Escape From the Badlands Read Online Free PDF Page A

now.”
    “There’s nothing left for me.”
    “Yes, there is. You always say God will…”
    “That’s what I used to think, that He answered prayers, interceded for people who loved Him,” Todd said.
    That’s what Todd had tried to teach Shane when Lonnie died, and then when things fell apart with Kelly. “Don’t give up your faith, Todd,” he said, fighting to keep his voice level. He felt like a hypocrite telling his brother to hold onto God when Shane could not do the same, but he did not want to see that part of his brother die. Todd’s faith might be the only thing that kept him alive until Shane could figure out how to free him.
    Todd spoke with a tone completely devoid of hope. “It doesn’t make sense to me anymore. I can’t make myself believe it now.”
    Fear coiled through Shane’s gut. What could he say to save his brother? “I will keep fighting until we find out who killed Olivia. We’ll hire another lawyer if we need to.”
    “No. Let it go and walk away, just as I said.” Todd sighed. “Goodbye, Shane,” he said as he hung up.
    Swallowing a surge of desperation, he walked to the edge of the canyon. The rain tapered off and the water had begun to recede, as if a drain had suddenly been uncapped. Water sucked away into the parched land around it and beyond, lowering visibly as he watched.
    Soon Kelly’s car was clear—still jammed against the rocks, but accessible. He retied a rope and eased himself down again. This time the driver’s-side door opened easily. Avoiding the bits of glass, he reached for the keys left in the ignition.
    He imagined how panicked she must have been, knowing that she could drown at any moment, along with Charlie.
    It was too painful to contemplate, and far too uncomfortable picturing what the little boy must have felt watching the water rise.
    Had Lonnie felt that way? Had he known that the water would soon overwhelm him? Was his last feeling before he drowned an all-encompassing terror?
    Black despair filled him. His brother’s words floated into his mind.
    Let go, Shane. Lonnie’s with God. Let that be enough.
    But Todd was letting his faith slip away under the weight of his unjust incarceration. How could he save the brother who had saved him so many times? Cold water seeped into his already sodden pants.
    He noticed a sheaf of papers stuck under the visor, miraculously dry. Thinking they might be important to Kelly, he took them, noticing a card clipped to the top.
    Devin Ackerman, Desert Quest Publicity Coordinator.
    There was a phone number below, and a scrawled message: Kelly, looking forward to having you aboard. D
    The papers crumpled as his grip tightened. Ackerman had hired Kelly? Why? She was a newly minted nurse. Surely there were many people far more qualified for the job than she. But Kelly, with her dark eyes and gentle smile, would have appealed to him for other reasons.
    His stomach tightened and his breathing grew shallow.
    Even though Ackerman was engaged, he knew the man was unable to resist a beautiful girl. What’s more, he’d heard that the race coordinator was not above pursuing women, married or otherwise. If Ellen Brown hadn’t given him an alibi for the night of Olivia’s murder… He ground his teeth, stowed the papers inside his jacket and unhooked the car seat from the back. Then he took the keys from the ignition and made his way to the trunk. He unlocked it and retrieved a small duffel bag, swallowing against the lump in his throat.
    It was the same bag she’d lugged along on their river rafting adventure. He jerked it free and grabbed a smaller blue backpack with a train emblazoned on the front. He closed the trunk again and made his way clumsily back to the top in time to see Gleeson pull up in the van.
    “See you got your bags packed,” Gleeson joked.
    Shane didn’t respond as he got in. They drove for several miles in silence.
    “I guess we’ve got our new medic now,” Gleeson said, giving him a quick