” He turned his gaze back to the darkness, his jaw tensing. “You never know how long you have with the people you love.” He faced her again, his hazel eyes shimmering with memories of his loved ones. “I’m already heading that way, and it would be an honor to play a small part in getting you home to your family.”

  She hesitated, her gaze going to the truck with the four-leaf clover on the door. Normally, she would have jumped at the offer, but her friend had her spooked. Savannah, the girl she’d shared rides with for a couple years now, had called her parents to take her home after some girls had disappeared. Still, there was no actual way to know whether these women had disappeared or had simply moved on to another location, or changed their lives for the better. And Lucky was so friendly, so good-looking, how could he be responsible for anything so sinister?

  Lucky grinned. “Come on. It’s a cold highway out there. You’ll be company for me for a bit. We can talk about our mamas. Okay, and our sisters. You got a sister?”

  Charity searched his eyes—clear hazel, like a lake’s reflection. It was the mention of her sister, Hope, that finally had her nodding. She was suddenly desperate to get home to Hope and wrap her arms around her.

  “Okay.” She cleared her throat, smiling shyly. “I mean, thank you.”

  Lucky touched the brim of his hat, bowing slightly like a gentleman and holding a hand out toward his truck. “After you.”

  Charity picked her way over the uneven asphalt, going around to the passenger side of the truck and waiting for him to unlock the door. She nodded her thanks when he held it open for her, climbed up into the seat and buckled herself in.

  Lucky swung into the truck with ease,
but before he sat down, he leaned around his seat to the space behind hers. Charity braced herself, ready to jump out of the truck if he tried anything, but he straightened and held out a bottle of water.

  “Thank you.” She took the bottle, which was ice cold, and opened it, taking a quick drink to hide her chagrin. How had she missed the cooler bungeed against the passenger seat?

  Lucky took a swig of his own water, easing the truck into gear and out of the diner’s lot.

  Charity sat back and took a long pull of water, shifting against the soft leather seat until she found a comfortable spot. “This is a nice rig.”

  “I drive across the country every week.” She nodded, closing her eyes and leaning back with a sigh. He glanced over at her. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I think I’m just hot. I’m sweating from that phone call.” She tried to laugh, but nerves rattled under her skin. Should she have accepted the ride? She knew Lucky, but she didn’t really know him at all.

  Cold air-conditioning blasted her in the face as he turned a vent in her direction. “Is that better?”

  “A little.” She yawned, her eyes suddenly heavy. She was here, and there was nothing she could do about it now. “Do you mind if I close my eyes for a few minutes? I guess my day is catching up with me.”

  “Sure.”

  She let her eyelids flutter shut, listening to the hum of the road under the big rig’s tires until she sank into darkness.

  * * *

  The stillness woke her.

  Blinking, Charity groaned as she turned her head toward the truck cab’s window. They were parked, but the exterior was black with endless night. What little she could make out through blurry eyes was obviously not a bus station.

  Was it?

  It was hard to tell, she was so lightheaded, her thoughts scattered. What was wrong with her? The truck’s headlights weren’t on, the yellow parking lights doing little to illuminate the pitch-black. She frowned over at the figure in the driver’s seat. It was Lucky, just like her fuzzy mind remembered.

  If they were parked at the edge of the bus station lot, maybe she just couldn’t see the building. But wouldn’t it be lit up, despite the late hour?

  Charity sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to break free of the drowsiness that lingered. “Are we there yet? Why is it so dark? Are they closed?”

  “No!” he snapped then blew out a long breath. “No.” His voice was calmer now, quieter, but his body seemed to pulse with a strange vibration she didn’t understand. “We’re not at the bus station yet. Sorry. I gotta take a leak. The next service station is almost forty miles, and I can’t wait that long.” He flashed her a smile and winked, but the gestures seemed stiff, almost forced. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.”

  Slipping out the driver’s side door, he disappeared into the night.

  Charity rolled her shoulders and stretched, peering out the window, but they were too far away from the highway for her to get her bearings. It was so dark she couldn’t even see the highway. She tried to brush off the nerves that awoke in her stomach. Pitch-black wasn’t out of the ordinary in the desert. There were stretches of road so remote the radio couldn’t pick up a single station.

  Her eyes darted to the clock as tightness built in her own bladder. Daunted by the drive ahead and regretting drinking so much coffee and then half a bottle of water, she grabbed the handle and shoved the heavy door open. She couldn’t see a thing.

  Powering on her little prepaid cellphone, she used the screen to light the way. She might be out of minutes, but the device still had one use. She kept her eyes peeled for scorpions and headed in the opposite direction Lucky had gone. At least she hoped it was the opposite direction. That would be embarrassing.

  A centipede the size of her index finger skittered out of her path, weaving between rocks that stabbed the thin soles of her shoes with every step. She was about to turn around when she spotted a waist-high scrub brush that was perfect. It was right in the middle of a wide ditch.

