Can't Save Me

Grant

Two days later, Snyder and I had scoured every inch of New Jersey within two hours of Golden, and unfortunately for me, that covered most of the state. We'd heard absolutely nothing. Not a rumor, not a shred of evidence, not even a hint that they'd passed through. The areas we had yet to investigate were growing less and less by the minute, and I was growing more and more frustrated. Judging by the constant ringing of my phone, so was everyone we'd left behind.

"You're gonna have to talk to them eventually," Snyder stated as he climbed back into his truck after filling up. My phone was buzzing yet again, bouncing across the dash, and I was doing my damnedest to ignore it.

"I've said all I need to say," I mumbled, grinding my palms against my eyes until I saw spots. "I'm out of fucking ideas. We've covered basically the entire fucking state at this point, and nobody knows anything. It's like they evaporated into thin fucking air."

"Or... people just ain't talking. I don't imagine Eva wants to be easily found," Snyder replied.

"Can't exactly force people to talk, can I?" I tipped my skull against the headrest and let out a bone rattling sigh. "It's been almost five days now. What if..."

"Nope," Snyder interrupted, waving his head adamantly as he fired up the engine. "I'm not letting you go there. We'll find her, Grant."

"What if we don't?" I retorted, my voice hushed and choked with fear. Choked with a lot of things, honestly, and none of them were good. "What if she's gone? What if..."

"What if the Wizard of Oz opens up a portal and she comes skipping out in ruby slippers? Come on, man. Can't work off a debt if you're dead. If Eva wanted to kill her, she would've done it that night."

"So, what do we do? If you've got some brilliant plan, I'd like to hear it."

"You're not gonna like it," Snyder responded.

"I don't fucking like any of this, Snyder, so it doesn't make much of a difference."

"We're gonna go see Jesse."

My eyes shot open as my head spun to look at him. "No."

"Grant, listen..."

"No. I'm not letting you do that. I won't let you go back there, Snyder. I had to drag you out by your balls the last time."

Jesse was an old plug of Snyder's. When his military career ended, Snyder took it hard. Adjusting to civilian life wasn't easy for anyone, but it had been particularly difficult for him. He'd ended up in Atlantic City, lost in the darkness of gambling and drugs, living in pay by the night motels or on the streets. It happened to a lot of veterans, unfortunately, which is why I spent my free time running support groups. I'd managed to reacclimate rather well, and quickly all things considered, but Snyder had been a mess. By the time I'd gotten the tip that he was in Atlantic City and went to get him, he was in a meth-induced fury, no longer knowing who he was or what was going on. Hell, he barely remembered his own name. Mike and I had pulled him out of a drug den and gotten him into rehab by the skin of our fucking teeth, and I damn sure wasn't going to put him back in that hell.

"I'm not going back, Grant. That's not what this is about. But if someone has any intel on Eva, I'd almost guarantee it's Jesse. We're just going to talk to him."

"No."

"Do you want to find Maddie or not?" Snyder snapped, his gaze practically burning into mine. "This might be our only shot." I just shook my head as we stared at each other. "I'm telling you, man, if there's anyone in this fucking state that has any intel, it's him. Jesse's got dudes on the ground everywhere. He controls most of the substances that come in and out of state lines. If Eva is still here, he'll know where."