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“Which side? There are buttons all over this.”
Paige slid her eyes sideways for a moment. “No, the other side. The other side. The top one.”
Finally, the woman’s voice filled the air. “Turn around when possible.”
“There. Are you happy now? Now you’ve heard her say to turn around.”
“Yes, I am, thank you,” Paige said as she flipped on her turn signal and exited the highway.
She eased the car to a stop at the stop sign before she swung left onto the deserted road, cruising slowly in search of the on-ramp in the opposite direction. Her jaw dropped open as she pressed against the brake pedal, staring at the on-ramp.
Orange and white traffic barrels blocked any entrance to the highway. A large white sign with flashing lights pronounced RAMP CLOSED in thick black letters.
Paige’s stomach dropped. There was no returning to Shadow Harbor.
CHAPTER 23
“Well, that’s just great. Now what are we going to do?” Dewey shouted, throwing his paws in the air.
Paige stared at the barrels and cones cordoning off the entry ramp before she glanced around in search of another answer. “Maybe I can move the barrels.”
She threw the shifter into park and leapt out of the car, hurrying toward the ramp. Damp air sent a chill snaking down her spine. Before she reached any of the obstructions, she flung her arms out and darted back to the car.
“Well?” Dewey insisted as she slammed the door shut.
“There’s literally a chunk of the ramp missing.” Paige banged her hands off the steering wheel.
“I guess that explains why it’s closed.”
Paige squeezed her eyes shut and blew out a long breath before opening them and lifting her chin. “It’s fine. We’ll just keep driving in this direction, and the navigation can reroute us.”
With a deep breath, Paige tugged the shifter into gear and let her foot off the brake, allowing the car to glide forward. They drove for twenty minutes, winding around back roads with the navigation interjecting the occasional “turn around when possible” comment.
“This is unbelievable,” Paige said, easing the car onto the shoulder.
The tires crunched over the broken edge, and the brakes squealed as the car jolted to a stop.
She swiped the phone from Dewey’s paw. “Why won’t you reroute?”
She stared at the screen, still flashing the U-turn symbol and showing a route using the inaccessible highway. With a groan, she canceled the directions.
“What are you doing?” Dewey asked, hopping onto the console and peering over her shoulder.
“I’m going to try to set the destination again. Maybe if she starts from here, she’ll give us a different route.”
Dewey arched an eyebrow while Paige searched for the air club. When the loading bar stopped spinning, the route appeared exactly as it had before.
Paige sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Same thing. Great!”
She tossed the phone into the cupholder. It beeped at her, a red battery flashing on the screen.
Paige snatched it and stared at the screen, letting her head thud against the headrest as the phone clattered into the cupholder. “Well, that’s perfect. My phone is nearly dead.”
“Now what are we going to do?”
“Maybe the werewolf had a car charger,” Paige suggested, shooing Dewey off the console and swinging it open. She dug around inside, carefully shifting the gun back and forth before slamming it shut. “Nope, nothing.”
Dewey flung his arms out as he eased onto the passenger seat. “So, what should we do? Oh, I know! Call the library. Maybe Otis can come help us.”
