Dillon grinned at us. “Well, we sure do look the part.”
The backpack dwarfed Rue.
I frowned at her in concern. “That’s not too heavy for you?”
She jumped around a little, wriggled her shoulders and stomped her feet. “No, it feels fine.”
Dillon cocked one of his thick, dark eyebrows. “You look like a turtle. Like if you fell over backwards, you wouldn’t be getting up again in a hurry.”
She poked her tongue out at him. “Good thing I’ve got you guys to pick me back up again, then.”
“What about you, Ryan?” I asked the other man.
He shrugged. “I carried far greater weights on treks when I was in the Army.”
“You had two legs then,” I pointed out.
“I’ll manage.”
There was no arguing with Ryan. He was a stubborn son of a bitch. I guessed we all were.
We took our new purchases and left the store. I could sense the palpable relief of the store attendant when we finally looked like we were going. Maybe he’d thought we’d try to rob the place first. So much for the smart businessmen we’d been back in the city. It was something I’d always prided myself on. Cabs would stop for me, women would thank me when I held open the door, I’d be first served in a bar or seated at the best table in a restaurant.
Everything had changed now.
Chapter Nineteen
Rue
I WAS RELIEVED TO BE back in the car, on the road, and out of the town. I hadn’t liked the way everyone was looking at us.
Would it be like that when we got to Canada? From what I’d heard, the Canadians were friendly people, but I wasn’t exactly a worldly person. I hoped we wouldn’t feel this way forever—like everyone was our enemy. It would be great to just feel like a normal person.
Kodee drove a little way out of town and then we stopped to go through our purchases, and so I could change Dillon’s bandage.
“Throw away any unnecessary packaging,” Ryan said, tearing the piece of cardboard off from around the bundle of socks he’d chosen. “There’s no point in carrying any more than we have to, and even though each little piece doesn’t feel like much, it does add up, especially after you’ve walked twenty miles.”
Twenty miles. That felt like hell of a long way, and I knew that was only a part of it. By the time we’d reached our destination, we’d have walked a lot farther than that.
Kodee unfolded the map he’d bought at the store. None of it meant anything to me. I couldn’t read the names, and even if I could, I wouldn’t have recognized any of them.
“We’re here.” He jabbed a finger on a point on the map. “The border is here.” He ran the same finger over a line horizontally across the map. “I suggest we drive as far as we dare, then dump the car somewhere it’s unlikely to be found, and take it from there.”
“It’s pretty remote up this way,” Ryan said. “I can’t see why we need to worry about the car being found. It’s unlikely, unless someone is actively looking for it.”
“Hmm.” Kodee rubbed his hand across his mouth. “There are hunters and hikers, among others, who are used to walking this area. Even if they’re not looking for it, seeing a car like this dumped in the middle of nowhere will raise suspicions. We don’t know if the registration has already been flagged by the police.”
“We could set fire to it,” Dillon suggested. “No one’s going to know the registration then.”
Ryan wrinkled his nose. “One thing that gets attention out in the forest is a fire. They get out of hand too quickly. I think that could risk us getting noticed more than anything.”
“That close to the border is going to alert the border patrol guards that something’s not quite right as well. We don’t want them to be on higher alert than they already are. There will be helicopters that do random patrols over the area, and they’d be the first to spot smoke.”
“Okay, no fire,” Dillon relented. “We’ll just hide the car and hope for the best.”
Dillon was sitting on the back seat, with his leg resting across it. I had the back door of the car open, to give us more room, and I carefully unwrapped the original bandage and removed the cotton wool and gauze I’d used to stop the bleeding.
“Well, doc?” he asked, his features tight with pain. “How does it look?”
“Not too bad.” I didn’t actually have any experience of gunshot wounds. My mother had done some crazy shit when she’d been drinking, but luckily getting shot had never been one of them. “It’s bleeding a little, but I think that’s from me changing the bandage. You probably could have done with having it stitched up or something, ’cause you’re going to have one hell of a scar.”
He gave me a grin. “Everyone digs guys with scars, right?”
I resisted the urge to smack his leg. “Stop it. You were shot. This is serious.” And now you’re going to have to hike for miles on it, I thought but didn’t say.
He caught my arm and pulled me in for a kiss. “As long as you still love me, Rue, that’s all that matters.”
“I think you’re an idiot.”
“But you still love me?” I almost couldn’t stand the begging in his eyes, the need for that confirmation, even though I’d never given him any reason to make him think I felt any differently.
I kissed him harder. “Of course, I still love you.”
“Then I could handle twenty gunshot wounds.”
I did smack him this time, but on the shoulder, not the leg. “And then you’d be dead.”
He chuckled. “Okay, okay. Stop beating on me.”
I gave him an exasperated mock glare, pressing a smile between my lips at the same time. I loved him so much my heart ached with the weight of my feelings. I looked around at the other two, the way they watched with affection and amusement, and that love only increased. Love wasn’t a finite thing. It wasn’t as though there was only so much to go around, and all that love had to be directed at one person. I could love each of them one hundred percent, and it never needed to be diluted down.