  She jumped as lightning flashed across the sky, quickly followed by a crack of thunder. That wasn’t good. Peering into the sky, she realized exactly why it was so dark. The moon and stars were covered with a thick band of clouds.

  Blowing out an exasperated sigh, she tilted her phone until the screen illuminated the area around the bush. She needed to hurry, but the bush was much taller than she’d initially thought, growing in the lowest part of a dry wash.

  Hastened by the discomfort of a full bladder, she leaned her weight back and took every step with care, trying not to slip going down the short incline. The bush was the only place she was going to find with any sort of cover, and she couldn’t hold it much longer. Besides, there was a semi between her and Lucky, and if she turned her phone off, the desert was so dark he wouldn’t be able to see her standing ten feet away.

  Lightning flashed again, and she scowled. Well, he might see her for a second.

  It’s fine. Lucky is a gentleman.

  At the bottom of the gully, she awkwardly fumbled with her belt as she held her phone in one hand. Pushing her pants down her thighs, she froze at the sound of a stick breaking. Then another. And one more.

  The sky lit up, revealing the silhouette of a man. Fear shot through her as quickly as the lightning shot through the sky.

  “Luck—?”

  Pain so bright it was like a camera flash exploded behind her eyes, and before she even realized she was falling, she was on her hands and knees. Sharp rocks cut into the flesh of her palms and through her thin jeans as she hit the ground.

  Had she been struck by lightning?

  Had an animal attacked her from behind?

  No.

  Yes.

  As the night flashed into day for another moment, the animal raised the rock again. “Too dirty,” he growled, and she remembered the werewolf movies she used to watch when she was younger.

  Pain ricocheted through her again, and her phone slipped from her hand, the screen creating a small rectangle of light that held her focus.

  It was better that way.

  Better not to see whatever came next. She wished she had the ability not to feel.

  The werewolf held a large rock over his head as it roared, “Too late to go back now.”

  Charity didn’t understand the words fully, but she fully understood the horrific pain stabbing through her neck, coupled with the thud of the rock connecting with her body, over and over.

  Pain. Violent. Punishing.

  Then strangely painless.

  Her eyes rolled toward the dark sky, her only thought of her family, who had welcomed her return after everything she’d done. Her mother would be devastated.

  “Hate you!” the werewolf growled, his voice rising with the words. The rock came down one last time before the beast tossed it to the side.

  Charity tried to speak, but what escaped her lips was little more than a gurgle. Coughing, she choked on her own blood as the hot liquid bubbled into her throat. Turned on her side, the blood spilled onto the sand, which was strangely cold against her cheek.

  A roll of thunder rumbled so deep it vibrated through the ground and into her skull. She couldn’t feel her fingers. She couldn’t move. Oh god.

  Mommy! Come get me.

  The werewolf swore, then disappeared from her line of vision as the raindrop plopped onto her forehead. She blinked as fist-sized rocks tumbled down the incline in his wake, bouncing off her head.

  A high-pitched keening noise rose from deep in her chest. He’s leaving me! The last thing she wanted was for the monster to return, but if he didn’t, that meant she had no hope. She would die here, alone.

  Raindrops fell from the sky, pelting her like icy pokers. She blinked as they splattered against her cheeks, mingling with the hot flow of tears and snot streaming down her face.

  In the distance, the diesel engine roared to life and was shifted into gear. Lucky. She tried to say his name, but blood made the sound only a gur
gle. As Lucky drove off, the drops of rain turned into a downpour.

  Ice-cold water pooled in the ditch beneath her, so cold it turned her blood to ice.

  Now I lay me down to sleep…

  The water was rising so fast, it was up to her cheek before she could finish the first line of the prayer her mama taught her as a child.

  I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep.

  In a matter of minutes, her left eye was submerged first, stinging as debris scraped over her cornea.

  If I should die before I wake…

  Whimpering, she willed her body to move, but even her mouth wouldn’t obey her commands. Unable to close her lips, water seeped into her mouth, choking her. She coughed reflexively, but the water rose.

  I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take.

  Lightning split the sky, the rumble of thunder muffled as her head slipped beneath the surface. She tried to hold her breath. Tried one more time to pull herself out of the ditch.

  But she could do neither.

  If I should live for other days…

  An eerie calm swept over her, an acceptance that there was nothing she could do to save herself.

  I pray thee, Lord, to guide my ways.

  Resigned to her fate, fully submerged underwater, Charity took her last breath, unable to stop her lungs from filling with water. Glad she wouldn’t be alive to witness her mother’s pain.

  Amen.

  2

  Present Day…

  Lucky upshifted his semi, glancing in the sideview mirror at the broken-down red Nissan Altima as it grew smaller and finally disappeared. Hood and trunk up in the universal sign of a motorist in need of assistance, if he hadn’t been as lucky as his name, it would have been only a matter of time before someone else had stopped to help the beautiful brunette with the deep blue eyes.

  “Where are you going?” she had asked after hopping into his rig.