I awoke early, the cold night air had took it's toll on my body, I was freezing. Someone had kindly placed a blanket over me. Carmet appeared with two cups of hot black coffee, with a big smile sat beside me, "you like the blanket?" she asked, "I made it."<br/><br/>I nodded, "very pretty," then I surprised myself, "like you," I said, Carmet laughed, she then relaxed and we sipped the coffee, "she likes you, you know, Jennifer, she might need your help, the retreat, not nice for young girl alone, you know,"<br/><br/>I looked at Carmet, "what dya mean?" I asked.<br/><br/>"They use you, you know, they expect this, you know," Carmet pointed to her crutch,<br/><br/>Why should I care? She was just another kid on the road, it happens all the time, they even die and are never seen again, their choice at the end of the day. I had lied to the kid, well not exactly lied I wasn't the 'old man' she thought I was, I was a cop fresh out of cadet school, yes, my family had been murdered, yes, but it wasn't my wife or my child, it had been my parents and I had killed the man that done it, I was only 25 years old next birthday, I looked a lot older because of the post traumatic stress, the depression and everything else that went with it. Why did I lie? I don't know, I had lived the lie for so long I suppose it had taken over my life, the strange thing was I kept a news clipping in my wallet, giving my side of the story, the media just would not leave me alone back then, that is when I had decided to hit the road.<br/><br/>I looked at Carmet as she seemed far away, looking at the sun rising, "you go after her Max, you save her, you love her, this I see, she not see though, you good man I know this Max, you go now before it is too late, yes?" she turned to look me in the eyes.<br/><br/>"Yes" I replied, "thank you,"<br/><br/>"Your mama is proud of you," Carmet said looking up at the sky, "you know this Max."<br/><br/>I stood up and nodded, opening my bag I checked my gun to make sure it was loaded, Carmet didn't even flinch, some do at the sight of a gun, "how do I get there? To the retreat?" Carmet stood and pointed towards the black guy, "Rafe take you, he has an old car."<br/><br/>~~*~~<br/><br/>Rafe dropped me off about half a mile from the retreat, he had been silent all the way, not a word, he gave me directions to the retreat, then with that Caribbean accent, "you take care man, they have weapons in there."