another hill country family. The last time he’d seen her she still looked too young to have three brats hanging on her skirts. That had been a few years ago. Who knew how many kids were in the litter by now.
The first thing he needed to do was to go home and get some cash, old Birdsong didn’t take plastic, and Charlie understood the man’s refusal to negotiate prices for his product. Thankfully he’d been a customer before so it wouldn’t look suspicious when he showed up.
He left the Indian at the bottom of the wooded hills and shrugged on his camping gear. It took a while for the old familiar cadence of moving without thinking, one foot in front of the other, to give him a sense of peace. His attention was on the woods and downed logs as he went deeper into the inclining landscape.
He’d changed his plans from showing up to purchase some of Birdsong’s moonshine, mainly due to the fact he had time to think about what a man used to secrecy would do if he had kidnapped someone important.
He could have rode the scoot up on the two track that passed for a road to the enclave where the clan lived, but he knew the mentality of Birdsong, Selma wouldn’t be kept at the homestead for the authorities to find so easily. Strangers, even familiar strangers, would never know there was a kidnap victim nearby, and no one but Birdsong himself would speak to visitors.
It was a hell of a climb, and Charlie cursed himself for allowing his body to go soft like it had. He’d exchanged the pack of smokes for a baggie of sugar packets, not only for his health, but he didn’t need to alert one of the Johnson clan that someone was on their hill by letting the cigarette smoke reach their noses. The side benefit was the extra energy he would need to navigate through the dense woods. He was the victim of low blood sugar, instead of shots to keep his sugar at an acceptable level, he was forced to eat high protein and carbohydrates, it was a good thing they made those little packets of peanut butter crackers, or he would starve to death nowadays.
Thinking about his eating habits just brought his mood further down. Once Selma found out about his issue, she cooked regularly for the two of them. When he left her, his nutrition had gone to shit. Why should he bother to care, he didn’t answer to anyone, dammit .
It was almost full dark by the time he decided that he wouldn’t get any further without breaking an ankle in the dark. He didn’t bother to light a fire, or even pitch his tent tonight. His bedroll would be sufficient for his needs, and he remembered to take the painkillers for his arthritic knees so he’d be able to walk the next day.
It took a long time for him to doze off, and even then his sleep wasn’t restful, his mind continually replayed her messages that she’d left on his phone. “You said you would always be there if I needed you. Daddy, I’m scared, please, please, pick up the phone, or call me back.”
Chapter Two
She’d done everything she could think of to hide from the Johnson clan. She knew she had to stop crying over the fact Charlie refused to answer her calls and he probably had moved on in the past months since they’d last been together.
She hung up the connection when the automated voice told her the voice mailbox she was trying to connect with was full.
He had been her only real hope at keeping her safe, and now she cried ugly tears of fear and betrayal. She would have bet her life that Charlie meant what he told her before he left the bed they’d shared and made love in most of the night before.
“If you ever need me, you call and I’ll be there. I’ve never told a woman that I loved her like I love you, but you need to follow your dreams, girl, and I’m not the kind of man you need by your side while you’re livin’ those dreams.”
He’d wiped the tears from her cheeks with his big thumb and licked the liquid off. “I don’t want to be the cause of your tears, girl,
The first thing he needed to do was to go home and get some cash, old Birdsong didn’t take plastic, and Charlie understood the man’s refusal to negotiate prices for his product. Thankfully he’d been a customer before so it wouldn’t look suspicious when he showed up.
He left the Indian at the bottom of the wooded hills and shrugged on his camping gear. It took a while for the old familiar cadence of moving without thinking, one foot in front of the other, to give him a sense of peace. His attention was on the woods and downed logs as he went deeper into the inclining landscape.
He’d changed his plans from showing up to purchase some of Birdsong’s moonshine, mainly due to the fact he had time to think about what a man used to secrecy would do if he had kidnapped someone important.
He could have rode the scoot up on the two track that passed for a road to the enclave where the clan lived, but he knew the mentality of Birdsong, Selma wouldn’t be kept at the homestead for the authorities to find so easily. Strangers, even familiar strangers, would never know there was a kidnap victim nearby, and no one but Birdsong himself would speak to visitors.
It was a hell of a climb, and Charlie cursed himself for allowing his body to go soft like it had. He’d exchanged the pack of smokes for a baggie of sugar packets, not only for his health, but he didn’t need to alert one of the Johnson clan that someone was on their hill by letting the cigarette smoke reach their noses. The side benefit was the extra energy he would need to navigate through the dense woods. He was the victim of low blood sugar, instead of shots to keep his sugar at an acceptable level, he was forced to eat high protein and carbohydrates, it was a good thing they made those little packets of peanut butter crackers, or he would starve to death nowadays.
Thinking about his eating habits just brought his mood further down. Once Selma found out about his issue, she cooked regularly for the two of them. When he left her, his nutrition had gone to shit. Why should he bother to care, he didn’t answer to anyone, dammit .
It was almost full dark by the time he decided that he wouldn’t get any further without breaking an ankle in the dark. He didn’t bother to light a fire, or even pitch his tent tonight. His bedroll would be sufficient for his needs, and he remembered to take the painkillers for his arthritic knees so he’d be able to walk the next day.
It took a long time for him to doze off, and even then his sleep wasn’t restful, his mind continually replayed her messages that she’d left on his phone. “You said you would always be there if I needed you. Daddy, I’m scared, please, please, pick up the phone, or call me back.”
Chapter Two
She’d done everything she could think of to hide from the Johnson clan. She knew she had to stop crying over the fact Charlie refused to answer her calls and he probably had moved on in the past months since they’d last been together.
She hung up the connection when the automated voice told her the voice mailbox she was trying to connect with was full.
He had been her only real hope at keeping her safe, and now she cried ugly tears of fear and betrayal. She would have bet her life that Charlie meant what he told her before he left the bed they’d shared and made love in most of the night before.
“If you ever need me, you call and I’ll be there. I’ve never told a woman that I loved her like I love you, but you need to follow your dreams, girl, and I’m not the kind of man you need by your side while you’re livin’ those dreams.”
He’d wiped the tears from her cheeks with his big thumb and licked the liquid off. “I don’t want to be the cause of your tears, girl,
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