Jay’s voice startled Abby. “All right. There’s one thing we haven’t tried.” Jay turned around and sat on his heels, facing Ella. “Call for your angel friend. Maybe he’ll come get us out.”
Abby shot Jay a disapproving look, but he held up his palm.
“We’re out of options, Abby. Let her do it.”
“What if he don’t come?” Ella said.
Jay shrugged. “We won’t know unless we ask. Can’t hurt. Come on, Ella. Call him.”
Ella hesitated for several seconds, looking from Jay to Abby and then back to Jay. Finally, she clamped her eyes shut. “Custos, can you help us? Pa threw us down in this big ol’ hole, and we can’t git out. We’re powerful scared.”
Abby didn’t move in the pin-drop stillness that followed.
“Pleeease?” Ella pleaded. “Or bring us water and somethin’ to eat?”
No one stirred for half a minute.
Finally Ella said, “We ain’t gittin’ outta here.”
Jay spun around, faced the far wall, and began wildly kicking the metal mesh with the heel of his hiking boots. “Come on … break!” Some of the dried sod crumbled and fell through, but the mesh stayed secure. After a minute or so of repeated blows, he lay with his back flat on the dirt floor, his knees bent, and let out a sigh of exasperation. “Why’d you have to hide in my truck? Why didn’t you go home like I asked? We’re not getting out of here, Abby!”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do, and so do you! I just wanted to make things right. That’s all I was trying to do. If I could die in your place, I would. I’m sorry I got you into this.”
“You didn’t,” Abby said. “I’m the one who ignored Isaiah’s threats.”
“But if I hadn’t shot your dad, none of this would’ve happened.” Jay’s voice shook, sounding more angry than frightened. “Isaiah’s nuts! It’s not a matter of if he’s gonna kill us—it’s a matter of when.”
“Stop yelling, Jay. It’s not helping.”
Ella began to cry and then cry harder, seemingly inconsolable, her face buried in Abby’s chest.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Abby tightened her embrace and rocked back and forth. “Shhh … it’s going to be okay.” Ella’s tears soaked the front of Abby’s shirt as the child continued sobbing.
Lord, help us! Abby looked over at Jay, and he turned away, his chin quivering. It took every ounce of willpower to keep the dam of her own emotions from breaking through her defenses. She thought of her daddy lying dead in this hole, robbed of dignity, and his baby girl kidnapped by a mountain man with no set of rules but his own.
Anger rose up in Abby, and she welcomed it. As long as she stayed mad, she would have the will to fight.
Chapter 25
Buck stepped into the cedar gazebo on the back lawn of Angel View Lodge and leaned on the railing, looking down at miles and miles of glistening water and the green, rolling mountains beyond. Cloud puffs hung in the baby blue sky and a balmy breeze tickled the wisps of hair left on his nearly bald head.
About a hundred yards down the hill, he spotted Angel View Pier and counted eleven paddleboats on the lake—and a pontoon. His mind wandered back to when Abby was little. How that girl loved to fish!
“Carry me up, Gam-pa!” Abby looked up at him with eyes that matched her bright blue ribbons and pigtails the color of O’Shea, the neighbor’s Irish setter.
“Okay, all aboard.” Buck bent down and got Abby situated on his shoulders, then trudged down the path to Angel View Pier, which he and Micah had worked together to build the previous summer.
“I’m gonna catch a whopper!” Abby declared.
Buck set her on the dock, then reached in the pontoon boat and grabbed her yellow life jacket. “Listen, punkin’. We’re goin’ out after crappie for our fish fry. Whatever you catch’ll be just great. Doesn’t have to be big.”
Abby held up her index finger, her face animated. “If I say it, I’ll do it.”
Buck chuckled, tightening the straps of Abby’s life jacket. She was repeating what she’d heard him say the day before.
He pulled the boat next to the dock. Abby climbed in and sat on the passenger bench, and he stepped in after her, taking his seat at the wheel.
“Here we go.” Buck put the boat in reverse and slowly backed away from the dock, then headed off to Egret Island.
“Hey, you said I could drive, Gam-pa!”
“Are you sure?” He winked at Abby. “All right. Come over here and