“Should we spend the night in the car,” I suggested to Kodee and Ryan, “and then set out when it gets light?”
It was about five in the afternoon now. We still had a few hours of light, but not many, and it had been a really long day.
But Kodee shook his head. “No, I think we should leave now. If we hit the border at night, that will be a good thing. Darkness will be our friend. It’ll go a good way to covering us if there are any border guards around.”
“Good thinking.”
My stomach roiled with nerves at the thought of being out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. The forest still felt like a dangerous place, even though there were far more hazardous places for me to be right now. I’d lived in the city, with four walls around me, my entire life. But it was within those walls that the worst kind of things had happened to me, so why was I fearful of trees and nature? Besides, I had the guys with me, and we were armed. It wasn’t wildlife I needed to be afraid of, it was the men who might be following us, and the guards at the border who might arrest or even shoot us. I looked to the sleeping bag and the camping mat. I’d never even been camping—my childhood definitely hadn’t been that kind of childhood—and I’d never spent the night under the stars. I should try to see this as an adventure, but the pounding of my heart told me otherwise.
We got back in the car.
Tension increased the closer the road took us toward the border. It would run out soon, but people still came up this way for camping or canoeing. We hadn’t done anything wrong yet, so the border patrol had no reason to stop and question us—not that they would, this far out—but I could tell we were all nervous. Dillon laughed and joked, rambling too fast in that way he did when he was trying to take his mind off something. Kodee sat forward, hunched over the steering wheel, the knuckles of both hands white. Ryan fiddled with whatever he could find at hand—the button of his shirt, his hair, even flicking his own fingers together. It
was understandable that we were all nervous. What we were about to do was dangerous.
Kodee spoke up. “I think this is as close as we should risk it.”
We hadn’t seen another vehicle for some time. We were at a hiking trailhead, where there was a small lot where people probably left their cars, but it still felt too exposed.
“Wait,” he said. “Looks like there’s an old logging or mining road up ahead. I think we should try that, and get closer, if we can. We already have a massive distance to cover that could easily break us, so the closer we get the better.”
“Whatever you think’s best.” I trusted Kodee to make the right choice.
“Sounds good to me,” Dillon said, stretching out as best he could in the confines of the car.
Kodee nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this then.”
He pulled the car off the narrow excuse for a road and kept going. I hung on to the back of the passenger seat as we bumped and rocked across the uneven ground.
The farther we got down the old logging road, the more overgrown it became, as though the forest was trying to claim back its land. The chassis of the car caught on low lying bushes, and I winced at the screeching of metal. The tires crunched over fallen leaves and sticks. The forest closed in around us, the light changing, dappled by the leaves overhead.
Kodee slowed right down, easing the vehicle into the undergrowth before pulling to a stop. “Think this is as deep as we’re gonna get.”
Ryan shrugged. “Looks good enough to me.”
I twisted in the seat and peered back the way we’d come. There was nothing but trees and bushes behind me, and I couldn’t spot any sign of the road. I doubted anyone would be able to see us either unless they came right up to where we’d stopped.
We all climbed out of the car. The money and weapons had been divided between the guys’ rucksacks, so all we needed to do was strap them on and get walking.
Birds called to each other in the treetops. A light breeze rustled the canopy, the sound like running water. Insects buzzed around my head, and I flapped them away. “Did anyone think to bring bug spray?”
“Damn,” Kodee cursed. “I knew we’d forget something.”
“Let’s just hope the weather holds up,” Ryan said, shouldering his bag and connecting the straps across his chest. “This is going to be a whole lot harder if it starts to rain.”
I glanced up at the sky, but it was hidden from view by the leaves. “Do you think it’s likely to rain?”
He threw me a wry smile. “I hope not, but I haven’t had much of a chance to check the weather lately.”
“Me, either.” I smiled in return, trying to forget my nerves. My hands felt cold, and I was shivery all over, like I was coming down with the flu, but I knew it was just the adrenaline. I’d felt like this before.
Ryan found a good sturdy stick to use for support. “It’s not quite my crutches, but it’ll help.”
“Use whatever you need, including us,” Kodee said. “It’s better that you ask for help early than you end up in a position where you can’t walk.” He jerked his chin at Dillon. “Same goes for you.”
Dillon squared his shoulders. “I can handle it.”
“I don’t give a shit how tough you are. I’m telling you that if you start to struggle, speak out. We might need to move quickly and quietly if we come across border patrol guards. We can’t have anyone down, for all our sakes.”
Chastised and deflated, Dillon backed down. “Aye. Will do.”
Before he picked up his own bag, Kodee used the bottom of his shirt and set about wiping the steering wheel and the door handles, and anywhere else we might have touched. “We don’t want to leave any fingerprints, just in case the car is found sooner than we hope.”
I bit down on my lower lip, worrying at a piece of dried skin. “Do you think that’s likely to happen?”
He glanced over his broad shoulder at me. “I hope not, but let’s not take any risks.”
