CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE #2
The snap of the bone popping back into place makes my stomach churn. I bite down hard to keep it together, swallowing the bile rising in my throat.
After what feels like an eternity, but is probably only seconds, James’s scream falls silent. His fingers finally go slack, and all the tension in his body melts away.
“You’re okay,” I say.
I kneel beside him and brush the soaked hair off his forehead.
“You’re okay,” I repeat.
He draws in a few shaky breaths, then looks at me.
I match his pace, breathing with him. Not sure if I’m trying to calm him down or me.
“You’re okay,” I whisper one more time.
His eyes stay on mine for a while, then slowly start to close, his lids heavy and tired.
Next thing I know, he’s out again.
◆◆◆
I stare down at my boots, still soaked through.
Funny how something so small can send you spiraling into your own head.
Sometimes I miss the little things about the ranch.
The way the sunrise used to creep over the mountains, painting everything gold.
The smell of fresh milk in the morning. The sound of horses galloping across the fields.
And Dad… I miss him the most.
His voice pops into my head at the weirdest times. I guess that’s his way of sticking around, even now.
“Sarah, don’t forget to pull the bread out before it burns”—which, let’s be real, I forgot every single time. Or “Sarah, don’t feed the horses before noon”—which, okay, I actually managed to get right most of the time.
I still remember one sunny afternoon when I was seven, sitting on the couch next to him as he flipped through this big old book filled with pictures of elevators. Yeah, elevators. He loved that thing for some reason.
“These can take you as high as you wish,” Dad said, flipping through the pages.
“To heaven?” I asked, leaning in close to study the pictures.
Dad chuckled, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Not quite to the sky, but they’ll get you to the roof.”
“I love being on the roof!” I blurted out, smiling.
His smile widened as if he’d been waiting for me to say that.
“I know you do. My little butterfly wants to fly, doesn’t she?” Dad said, tickling me. I laughed, my braids flying everywhere as I squirmed.
“Dad, when can I go see the cities with you?”
He got real quiet, resting his hand on my head. “The world out there’s dangerous, Sarah. You can only go when you’re ready.”
I frowned up at him. “But how will I know when I’m ready?”
“The world will come find you, Sarah.”
My dad was right. The world found me. I just didn’t expect to find this.
A big hand slides over mine, pulling me back from my memories.
“Sarah.”
I look down at James and find his eyes open. He must’ve just come to.
He’s still stretched out on that tiny, beat-up couch, legs dangling over one of the armrests because, of course, it’s way too small for someone his size, and his head’s resting in my lap now.
Michael wrapped his shoulder and arm with strips of an old T-shirt to keep it steady while it heals. It’s not pretty, but it does the job.
“You…” James starts, his brows knitting the way they always do when he’s annoyed or pissed. “You risked your life for me. Haven’t I told you before? Never risk your life for me.”
I roll my eyes. “You sound like a broken record.”
“One you never fucking listen to.”
I shrug, refusing to back down. “If you think I’d just let you die, maybe you hit your head too—”
I pause, my eyes locking on his face, and something pinches in my chest. My tears betray me, spilling over despite how hard I’ve tried to hold them back.
James’s expression softens the second he sees my tears, as if the fight just drains out of him.
“Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”
He scans me, anxious, looking for a cut or something worse.
“It’s not me… it’s you. You were in pain… I’ve never seen that before,” I choke out between sobs.
“You’re crying ’cause I got hurt?” he asks quietly, like no one’s ever worried about him before. He swipes a tear from my cheek with his good hand. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
I let out a shaky sigh as more tears fall. “I thought I was going to lose you, James.”
He shakes his head and cups my cheek, wiping another tear away with his thumb.
“You’re not gonna lose me that easily, little danger.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m okay.”
“You’re not just saying that?”
“I swear. I’ve had worse.”
“But it scared me, James. Seeing you like that…”
“I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
I wrap my arms around him, pulling him close. He exhales slowly, his body relaxing against mine. I catch sight of Michael by the window, standing stiff as a board as he scans the crumbling skyline for any sign of trouble. Always watching. Always ready. Even now, he’s protecting us.
James glances around the room, his eyes catching the flicker of firelight from the trash can I lit.
“Where are we?” he asks.
Shit! How am I going to tell him?
Michael and I exchange one of those oh-shit glances. Whatever we’re hiding, James clocks it immediately. His eyes sweep over the room. The boarded windows. The bird graffiti on the cracked walls. He’s piecing it together faster than I can lie.
His eyes dart to Michael, like he’s trying to figure out if he’s the one who screwed up. Then they land on me… and stop.
He knows. Of course he does. He always knows when something’s off.
Have I cursed today? Well, here we go again.
Shit!
“Sarah, where the fuck are we?”
I suck in a breath and say it before I can stop myself. “Denver.”
“WHAT?” James bolts upright on the couch. “Have you two lost your goddamn minds?”
“James, the storm… it was chaos. We couldn’t stay in the woods. We had to take the truck and get out of there… but we ran out of gas, and this was the only place left—”
“You broke your promise, Michael!” James snaps, cutting me off and turning his fiery gaze to my brother.
Michael’s shoulders sag, and he can’t even look at James.
“I thought I could trust you,” James adds, his voice colder than I’ve ever heard it. “Of all people, I never thought you’d do this.”
Michael flinches but doesn’t fight back, and I can see in his face that he thinks he deserves it.
“What were you thinking?” James demands, staring at Michael like he doesn’t even recognize him.
“I didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t gonna risk my sister out there in that storm.”
“And you thought bringing her here, somewhere even more dangerous, was the smart move?”
“I went through the whole place, okay? Barricaded the front door, blocked every window—”
“That’s not enough!” James barks, dragging a hand through his hair. “We could’ve been followed.”
“We ditched the truck a few blocks back, and the rain washed out our tracks. We’re safe. I promise—”
“Don’t make fucking promises you can’t keep!” James growls through gritted teeth.
Michael opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He just stands there, chewing on his lip, choking on the words he can’t say.
I’ve never seen them argue. Not once. They agree on everything. And I have no idea what to say or do to fix it.
The silence stretches, thick and tense, until James finally breaks it.
“Where’s Ryan? I need to talk to him.”
I catch Michael’s eyes for half a second. Neither of us says a word, but our silence is loud enough to get James’s attention. His body tenses, and I can practically see the question marks popping up in his head.
“What happened?” James asks, his eyes flicking between me and Michael, looking worried.
“James…” I start, but the words catch like a lump in my throat. “A wall of mud, trees, and rocks came crashing down from the mountain and took out the bridge. Michael got us off just before it collapsed. Lorelai and Ryan were on the other side. We got separated… and now we can’t reach them.”
James lowers his head, shoulders sagging. He takes a deep breath and looks at my brother.
“I owe you an apology, Michael. And… thanks. You saved my life and Sarah’s.”
Michael’s lips twitch into a small smile.
“You’re family, James. And family’s all we’ve got left.”