by Ellie Danes
In front of me I heard a solid thunk as one cousin shoved the other in the chest. They were arguing over the birthday party slight and it was quickly devolving into nothing but swearing and name calling.
After the fifth time I heard ‘horse’s ass,’ I gave Bree the signal to get into position. She felt my double-tap and moved to stand directly behind me. She gave herself and me enough room to move in case I had to swing around, then she reached up and put her fingers on the hem of my blindfold bag.
The cousins were really getting into now. I could hear their boots scraping across the dusty road as they shoved each other and grappled. Neither was letting go and the two stumbled back and forth in front of the van until they needed more room to sort out their problems.
I knew the second the cousins moved in front of the van because I could hear a sharp swing and a miss. The taller cousin had tried to punch the other and now the fight was really on.
“Woo hoo hoo, felt the wind on that one,” the shorter cousin taunted.
“Lights on,” I said to Bree.
She tore the hood off my head, and I squinted against the blazing desert sun. Bree grabbed my belt and guided me back to the opening of the van door.
The first thing I saw was the two cousins grappling and trying to trip the other one onto the dirty road. They had moved a dozen yards or so in front of the van and were oblivious to our movements.
The second thing I saw was the toolkit under the driver’s seat. I made sure to keep my head in sight as I reached down and slid it out. I waited until the first real punch landed and then I flipped open the lid.
The shorter cousin now had a bloodied lip and he gave a growling war cry before flinging himself at the other guard. While they fell to the ground in a cloud of dust, I found a pair of clippers and made quick work of my ties.
When I turned around, Bree was waiting as we had discussed. I snatched the hood off her head and then sliced through her ties. She cringed in the bright sunlight, delighted that she was able to use her hands to shade her eyes.
In front of the van, the two cousins were peppering each other with light body-shots and mostly just coming up with new ways to call each other an ass. They didn’t notice when Bree jumped into the van and crawled into the front seats. She popped open the driver’s side door for me.
I shut the side door as quietly as I could and sprang into the driver’s seat. Because it was supposed to just be a quick stop, he had left the keys in the ignition. I cranked the key and the van roared to life.
It still took the fighting men a few seconds to realize what was happening. I had backed up down the road a dozen yards by the time they untangled themselves and started to chase us.
That’s when I whipped the van around and slammed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. We kicked up a huge cloud of dust but I could still see the cousins running after us. I watched the rearview mirror.
“Get down,” I told Bree.
The cousins had drawn their guns and the first shot zinged off my side-view mirror. I swerved the van and created a thicker cloud of dust. Soon they were nothing but vague shadows far behind us.
Chapter Eighty-Four
Bree
My lungs stopped working after the first bullet hit the van. Nathan looked optimistic, as far as I could tell from where I clung to the passenger seat. Out of context, he would have looked like any other man who’d jumped into the car to run a quick errand. If only I could have blocked out the rest.
From where I slumped low in my seat, I could still see the churning desert dust and hear the peppering pings of the bullets hit the van.
We sped away, quickly outdistancing their range, but soon it was clear that each bullet had kicked off a new rattle. The van had chortled and creaked as the men had driven us blindfolded into the desert. Now it hissed and gurgled, and strange knocking sounds came from the undercarriage.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked.
Nathan glanced down to where I huddled on the floor of the passenger side. “Ten more yards, and we’ll be completely out of range. After that, the plan is to head north.”
“Back to Ciudad Juarez?” I asked.
It didn’t matter what Nathan would say. The last bullet whizzed by and, despite the van’s new rattles, I felt the peace.
“It’s our best bet,” Nathan said. He never once let off the gas.
I clung to the seat as I pulled myself up. The van bounced and complained as we barreled onto some sort of dirt track. It led us over a forgotten section of ranch land and onward to wilder terrain.
When we met up with a gravel road, Nathan slowed down and listened intently.
“Are we going to make it?” I asked.
The van lurched a few times then picked up speed again. I put on my seatbelt and tried not to look at the hot stretch of desert outside the window. Instead, I focused on Nathan.
His lips tightened as he listened. The van was definitely in bad shape. “We’ll be fine,” he said.
I snorted. “Liar. Shouldn’t we stop and see what happened? Maybe it’s something you can fix.”
“With what?” Nathan snapped.
I dug under the passenger seat and pulled out a roll of tough, gray tape. “Duct tape?”
It was supposed to be a joke. I thought Nathan would crack a smile. I thought he might even praise me again for the way I was handling myself. I was combat-tested and feeling quite proud of myself.
“Whatever it is, tape isn’t going to fix it,” Nathan said. “And why would I stop when we’re being chased?”
“Chased? On foot?” I asked.
Nathan pressed on the gas harder. “We’ve got to keep going.”
I frowned at him. “Fine, I get it.”
“What now?” Nathan barked.
I was sure it was just residual adrenaline, but his tone made me angry. “I think I’ve earned a say in our plans. You should realize by now that my questions and suggestions have helped get us this far. Or do you still think you could have done all of this alone?”