He was right about that. We were already taking far too many just by being out here. I doubted the guards would come this far from the border, but I was still wary of hearing a shout and having armed men demand to know what we were doing. Of course, they weren’t the only ones who were armed, but I hoped the guys wouldn’t consider shooting men who were only doing their jobs. If it came down to us getting across the border or being taken into custody, would they take innocent men’s lives? I kept my mouth shut, keeping the question to myself. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
With the car wiped down and all our belongings and supplies divided between us, we were ready.
Kodee led the way. He was the fittest and strongest out of all of us, and it was only natural for him to do so. He quickly realized he was leaving the rest of us behind, however, and he forced himself to slow to allow us to catch up.
It was going to be a long night. I hoped we’d all be alive and free by the end of it.
Chapter Twenty
Ryan
THE UNEVEN TERRAIN of a forest floor was not designed for someone with a prosthetic leg. Tree roots acted like low lying tripwires, as though deliberately trying to catch me out.
We’d already been walking for a good hour, but it felt like longer.
Taking a fall right now would not be a good thing. This was going to be challenging enough as it was—perhaps it would even be too much for my body to take—but I couldn’t see any other options. I wasn’t going to put the others at a disadvantage because of my disability. They’d already put up with me enough because of my PTSD. I didn’t want to always be the one they were making exceptions for.
I used the large stick I’d found to pick my way through the undergrowth. Dillon was also moving slowly and cautiously, something I knew I shouldn’t be pleased about, considering he was hurt, but I was, nevertheless. It meant I wasn’t the only one finding the going slow. We were still miles from the border, and I didn’t think we’d come across any border patrol guards any time soon. I knew we were all alert for any signs of other people, however. There would be hunters and rangers, and even other hikers out here. At first glance, we looked like we were regular hikers, but if someone took a closer look at us, it was clear that there was more to our story. The bandage wrapped around the gunshot wound on Dillon’s thigh. The faint blue and green bruises in the shape of fingerprints on Rue’s throat. The outline of a gun beneath Kodee’s untucked shirt.
Plus, all our gear was brand new, which was a huge red flag. Most people in the area would have equipment they’d used well and broken in and felt comfortable with.
We didn’t talk much as we walked, only saying what was necessary—watch out for that hole, or be careful of the poison ivy, or offering out drinks and snacks. Our voices could carry out here, and we didn’t want to alert anyone to our presence. Just the sound of us moving through the undergrowth, twigs cracking beneath foot, bushes rustling, the occasional cry of alarm when a hornet flew too close or someone lost their balance, felt as though we might as well have a flashing light and a car alarm signaling our position.
Gritting my teeth against the throbbing of my leg, I kept going, taking things slow and steady, and mostly in silence. It wasn’t only the stump that was causing me pain, though that was the part I was most worried about, getting sores and an infection where the stump met the prosthetic. Because I was over-compensating with my other leg, my hip and knee on the other side ached, too. I could tell from the concerned glances the others threw me that they were worried about how well I was coping, so I did my best to relax my features and return a smile or nod if I caught their eye. I didn’t want to give them a reason to stop and insist we go back. Our options were limited, and, as dangerous and difficult as it might be, this seemed to be our best hope for a fresh start without having to constantly look over our shoulders.
Through the treetops, the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting everything with a low yellow light. Soon the light would be gone altogether, and then our journey would become even more tre
acherous. We had flashlights that we’d picked up at the store, but though we’d have no choice but to use them to see where we were going, they would also make us more noticeable. But I’d trekked through dangerous places before.
This took me back to when I’d been a solider, but instead of my lovers around me, I’d had my comrades. I’d trusted each of them to cover my back, to stand at my side should something go wrong, and they’d done the same for me. We’d known the enemy was out there, and that they wouldn’t hesitate to kill us. I trusted the three people around me now just as much as I’d trusted the men back then. But once I’d left the Army, and knowing I could never go back, never put myself in that position again, I’d also lost my bond with them. Even though when I’d been in the Army, I’d been shot at and seen unimaginable horrors, lost people I’d cared about, had been injured myself, it had been easier than being out of it. In the Army, I hadn’t needed to think about things. I’d been told where to be, what to wear, dished up the same meals as everyone else, day after day. But then I’d come out, and as well as dealing with a life-changing injury, I’d also discovered I’d needed to make all those little choices as well. They’d paralyzed me, overwhelmed me. The length of the day with nothing but rehabilitation to fill it had felt endless. I’d become a civilian, and with that had come an untethering, a loss of my place in the world.
But now I had it back, and I wasn’t going to let it go without a fight.
A snap came from behind us, a crack of movement that sent my heart racing. I spun around, lifting my weapon and aiming it into the dappled shadows of the trees. I stared into the shadows, forcing my eyes to discern one shape from another, half-hoping that whatever I’d heard moving would reveal itself, so at least I could put my imagination to rest.
“What is it?” Dillon kept his voice low.
Guarded by Them (Dirty Twisted Love, #2) Page 13
