"Um, well, I'm not sure I can answer that. Brass beat the crap out of me on a pretty regular basis and there were times when I was unconscious. Who knows what he could have done."
Rad's jaw clenched for a moment before he said, "I'll talk to Val. I'm sure he has some way to check." He gave me a little pushtoward the driver's side door. "But right now, you need to get in the car. We need to get on the road."
"I need gas."
Rad's frown deepened for a moment before he glanced at Val. "We need gas."
"It's not a good idea to stop at any of the gas stations in town. They usually have video surveillance of some kind. There's a couple of stations west of here that are too old for that, but we'll need to drive fifty miles or so."
I quickly shook my head. "I don't have enough gas for that." I'd been planning on getting gas first thing in the morning. Who knew I'd need it before then?
"Give me ten minutes," Val replied before walking away.
"Where's he going?" I asked.
"To get you some gas."
"In a campground?"
How?
"He's probably going to go ask someone that has an RV. They usually carry spare gas."
Huh.
I never really considered that. Truth be told, I wasn't much of a camper. If Rad hadn't supplied me with everything I'd need, I'd be lost on what to take camping.
"We're going to head back to the ranch," Rad stated. "I know you don't want to be there, but I think it's the safest place for you right now."
"It's not that I don't want to be there." I kind of did. "It's just..."
"I know, baby."
When Rad's arms encircled me, I sank into the embrace, needing it more than I could imagine. "I'm tired, Rad."
Rad's fingers threaded through my hair as he pressed my head to his shoulder. "I need you to hold it together just a little longer, Ajag. You can rest when we get to the ranch."
"Promise?" My question was almost desperate.
"I do."
"I've been running for so long. Sy wasn't even a year old when our mother was killed. Between being hunted and what happened with Brass, I haven't had a single moment to breathe."
Rad's arms tightened for just a moment. "I promise you, Ajag, you'll be able to rest once we get back to the ranch. I'll make sure of it."
I wasn't sure he could keep that promise.
I lifted my head and turned when I heard footsteps coming toward us, my heart leaping into my throat until I saw Val. He was carrying two large red plastic containers.
"It's only about ten gallons," he stated, "but it should get us far enough down the road to get to a good gas station."
He walked back to the gas tank cap. After setting the two containers on the ground, he unscrewed the cap, and then started pouring the gas into the tank.
He glanced over at me, his face cold and expressionless. "Oh, by the way, if anyone from the campground asks, your kid is sick and we need the gas to get to a hospital in Wagon Mound."
"Won't these guys just follow us there once they figure out where we're going?" I asked.
Val's face changed when he grinned. "That's the plan."
