I glanced at the small child trailing after Val like a duckling. For some reason no one on the planet would be able to fathom, Sy had taken a liking to Val. He'd been following him everywhere since he woke up this morning.
Val was practically scandalized.
"We should get on the road," I said as I stood. "We have a lot of road to cover."
Val said something to Sy that made his shoulders slump. I was too far away to hear what it was, but a moment later he said something else and ruffled the hair at the top of Sy's head.
Sy nodded and then bounced over to where Ajag was standing next to the Jeep. Ajag lifted him up and placed him in his seat. A moment later, he closed the door and walked around to the other side of the car.
"Same tune as yesterday?"
"We'll need to gas up before we hit the highway," Val pointed out. "I don't want to do it in Moab, but maybe a little farther down the road."
The next three days were pretty much rinse and repeat. We stopped long enough for gas and food, sometimes in a diner, sometimes just going through a drive through.
We'd find some out of the way spot to camp for the night and then get right back on the road the next day. Val left periodically to report in to Elder Ridge and get updates on the investigation into Elder Payne.
Other than that, nothing changed.
Well, one thing changed. Instead of sleeping on the ground in my fur I was now sleeping curled up with Ajag every night. That was much better than sleeping alone on the cold hard ground.
By the time we reached the small town where the ranch was located, we were all tired and so done with being on the road. As much as I loved being out on my bike, if I didn't see pavement for the next month I'd die a happy man.
I made careful note of all the vehicles we passed as we drove through town. I didn't expect that any of the council soldiers could have arrived before us considering the pace we'd had on the way here, but it never hurt to be careful.
I saw nothing out of place, or at least nothing that overly concerned me. That didn't mean I would stop looking. Danger could come from anywhere. I had a family to protect now and I'd be damned if Ajag or Sy got hurt on my watch.
I still wanted to scout the ranch before I actually took Ajag and Sy home, just to be on the safe side. So, right before we reached the ranch, I pulled over to the side of the road. I was in no way surprised when Ajag and Val pulled over with me.
I climbed off my bike and walked back to the Jeep. "There's a small dirt road just down the way. It's right before the driveway to the ranch. I want you to pull in there."
Ajag frowned as he glanced through the windshield. "We're not headed to the ranch?"
"We are," I replied. "I just want to check it out and make sure we don't have any unwanted guests before I take you and Sy there."
"All right."
"Just follow me." I got back on my bike and then drove down to the dirt road I'd mentioned to Ajag. It was a little bumpy on the bike, but I was positive the Jeep would make it no problem. Brass had driven SUVs down this thing.
Once we were far enough up the dirt road to not be seen from the man street, I parked my bike, turned it off, and then swung my leg over it. I walked over to the Jeep again.
"Wait here," I told Ajag. "We shouldn't be more than ten minutes or so. If you have any problems, just drive away and then call me on the cell phone like we prearranged. I'll come find you."
Ajag gave me a simple nod.
I walked over to wear Val was still sitting on his bike. "Up for a little recon?"
Val glanced toward the Jeep. "You just gonna leave them here?"
"Ajag knows what to do if there are problems."
Did I like leaving Ajag and Sy here alone? No, but I couldn't think of a better plan.
"You know I could go check things out if you need me to. There's no sense in both of us going."
"You haven't been to the ranch before," I replied. "You don't know what you are looking for."
Val snorted.