Nathan gripped the steering wheel. “Like you said, this is all my fault. I should have cleaned it up myself.”
“So, I wasn’t any help at all?” I asked.
“Yeah, you helped. So, what? It’s still my fault. It’s all on me that we’re racing across the desert while who knows how many cars converge on us. And it’s my fault that the van is about to fail.”
My hand itched to slap him. “Oh? Were you supposed to magically know there wouldn’t be an armored car meeting us? I didn’t know you were psychic, too. Is that part of the Navy SEAL training now?”
Nathan’s jaw flexed, and he fell silent.
My blood hummed with adrenaline and irritation. It was just like Nathan to think so highly of himself that he took the blame for things entirely out of his control. Was he going to speed up the sunset so we’d have better cover?
I opened my mouth to ask that, but the van coughed and sputtered.
“Hang on,” Nathan muttered.
He slowed down but the van lurched and threw us forward then back. We bumped wildly over to the side of the gravel road, and Nathan aimed for a large clump of brush. The engine cut off as we hitched off the road.
In the silence, I could hear the tires crunching over the rough desert. Then Nathan let out a long and very creative string of curse words.
The van shuddered to a stop just outside the long shadow of the brush. Even after he put it in park, Nathan sat with his hands wrapped around the steering wheel.
“We can push it,” I said.
Nathan swore again and tore open the driver’s side door. I had to scramble across and jump out after him because the lock wouldn’t release on my door. He waved me back into the driver’s seat, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, he wanted to push the van all by himself.
I steered as Nathan pushed. The van inched forward and then jammed against a rock. There was more swearing and foot-stomping as Nathan removed the offending rock and shoved the van f
arther on. I turned the wheel and steered the van behind the large clump of dry bushes.
When I got out, Nathan was already walking back the way we came. He whipped one foot back and forth over the tire tracks until they were erased. I copied him and worked my way up the other track. Once we reached the road again, the tire tracks were all but erased.
Nathan waved me back to the van and took his time covering our tracks further.
I shook my head and left him to work out the rest of his adrenaline. I wondered if his Navy SEAL team had put up with his mood swings after each mission.
Inside the van, the only productive thing I could think to do was dig through the glove compartment and center console. When I found a fat wad of cash, I grinned.
“See?” I jumped out the van and waved the cash at Nathan. “You can’t say I don’t contribute.”
Nathan scowled, walked past the van, and kept marching off into the desert. I had no choice but to follow him.
Chapter Eighty-Five
Nathan
Bree seemed to think we were saved the second we stepped onto the paved road. I understood how comforting the hint of civilization was after our long, hot trek through the desert, but she still didn’t seem to understand the danger of our situation.
I shot her an irritated look, but it had no effect. Bree narrowed her eyes at me and used the cash she’d found as an impromptu fan.
Did I prefer the Bree who would have cowered and cried? Now that I was faced with the combat-ready version, I found myself on edge. It was all my fault she had changed. Days ago, it would have been inconceivable for Bree to deal with a kidnapping, survive a brush with death, and then drive away under a hail of bullets. Now, she cracked jokes before the danger had completely passed.
I had made her entire life into one gigantic mess.
As we walked along the paved road in the blazing afternoon sun, I watched Bree. She stumbled, exhausted by our narrow escape, but there was never a doubt that she would keep going. There was a strength emerging in her that I had never imagined. It was beautiful but I hated that she needed it.
I promised myself there was still time to get Bree back to a normal life.
I turned to make my promise to her out loud, but a cloud of dust on the horizon changed my words into curses. “Looks like we have company,” I told Bree after a long line of expletives.
Bree glanced around, her new strength ebbing away. Our only choices were a long, open strip of paved road or a vast landscape full of rough terrain and rocky outcrops.
“Maybe it’s the authorities,” Bree said.
I shook my head. “The only authority out here is the cartel.”
“It could be the FBI,” Bree said. “Maggie or one of the other children could have convinced them to come look for us.”
“Do you really want to stand here on the side of the road until they catch up?” I asked. “And how are you going to tell if it’s FBI or the cartel? As far as I know, they both drive big, black SUVs.”
Bree propped her fists on her hips and glared at me. “Let me guess, this is the part where you tell me what the plan is, and I don’t get a say no matter what.”
“You want a say?” I shouted. “So, tell me, Bree, what should we do? Wait in the hopes those cars are good guys or take our chances in the desert?”
Bree squinted toward the horizon and saw that I was right. Two cars barreled toward us. The dust cloud faded now that they were also on the paved road we walked. She watched them racing toward us and bit her lip.
“This road leads to Ciudad Juarez, right?” Bree asked.
I nodded. “And it looks like that’s where those cars are coming from. Do you really think they’re the FBI?”
Bree frowned. “People get lost in the desert. You can die in the desert.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” I said.
She stood, still undecided on the edge of the road. I marched toward the nearest rocky outcrop and then stopped. Bree wasn’t following me, and that was all my fault. A real leader works with his team, instead of directing them. I had failed to let her know how well we worked together.
