Part 1 (2/2)
”Why?”
”Well, he . . . uh . . . ,” Jose faltered.
”He's riding with Alison,” said Keira.
”Oh,” said Owen.
”I'll see you guys soon,” said Jose.
Less than a minute later, they had threaded their way out through the mines and were headed south on the dirt road that had brought them to the hacienda. Their dune buggy driver had a.s.sumed the same role for their transit to Puerto Peasco. A second heavily armed and body armorclad operative sat in the front pa.s.senger seat, his head panning back and forth as he scanned the sides of the road ahead with night-vision goggles. Nathan craned his neck between the rear bench headrests, examining the compartment behind them. His rifle and Keira's weapon were within easy reach if needed.
Nathan squeezed his wife's hand. Her arm was draped around Owen, pulling him tight against her vest, as the SUV bounced on the rough dirt road. She squeezed back and smiled under her night-vision goggles.
”You should close your eyes and get some sleep,” said Nathan. ”We're in good hands.”
Their vehicle was squeezed between two SUVs loaded with Jose's people, heading rapidly away from the border.
”What about you?” she whispered back.
”I'll rest when we're on the boat.”
”All right.”
Keira raised her goggles and looked through the windows before leaning her helmet against Owen's and closing her eyes.
”It's dark out there,” she said.
”There's nothing to see, really.”
”I love you,” she said.
”I love you more.”
Nathan surveyed the landscape, seeing little more than scrub and the occasional tree. A line of utility poles appeared in the distance ahead of them, growing closer as the convoy sped down the road. When they reached the tall wooden posts, the SUVs turned right onto a paved two-lane road.
”What road is this?” said Nathan.
The driver responded, ”It's part of the Highway 2 bypa.s.s. We'll take this south for about ten minutes, then use an old farming road to cross the Colorado River and intersect with Highway 40. Forty takes us most of the way to Puerto Peasco.”
”Thank you.”
He had more questions, but he didn't want to distract Jose's people from the critical task at hand-safely transporting his family south. That was the only thing that mattered right now. Getting them as far away from Cerberus as possible.
The convoy navigated through the lifeless expanse of land that had long ago given up its fertile soil. Every half mile or so they pa.s.sed a derelict irrigation well on the side of the road, recognizable solely by the concrete footing that had once supported a pump. Thirty years ago, the hardscrabble ground flanking this road would have held lush green fields of cotton or vegetable plants. The water fight north of the border had destroyed the Colorado River Valley in Mexico.
Their SUV dipped in and out of a shallow gulley.
”You just crossed the Colorado River,” said the driver. ”Hard as concrete. You can cross anywhere south of the border at any time, outside of flash flood season.”
Soon after crossing the dry riverbed, they turned south on another two-lane paved road that his driver identified as Highway 40. They'd follow this road along the eastern banks of the Sea of Cortez until they reached their destination. Nathan had just contemplated shutting his eyes when the SUV slowed. He leaned over Owen, peering between the front seats at the road ahead, unable to determine why the driver had decelerated.
”What's happening?”
”Lead vehicle spotted a checkpoint ahead,” said the driver. ”They'll check it out and report.”
Their SUV came to a gentle stop while the lead vehicle continued down the highway.
”Will it be a problem?”
”Depends. We have agreements in place with federal and state police authorities, and the local cartel, but the situation is fluid. Nighttime checkpoints are pretty rare.”
”Is that a good or bad thing?”
”Usually bad. You might want to grab your rifle and wake your wife.”
”I'm awake,” said Keira.
Nathan reached over the seat and retrieved Keira's MP-20, placing it in the foot well between her legs before grabbing his rifle.
”Windows down,” said the front pa.s.senger, lowering his window and unlocking the SUV's doors. ”Keep the hardware out of sight for now.”
Nathan pressed the b.u.t.ton to lower his window, breathing in the cool night air. He glanced at Keira, who fumbled for the b.u.t.ton with her one free hand.
”Lower your night vision,” said Nathan.
”I got her window,” said the driver, the gla.s.s next to Keira dropping quickly.
She flipped the goggles in place and gently moved Owen off her shoulder. Pulling the MP-20 into her lap, she faced the door and asked Nathan if he could see anything.
Nathan leaned his head out of the window, staring down the road. The lead SUV had traveled about several hundred yards, approaching three military-style vehicles arranged in a roadblock. At least one of the vehicles had some kind of turret-mounted machine gun. He lifted his goggles, weary of the bright synthetic daylight image, taking in the scene with the naked eye. The cl.u.s.ter of vehicles blocking the road was little more than a shadowy silhouette.
”Shouldn't we find another way?” said Nathan. ”This looks serious.”
”Highway 40 is the only easy way south. When the river started to dry out, they built a maze of concrete irrigation ca.n.a.ls here. No way to get past those. We might be able to buy our way through if this is a group of bored federales.”
”What if it isn't?”
”We could backtrack a little and work our way west to Highway 4. That would take us south through a s.h.i.+thole of a town called Estacin Coahuila. Jose wanted us to steer clear of it.”
As if on cue, a sudden explosion due west of the SUV exposed a distant town-the s.h.i.+thole in question, Nathan guessed. Streams of green tracers floated across the horizon between the low buildings, answered by red tracers headed in the opposite direction. Nathan couldn't guess the distance, but it felt uncomfortably close. Dozens of tracers ricocheted skyward, arching into the flat landscape surrounding the town. He lowered his goggles, changing the scene to daylight. Colored tracers continued to race back and forth through the distant town.
Their driver addressed the lead vehicle over the radio net. ”Alpha, this is Echo. You seeing this? What's going on up there?”
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