Page 8 of Salvation
“Can’t go wrong there,” a third man agreed.
Anna sure hoped so. She’d tried settling her nerves, but it just didn’t work. Especially not after a marathon drive with only short catnaps in the back seat of her car. Her back ached, her fingers twitched, but her hopes soared dangerously high.
It might not even be Jessica. And even if it was, she might not know anything about Sarah. Still, Anna felt one step closer to finding out some detail of her cousin’s fate.
“Better hurry, though,” the man added. “They close soon.”
It was all she could do not to run, though she managed to keep to a race-walk. Every nerve in her body hummed with tension, and she clenched and reclenched her fists. She nearly walked into the wrong place, because there was a bar with a carved sign over the door that read,Blue Moon Saloon.She paused with one hand on the swinging doors the second she realized she’d stopped one door too soon.
The saloon doors burst open, and a man nearly bowled her over. She stumbled backward, and he pulled up, barely catching himself — and her — before sprawling to the ground. He clutched her by both arms and settled her hastily on her feet.
“Sorry,” he said. Nearly shouted, in fact, the way a person wearing headphones shouted instead of using a normal speaking voice. His eyes flashed, and—
Anna froze as he hustled onward at a hectic trot.
Blue. His eyes were so blue.
She stood like a deer in headlights, stuck on that one thought that echoed over and over in her mind. Like a broken record, it circled around and repeated again and again.Blue. So very blue.
A thousand synapses fired, but none of them set off a rational thought.
Those bright, beautiful eyes that were so familiar. So honest. So true. Where had she seen him before?
She turned slowly, watching his broad back as he hurried across the street.
“Watch out!” she shouted.
A truck beeped and hit the brakes, but the man didn’t even turn his head.
Wait,she wanted to yell after him.Wait.
She didn’t even know what she wanted him to wait for. Only that it seemed imperative that he didn’t leave now. She even took half a step in his direction before catching herself. What was she doing, following a stranger when she was supposed to be—
The saloon door swung outward, nearly clipping her in the ribs, and a woman burst out.
“Todd!” She knocked into Anna as if she didn’t see her there, and just like Anna, she took one step toward the street before stopping and giving up her chase.
Anna glanced over. No wonder the woman hadn’t seen her. Her eyes were full of tears.
The woman turned and noticed Anna for the first time. “Oh, sorr—” She broke off with a choked, squeaking sound. “Anna?”
Anna gaped. “Sarah?”
They stood there, staring at each other, before falling into an embrace.
“Oh my God, Sarah,” Anna murmured, hugging her tight. “It’s you. It really is you.”
Sarah clutched her close, and tears wet Anna’s shoulder. “Anna? Anna?”
Neither of them could eke out a coherent word. Anna let Sarah go just long enough to check that she wasn’t dreaming. It was Sarah — Sarah with her emerald eyes and fiery red hair. Anna pulled her cousin close again and hugged her tight. God, Sarah was alive. Alive! She looked good, too — tan and bright and healthy. Maybe even better than she’d ever looked before.
“Sarah, I’m so glad to see you. God, am I glad to see you. Everyone said you were dead.”
The saloon doors stirred, but Anna didn’t move. Whoever it was could wait. Her cousin was alive!
A baby cooed, and Sarah pulled away quickly to reassure it. A big man stood taking up most of the space in the saloon doorway, making the baby in his arms look positively tiny. His stony face was terrifying to behold, though Sarah didn’t seem intimidated. She murmured something as she took the baby and wiped the tears from her face.
“Anna, believe me, I’m so happy to see you. But I need a minute. Just a minute. We just got some pretty shocking news, and…”
