Part 34 (1/2)
”Nathan. I found your pack. They must have stuffed it in the lead vehicle,” said David, stopping a few feet away from him. ”Are you sure you don't have the satphone in your vest?”
”I'll check again. The last time I remember seeing it was in the Motel 6. I think I put it down to pick up the radio. I honestly can't remember what I did with it. Everything moved at light speed in the room.”
”I thought maybe Keira grabbed it,” David said, ”but she checked all of her stuff.”
Nathan nestled the gas can into the back of the SUV, while David found a place for his pack. He checked the pockets of his tactical vest again, not finding the phone.
”Dammit,” he said. ”I should've stuffed it in my pocket when I grabbed the radio.”
”I should've been tracking it,” said David. ”That was the first time the phone wasn't in one of my pockets or hands since Colonel Smith gave it to me. I need to check in with my dad. They have to be worried.”
”They should be halfway to Vegas by now.”
”So should we,” said David. ”I hope this isn't the main storm.”
”I don't think it is. We'd see it building on the horizon. You ever been in one of these sandstorms?”
”A few times in Afghanistan. It's pretty insane. Day turns to night. Scary enough when we were under cover on base, but out in the field? Like a nightmare.”
”We left Tucson after getting hit with five in one summer,” said Nathan. ”Big ones, too. Air quality goes to s.h.i.+t for days.”
”Let's get moving. I can tell Jose is nervous about our progress,” said David, grabbing the lift gate.
He shut it, and they both walked down the driver's side to get into the SUV. When Nathan closed the rear door, he still felt the warm wind blowing through the vehicle. The permanently open, bullet-resistant windows funneled the desert air and a steady flow of sand through the car. That was the only drawback to Jose's bulletproof-car design. They couldn't close the windows, rendering the SUV's air-conditioning system effectively useless. The backseat had AC vents built into the center console, which kept them from dying of heatstroke, if accompanied by generous amounts of water. Warm water. Because everything in the car had warmed to body temperature or higher.
”Start the car and kick up that AC,” said Nathan.
”Life support systems activated,” said David, turning the ignition.
Owen chuckled. He'd really taken to David, which made Nathan happy. His son needed all the friends he could get right now. So did Nathan.
”Jose. How are we looking?” said Nathan, leaning forward between the seats.
Jose was busy listening to his satphone and scribbling on a notepad.
”Sorry,” said Nathan, sitting back.
”One second,” said Jose, saying something into the phone before putting it down. ”All right. I just spoke with Vegas about the weather situation. This is one of several microbursts that have popped up between Tucson and Flagstaff ahead of the wider storm. We'll be dealing with high winds the whole way.”
”What about the big storm?” said Nathan.
”It's moving fast. Getting to Kingman will be tight. We're about two hours out.”
”Easy for two hours to turn into three out here,” said Nathan.
”It's really a straight shot from here. We'll intersect with US Highway 93 in about thirty-five minutes. We take that all the way to Interstate 40. If we can get to 40, we're good to go. The road is regularly patrolled by the Arizona National Guard and heavily armed militia groups aligned with the state. The cartel is not welcome up there. It's kind of the unofficial cartel demarcation line in Arizona.”
”And the route is clear?” asked David.
”That's the only good part about falling behind schedule. The scout teams reported no unusual cartel activity between Interstate 40 and our upcoming highway intersect point. I'm tempted to send them through again instead of waiting for us.”
”It's not a bad idea,” said David. ”Thirty minutes gives us plenty of time to make an adjustment if they run into trouble.”
”All right. I'll send them ahead and have them wait for us at Interstate 40. They have extra supplies.”
”Good, because we're running low on water,” said Keira, drinking from her CamelBak hose.
”A few more hours, and we'll be out of this mess,” said Jose, sounding exhausted. ”I know the ride sucks.”
”Jose,” said David, ”can I borrow your phone for a second, to check in with my dad? He has to be pretty worried by now. I told him we'd call first thing in the morning. I think we left ours behind at the motel in all of the confusion.”
”You want me to drive?” asked Jose, handing him the phone.
”No. I'm just gonna check in and give him a quick update,” he said, pressing the numbers.
”You forgot the eight after the four,” Nathan pointed out.
David paused for a moment before starting over. ”I think this heat is frying my brain.”
Nathan put his hand in front of the AC vent. The faintly blowing air felt warm. It wouldn't start to cool down until the car was moving.
”Dad. It's David,” he said. ”Everyone is fine. We ran into a little trouble, but we're on the way. How is everything on your end?”
David paused to listen.
”About two hours from Kingman. We're not going to make it to Vegas tonight. There's a ma.s.sive sandstorm moving in. I'll call you when we've settled in for the night. I gotta go.”
He nodded a few times. ”I really have to go, Dad. See you soon.”
David ended the call and handed the phone to Jose. ”We're good.”
”They're all right?” said Keira.
”Sounds like it. They'll get into Vegas around midnight,” said David, putting the car in gear.
The SUV in front of them rolled forward, David following closely.
”We have a nice setup in Vegas,” said Jose. ”Very secure.”
”I thought the city was a cartel-free zone?” said Nathan.
”You won't find marauding bands of cartel soldiers shooting up the streets, but they can still flex their muscle in Sin City. It's not as safe as the primetime commercials boast, but for the average tourist? Hard to find a cheaper room with that many amenities.”
”I'd like to push north, out of the Wastelands,” said Keira. ”Our luck has been consistently bad down here.”