Blind Faith - Sharon Sala Page 0,23

surprised he was conscious enough to even move.”

“He had to. See all those coyote tracks? He would be easy prey trapped like this,” Charlie said. “But I wonder how many times he tried and passed out from the pain before he got himself free.”

Charlie pulled out the iPad again, and this time, he began taking pictures of the boot from every angle and then pictures of the trail above. It took two men pulling as hard as they could to get the boot free.

Charlie put the boot and the iPad in his pack, then followed the medics as they returned to where they’d left the Jeep.

The men talked among themselves as they walked, but Charlie had tuned them out. He was already thinking about getting home. Finding that kid so near death made him think of how quickly a life could end, and his Annie was failing. He didn’t know how much time he had left with her. He knew he was going to lose her, but he felt an urgency to be with her. He didn’t want to be left with regrets.

When they walked up on the Jeep, Charlie was glad to see the ride. He tossed his pack in with their medic bags and got in the back seat, still thinking about the kid. God, he hoped they could put him back together again. Even though delivering justice was not part of his job, he needed to know this kid got it.

They were almost back at the lodge when Larry got a call. All they heard was his side of the conversation, but it didn’t sound good, and then Larry hung up.

“So, they assessed the boy’s injuries in Alpine, did what they could, and he’s already en route to the Medical Center Hospital in Odessa,” the medic said.

“What’s his condition?” Charlie asked.

Larry grimaced. “Critical. But he was stable enough to transport, and that’s good. The paramedics on board are top-notch. The doctors at Alpine made the call to get him to a trauma center.”

Charlie checked the time again. Wyrick should already be at the lodge waiting on him. He was going to take a chance she was there and call. If she didn’t answer, then he’d know she was still in the air.

* * *

Wyrick was in the store at the lodge buying pop and candy for the flight back.

“Is this all you need?” the clerk asked, as Wyrick slid two bottles of Pepsi and a handful of Snickers bars on the counter.

She nodded and pulled out a credit card, inserting it in the reader.

“Y’all want a sack for that?” the clerk asked.

“No, I’ll put them in my bag,” she said, and bagged up all but one Snickers as she walked out.

She sat down on the bench out front, peeled back the wrapper and took a bite, rolling her eyes in delight from the taste of nuts, chocolate and caramel. Her phone rang while she was still chewing, and when she saw it was Charlie, she swallowed fast.

“Yes?”

“Are you here?”

“Yes. What do you need?”

“Call Baxter and Macie again. Tell them they’re taking Tony on to Medical Center Hospital in Odessa.”

“What’s his status?” Wyrick asked.

“Critical. Did you tell them not to tell anyone?”

“Yes. I’ll call now.”

“I’ll be there soon. Caught a ride back with the medics, but I’m going to have to change before we fly back.”

“Change? Why?”

“You’ll understand when you see me,” he said.

“Copy that,” Wyrick said. “Anything else?”

“No,” Charlie said, and then blinked when the line went dead in his ear. She’d hung up on him again, but he was too damn tired to care.

Wyrick knew hanging up on him like that ticked him off. It was why she did it. She took another bite of the candy bar and then wiped her fingers on her jeans before she made the next call.

* * *

Baxter and Macie were already on the road, tight-lipped and silent. The last time they had taken this route, their son was lost, and they didn’t know if he was alive or dead. This trip, the only difference was that Tony was no longer lost. They’d been on the road a little over two hours when they got Wyrick’s call.

“You get it, honey,” Baxter said, and Macie answered.

“Hello, this is Macie.”

“Macie, this is Wyrick. Are you on the way?”

“Yes. We’ve been on the road about two hours.”

“I have an update. The hospital at Alpine sent him on to the Medical Center Hospital in Odessa. They’ll be better able to care for his needs.”

“Oh!