Page 25 of Gone
“You’re welcome,” nodded Wilson. As the bus drove away, Cruz looked at his friend.
“I hope those kids never know how close they came to dying. Just another twenty minutes and they all would have drowned or crashed against the rocks. Either way, they wouldn’t have made it. The water was moving so quickly, no one would have survived that. James definitely did his part to ensure they got home. I sure hope they remember that.”
“I think they know, and they’ll remember an experience like that. Or at least that little one knows and will remember. Rusty James could have deserted those kids and run for his life. Instead, he gave his life for them. That tells me he wasn’t born a criminal, or if he was, somewhere along the way he learned how to be a good man. I’d say he’s paid his debt to society.”
“Now, we just need to find those other two, and I’d damn sure like to be a fly on the cave wall when they do.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I don’t know how Zeke and Trak are finding anything in this mud and slop. There aren’t even animal prints,” said Kane. “The rains have washed everything away.”
“Believe me, if there’s a trail to be found, they’ll find it,” said Nine. “If we all had to stop for the night, chances are fairly good that the convicts did as well. The question is, did they get up early and move?”
“Yes,” came the voice.
“Jesus!” yelled Ghost. “You fucking freak me out some days.”
“I’m an old man,” said Trak. “I shouldn’t be freaking anyone out. But. Thank you for the compliment.”
“You freak me out, and I’m your tracking partner,” said Zeke. He smiled at the group of men and nodded to Ghost. “We found something. It looks like they hid in a small cave above a ledge about a mile north of where we are now and then started walking early this morning. They’re not trying to hide their trail, which means they think no one is following them.”
“It also means they intended for Rusty and those boys to die. They had no intention of going back for them,” frowned Gaspar.
“They’ll die for that,” said Mac.
“Should we split up?” asked Ghost, looking at Zeke and Trak.
“No,” said Trak definitively. “We stay together for now. The trail is easy to follow, and although we’re more in numbers, we’re faster than they are.”
“You walk, we follow,” said Nine.
Zeke and Trak nodded, turning to head back in the direction they’d come from. The men were used to hiking long distances in the field, particularly when they were active duty. Although generally they didn’t have thirty men marching with them.
Like any other time, they placed the strongest at the front and the rear, allowing for the certainty that no one would sneak up on them. With the others back at camp, they walked in groups of five.
Trak, Zeke, Nine, Miller, and Gaspar at the front. Ghost, Ian, Whiskey, Antoine, and Dex followed. Otto, Kegger, Pork, Mac, and Clay were next. Jean, Rafe, Bryce, Flip, and Kane. Adam, Spook, Garrett, Juan, Regan, and Akin.
Twenty-six men in all, chasing two. Twenty-six men with unusual skills and abilities, Special Forces training, and a determination that the convicts would never understand.
They didn’t need to stop for food or water. They ate and drank as they moved. If one needed to take a piss, another watched out for him. But there was no stopping. There was no whining that they were cold or wet. No one complained about blisters on their feet or chafing from the wet clothing.
No one was complaining. Nor would there be any until Frank Joest and Tommy Carroll were back in custody.
Or dead.
“Kane? Did you happen to get a read on the agents that were here?” asked Gaspar. “I want to be sure they left for all the right reasons.”
“They were fine,” said Kane. “I shook all of their hands on the premise of thanking them for their ‘help.’ They were just scared and, quite frankly, a bunch of pussies. They were wet and cold.”
“I’ll make sure to relay that to their director,” frowned Gaspar.
“Juan? Any chance you could do your appearing and disappearing act and find us that cave with the money?” asked Nine.
“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. I have to have some idea of where I’m going, and since we have no clue, I’m stuck in the here and now,” he grinned.
“Well, it was worth a try,” said Nine.
Up ahead, Nine noticed that Zeke and Trak were stopped along the ridge, looking down at the river.
