Chapter 207

He woke up sometime later to the sound of a click, like a latch slipping into place. He reached for his gun, then rolled over to find Laila, to protect her, only to discover her side of the bed empty.

She was fucking gone.

Laila’s teeth chattered as she wrapped her arms around herself and darted along the edge of the campground, looking for lights that might indicate friendly people willing to help. She’d underestimated how cold it was outside and regretted not swiping one of Trees’s flannel shirts from his bag when she had taken twenty dollars from his thick wad of cash. But her guilt had been too great to take anything more. Once she reached Louisiana and her family, she would return every penny.

For now, she shelved her remorse and scoured the area, knowing she wouldn’t get far on foot, especially in flip-flops. But other than the campground’s streetlamps, she saw no lights. Had everyone already gone to bed? She had no idea what time it was, except late.