“Howdy!” Ella shouted out the window at the bewildered man next to her. “Y’all from around here?”
Beside her in the passenger seat of the SUV, she felt Rome’s nervous energy. Maybe she was taking a huge gamble engaging the enemy--assuming that’s who these people were there to try to kidnap Rome and take him back to his father.
The two men exchanged glances. “N--no, miss,” the passenger said.
“Too bad. Me and my cousin just got here from North Carolina, and we’re a little lost. We’re looking for the stockyards. Any idea which way we might need to go?”
“Sorry,” the passenger said, shaking his head. “Maybe try an app.”
“Oh, right. Good idea. Unfortunately, my cousin’s sufferin’ from PTSD from his time in the service, and he’s gettin’ anxious about everythin’. Includin’ getting lost. So I thought y’all might be able to help. It’s okay, though. We’ll figure it out. Y’all have a good day.”