I had never told Bree how much I had come to rely on her.
I stomped back to the road. “I need you, Bree. The only way we can get through this is together.”
Bree blinked back sudden tears and nodded. She jumped off the side of the road and turned to walk backward. I watched as she brushed our trail clean.
When she bumped against my chest, I wrapped my arms around her and bent down to kiss her neck.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. We’re better together,” I said.
Bree spun around and kissed me. Then she pulled back with a bright smile. “Don’t you think we should get going?”
“Race you,” I joked. Then I had to run to catch up as Bree sped off toward the rocky outcrop and our best chance at survival.
Chapter Eighty-Six
Bree
After everything we went through, I knew I shouldn’t fear a long walk. I shouldn’t even be worried about spending the night out in the desert. Nathan had always come through before, and this was no time for me to lose faith.
Waves of exhaustion flowed over me, but I kept walking. The desert was rough and rocky, and it took all my concentration not to twist an ankle. I told myself all I had to do was put one foot in front of the other and everything would be okay.
Nathan marched along as if we were strolling through a park.
I clenched my fists and struggled to keep up.
He glanced back now and then, but mostly he led the way without a second look. I stumbled along behind him and swore to myself that I wouldn’t say a thing.
Then the sun started to set, and I felt the first acidic bubbles of my anxiety return full force. We were stranded in the desert and darkness was closing in. Not only that, but we had no idea which way our enemies would come. The only certainty was that the cartel was searching for us and wouldn’t stop until they saw our dead bodies.
The morbid thought filled my head, and I tripped over a knotted root. I stumbled hard and hit my shin against a sharp rock.
Nathan turned around at my cry, but didn’t rush to my side. “Are you okay?”
“As if you care,” I muttered.
“What?” Nathan glared at me in the encroaching darkness.
I dragged myself to my feet only to find my knees were weak. I swayed and reached out to steady myself. Nathan was there with one strong arm stretched out. I batted him away and stumbled along to find my balance alone.
“You know there’s a difference between strength and stubbornness,” Nathan said.
“Really? And I’m supposed to believe you, of all people, can tell them apart?” I asked.
Nathan’s eyes glittered, lit from the side by the blazing sunset. “You don’t think you’re acting stubborn? If you need help, why don’t you just ask? Otherwise, you’re just slowing us down.”
“So now I’m just slowing you down?” My voice echoed off the jagged rocks ahead.
Nathan ran both hands through his hair and then clenched his fingers into fists. “Are you okay? Do you need me to walk with you?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped. “A Mexican cartel is trying to kill me, and I’m lost in the desert but I’m fine.”
“You forgot to mention that it’s getting dark,” Nathan said. He whipped around and started walking again.
“What does that matter? It’s not like I get to choose the direction were going,” I said.
Nathan stopped. “Where do you suggest we go?” he asked, not bothering to turn around.
I marched past him. “Right. It’s totally unreasonable for me to think about going somewhere besides Ciudad Juarez. Why not go straight back to where the cartel got ahold of us in the first place?”
Nathan grabbed my elbow and spun me to face him. “What is wrong with you? We have no choice but to go back the way we came. The nearest sections of the border will be covered by now. The ca
rtel doesn’t think we can make it, but I do.”
I wrenched my arm from his grip. “You mean you’ll make it. Or you would if I wasn’t slowing you down.”
Nathan raised his hands up to the darkening sky and opened his mouth. I expected a primordial roar to come from him, but he held back. Instead, Nathan took another deep breath and turned to continue marching across the rough terrain.
Something inside me broke. I took one step, and my knees buckled. I slumped to the ground and cried out when my hip hit a sharp rock.
At first, Nathan didn’t turn around. I didn’t know how far he went before he noticed I wasn’t moving. My eyes felt too heavy to pry off the ground. I stared at a minuscule row of ants and wished I could move with such purpose.
“Bree?”
Nathan marched back and prodded me with the toe of his boot. My hands wouldn’t lift to push him away. I just sat, slumped on the ground and watched the ants marching away.
“Are you hurt?” Nathan squatted down and grabbed my chin.
I fought as he raised my face to his. “I’m not hurt. I just need to rest.”
“Are you cold?” he asked.
I glared up at him. “We’re in the desert.”
Nathan cocked an eyebrow. “So, what’s your problem?”
I choked on his ridiculous question. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I couldn’t answer over the sudden flood. The way Nathan squatted there and stared at me like I was a child didn’t help. I sobbed and slumped further down to the ground.
“Bree, we have to keep going. Even if you’re hungry or tired. The only way to solve those problems is to get to the next town,” Nathan said.
He tried to brush my hair back from my face but I slapped his hand away. “I’m hungry, I’m tired, and I’m going to die in the desert. But what does that matter? Everyone I ever loved already thinks I’m dead.”
Nathan sat down and gathered me into his arms. I fought his comfort but I was too weak and he wasn’t letting go. He reached up with one wide hand and pressed my head to his shoulder.
