MiaThe three kids chattered excitedly as Mia drove them to the ranch. She let them talk without interruption, listening to their conversation and chiming in only when they asked her a question. They were there in the space of what felt like only several hundred questions, which was faster than Mia expected.“Laura said I get to groom the horses today,” Alexander announced proudly.“She said we all get to help groom today,” Lily corrected him.“Do I have to?” Grayson asked. He shifted nervously in his booster seat. “Horses are really big.”“You don't have to touch them if you don't want to.” Alexander reached over and gently squeezed his arm. “But I want to. It'll be cool.”Grayson chewed on the inside of his lip and nodded. He didn't look completely convinced at the coolness of horses yet.“This is going to be so awesome,” Lily said, getting out of the car. She went and opened the back door up and helped Grayson out.“You know this is supposed to be work, right?” Mia asked, jokingly.
CarterThe inside of the garage was cool and dark after the bright sunshine outside. Mia had to blink several times to adjust to the dimmer lighting as she stepped through the doors. As soon as her eyes could focus, she gasped.Three sports cars were tucked neatly off to the side. She didn't know exactly what they were, but she recognized them from posters she'd seen over boys' beds during her home checks. She knew enough to know that these were dream cars and probably worth more than six years of her salary.The center of the room was set up just like her local mechanic's shop. There was a deep pit like what the oil change people used and a huge selection of tools. A bright red sports car was being worked on that she recognized from yet another boy's dream car poster.“Wow,” she whispered, looking around at the expensive cars.“Oh, not those.” Carter shrugged as if they were nothing. “This is what I want your opinion on.”He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her to a f
Mia“What do you mean, 'can't find him'?” Mia asked, the blood draining out of her face.“Laura was working with the older two, turned around, and he was gone,” the security guard explained. He looked around the garage. “She thought maybe he followed the two of you here.”“You mean you don't know where Grayson is?” she clarified, needing to hear the words.“No ma'am. We don't know where he is.”Mia's stomach dropped out, and her knees felt shaky. Luckily, Carter reached out and steadied her. If he hadn't grabbed her hand, there was a very real chance that she would have fallen over. She focused for the moment on his fingers and the strength in his grip. He was the only solid thing in the world for a moment as worry flooded through her.“We'll find him, Mia,” Carter promised. “He can't have gone far.”His promise was sweet to her ears, and she tried to nod in agreement. He still had her hand, and it helped keep the panic from clawing its way up her throat and strangling her.“Do you kn
CarterFire engulfed the parking garage, a demon of red and orange that relentlessly pursued him. The heat of the flames licked at his skin and singed his eyebrows. His lungs struggled for oxygen as the fire stole it with every desperate inhale.Carter coughed and tried to run from the fire, but his feet were stuck to the ground. He forced his legs to move, but every step was like through quicksand. His eyes watered with the acrid smoke of burning plastic and metal. Sweat drenched his body as he struggled to get away.Somehow the flames grew. Carter panicked, his feet turning to stone as the flames consumed him.And then he woke up.Carter sat straight up in bed, gasping for air and clawing at his bed-sheets. It was just a nightmare. It was the nightmare he'd had every night since the incident.He sucked in the clean mountain air, trying to convince his lungs that he wasn't still trapped in the smoke and fire of the dream. His heart rate was through the roof, and he was going to need
MiaMia appraised the brown quarter horse in front of her, not quite entirely sure how confident she felt getting back up on the horse by herself. The gelding looked steady enough, but it had been a long time since Mia had been on a horse. She remembered it being fun, but she didn't remember the horses looking quite so big. She decided to wait a moment before getting on. The kids would probably need her help.“Why do I have to wear a helmet?” Alexander asked, looking askance at the riding helmet they all had to wear. He held it in front of him like it smelled as he waited to get up on his horse. “Cowboys wear hats.”“You wear it because I like your head in one piece,” Mia told him. “And you need more practice to be a cowboy.”Alexander opened his mouth to complain, but Carter held up a helmet of his own.“I'm wearing a helmet,” Carter informed him, putting the heavy helmet on his own head. He shrugged like it was nothing. “These don't blow off in the wind, so I actually like it better
MiaLaura led the line of horses up a path away from the ranch. They were still in the foothills, but it was close enough to a mountain ride to feel on top of the world. Wildflowers, pine trees, and panoramic views for as far as she could see surrounded her. The scent of pine and dry grass warmed by the sunshine filled her nose. Peaceful was the best word Mia could think of to describe the beauty of the mountains.Mia and Carter talked and laughed as they rode their horses. They stayed slightly back behind the kids, enjoying their private conversation. Mia couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed this hard. Carter kept cracking jokes and flirting with her the entire ride up into the foothills. This was the best day she'd had in a long time.After about an hour, the path opened to a small meadow. The yellowing grass waved gently in the cool breeze with the mountains capped in snow behind in the distance.“Who wants to go a little faster?” Laura asked the kids as Mia and Carter cau
Mia“Grayson!” Mia screamed again, urging her horse to go after him. Her horse refused to budge. She had no idea what she was going to do, but Grayson was in big trouble. The horse was flying across the meadow and he was barely hanging on, his hands tangled in the mane and his little legs gripping on tight.Carter was three steps ahead of her. He knew what to do and had his horse ready to go. Using his larger horse's speed, he easily caught up to Grayson's panicked mare. He was able to use his own horse to slow down the terrified mare and finally bring her to a stop.“Grayson!” Mia finally got her horse to stop being afraid of whatever he saw in the grass and she galloped him over to where Grayson was. His poor little face was sheet white and his eyes the size of dinner plates. Carter helped him unclench his hands from the mane and slide down onto the hard ground where his knees promptly gave out.Mia was off her horse and hugging the boy as fast as she could move. Grayson shook like
CarterThe piece of fabric hanging from Carter's porch fluttered in the slight breeze. It would have been picturesque, if not for the words “YOUR FAULT”, which were written in what could either be blood or red paint. Carter hoped it was paint.Carter's hands shook as he came back into the house. He no longer felt safe here. He felt like running to the nearest police station and simply taking up residence. But he was done running. Whoever was doing this was going to chase him across the globe. It was best to stay here, where he could control things and make plans. He held the high ground, even if it didn't feel like it at the moment.“Are you okay, sir?” Brian asked, coming up behind him.“I'm fine.” Carter already knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight. The dreams of fire were already in his mind.“The bomb squad says that it would never have gone off,” Brian informed him. “The threading on the head of the pipe bomb wasn't tight enough.”“That's comforting.” Carter turned fr