Chapter 48

“You know, not to be rude but…it looks like the baby has grown a lot over the last couple days…your stomach has almost doubled in size since we left the base.” Keanu tiptoed around the sensitive topic.

Rubbing my belly, I had to agree. According to the last ultrasound, I should only be about twenty weeks but I looked almost eight months along. Even my belly button was popped out like a fully-cooked turkey at Thanksgiving. At least, from what I’d seen in magazines, I’d never been pregnant before so it was hard to tell what I was ‘supposed’ to look like.

“Keanu.” I inhaled sharply as I prepared to tell him the bad news about the baby. Lowering my eyes, I prepared myself for the worst. “I have to tell you something…about the baby.”

His face turned very serious and he reached for my hand. Stroking the back of my hand, I fought back tears. What if he left me? What if he didn’t care about us anymore once he found out? Searching my entire soul for the courage to speak the truth, I started to speak.

“I don’t know if…she’s yours.” Tears ran down my face with undeserved shame.

His face paled immediately. “What?”

Trembling, I explained. “When I first arrived at the facility…I…he…” I could barely speak. The horror on Keanu’s face was almost too much for me to bear. Whispering the words through sobs, I finally told him. “Meyers raped me.”

“What!?” Fury seemed to possess him as he suddenly lunged for the sliding door. Exiting the vehicle, he pounded the side of the van with his fist. “Bastard!” He screamed, his anger echoing within the valley.

I had no words for the disgust I felt. Even though I’d been violated and was completely innocent, my insides writhed with guilt.

Looking out the side window, I saw him walk angrily away from the vehicle. My voice was small and weak. “Keanu?”

Peeking my head out of the open sliding door, I felt a panic attack brewing as I realized I couldn’t see him anywhere.

He left us. A hot pain ripped through my heart as I stepped out of the van and wandered from it.

My head down, I walked aimlessly over the bland terrain. With the exception of a few cacti, low-growing brush and a large patch of Yucca plants, I was alone.

“Keanu!” I cried out. Shielding the glaring sun from my eyes, I scanned the desert for any sign of him.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the distance, I heard him yell to me.

“Cassia! Hide!”

Frantic, I searched for cover. I had no idea who or what Keanu had seen, but I obeyed quickly by cowering behind one of the bigger boulders.

That’s when I heard the noise, a low rumbling that seemed to resonate in the air around me. Echoing off the walls of the cliffs in the canyon, I suddenly realized what it was.

A helicopter!

Glancing around from my hiding spot, I tried to see where Keanu went. I couldn’t spot him anywhere.

Considering he was an agent—former agent—he was very obviously very skilled in the art of concealment. Me, on the other hand, I felt like I should’ve been wearing a big red target. With only the rock to shield me, I contemplated making a run for the nearby mountain. At least there were trees and possibly caves to hide in.

A black helicopter circled overhead. Sand whirled beneath it as it moved closer to the ground.

Oh god! They’re landing!

I wasn’t sure if they’d seen me, but it was obvious they’d spotted the red minivan. Hovering just over the vehicle, I positioned myself behind the rock, hopefully out of their line of sight.

Keeping myself as low as possible, I watched as the helicopter gently touched the ground. The blades slowed but didn’t stop as two men in black exited the side. While I didn’t recognize either of them, hatred swelled inside me with the sight of them.

Murdering bastards!

Tears welled in my eyes as I thought of Amy, the shock of her death refreshing itself within me.

I watched as they searched the inside of the van. They pulled out various papers and items that Keanu and I had left behind, nothing important though, just garbage, receipts and whatnot.

After pulling everything out of the van and inspecting it, the two agents stood and talked with one another, probably deciding their next plan of action. One pulled a cell phone from his jacket pocket and made a call. With the constant hum of the helicopter’s blades gyrating, however, I couldn’t hear anything he said. I could see his mouth moving and his head nodding occasionally.

With a final nod, he pushed a button on his phone and replaced it into his pocket. He said something to his partner and they immediately ran toward the helicopter.

How I wished I could read lips! If we knew where they were headed next, we could go the other direction.

Throwing dust in all directions, the long blades of the machine spun faster and faster, chopping into the air around it. Eventually, it lifted off the ground, humming like a giant blender, and turning sharply to almost a ninety degree angle, it flew off to the north.

Sitting up and pressing my back against the cool stone, I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths. They hadn’t caught me—this time. Next time, I might not be so lucky.

“Keanu?” Feeling safe, I raised my voice to a shout. “Keanu?"

“Over here.” His voice was muffled as he called to me from several feet away. Scanning the landscape, I was relieved as I saw him crawl out from beneath a miniature forest of Yucca plants. He was lucky to have found enough shelter to cover his huge body in the middle of the desert.

Running to him, we embraced. It felt so good to be in his arms again. Even though I knew all could not be forgotten in just mere minutes, but I hoped that, in time, he could look at me like he did before I told him about Meyers and the baby.

We were both covered in sand and with the hot sun stalking the sky, we were starting to sweat. Even though it was considered to be winter, the desert only cooled slightly. We were lucky it wasn’t summer; we’d have a lot more to worry about than we already did. No matter what the season, dehydration was as big a threat in the desert as hypothermia was in the Arctic.

We needed to find shelter and water fast.

“Those mountains.” I pointed toward the nearest rocky range. “We should hike up there. There’s shade and hopefully some caves with natural springs.”

Keanu nodded and we started walking toward it.

Fatigued from lack of food, I pushed my body forward. The weight of my growing belly, however, slowed me down. My stomach seemed to be growing bigger by the hour. Keanu took my hand and gently urged me along.

Reaching the base of the mountain after what felt like hours, a plethora of trees greeted us. Lying down under a large Juniper tree, I rested.

“Where do we go from here?” His voice was lethargic as he asked.

“We have to find the cave.” My throat was dry and I felt like this venture was becoming hopeless. If we couldn’t even walk a small ways without becoming completely exhausted, how was I going to lead us to a cave that I hadn’t been in since I was a baby?

We needed help. We needed to find a guide.

Little did we know, a guide had already found us.