Gone Away (14 page)

“No.” The kid spit on Mason’s boots.

“My
God
, you are obnoxious.” Mason rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. “I am easily twice your size and you’re
tied up
. Now, either get in the truck yourself, or I’ll knock you out and
throw
you in.”

The kid glared at Mason for another second before he crossed his ankles and started to sink to the ground.

“For the love of—” Mason mumbled. He moved fast. Spinning the kid around, Mason hefted him over one shoulder and shoved him into the truck, then climbed in after him.

The way he’d been tied made it hard for the kid to do anything quickly, including get to his feet. Mason readjusted the rope so it wasn’t quite as tight against his arms. Then he anchored the loose end to rings evenly spaced along the truck walls. Looking around the truck, he saw a pile of bungee cords near the front. He took one and used it to tie the kid’s feet together. Lastly he grabbed the old coat he knew Tyler used when he made deliveries and had to spend some time in a walk-in cooler, or when he made deliveries in the colder months. He wrapped that around the kid’s shoulders.

The kid tried shaking the coat off, growling, “I don’t need your filth on me.”

“Suit yourself. But this is a cooler truck, kept at a balmy thirty-five degrees. Your ass is going to get pretty frosty.”

“Yeah, I bet you want my ass, squaw.”

Mason shook his head. He wasn’t even going to justify that with a response. He left the truck and pulled the door closed and locked it, mumbling, “You’d lose that bet.”

He walked around to the passenger door and rapped his knuckles on the window. Riece looked out, grinned, and opened the door. “That’s two,” Riece said and scooted over to make room for Mason.

“There’s room in the back compartment,” Tyler said, aiming one thumb over his shoulder. “I usually keep some extra supplies back there, but we can move it to one side. It’ll get pretty cramped up here with all three of us.”

Riece nodded. “Good point.”

Mason and Riece redistributed Tyler’s possessions so Riece could climb in the back. Mason handed off the kid’s rifle, and Riece set that across his knees.

“You want to go the ranger station near Custer?” Tyler asked as he started the truck’s engine.

“Yeah,” Mason said and leaned his head back against the seat, then closed his eyes. The gentle rocking of the truck and the rumble of the engine was soothing. Tension and stress bled out of him. His arms and legs felt heavy, and his eyelids began to droop. The sounds of Riece shifting around made Mason start and look back.

Riece had piled Tyler’s extra gear against the side of the truck and was using it for a back brace. That gave him enough room to stretch his legs. He gave Mason a sleepy smile that Mason returned with a wink. He’d come back to apprehend the remaining hunters after Riece was safely in Custer. Right now, however, he could get a nap. As he drifted off, he wondered how he was going to convince Riece to stay behind while Mason did some hunting of his own.

SOMEONE JOSTLING
his arm startled Mason awake. He turned to the back, mumbling, “Riece?”

“He’s asleep,” Tyler said quietly. The truck wasn’t moving anymore, but the engine was still running. Tyler nodded out the front window. The man with the red hair stood in the middle of the road. In front of him and across the width of the road were tire shredders. Mason sighed. “Oh, crap. I should’ve known this was too easy.”

“Who the hell carries that crap around?” Tyler asked.

“Insane people.” Mason leaned to the side and dug his badge from his jeans pocket. Holding it out to Tyler, he said, “Get ahold of the station and use my badge number. Use your radio or phone, not this one.” He tapped the radio on his belt. “Let them know we’ve got the missing kid and there is an armed man blocking the road. He’s got three more accomplices, and I’m sure they’re in the area. One woman, two men—one man has a leg wound.”

“How do you know that?” Tyler asked.

Mason smirked as he reached in the back for the rifle. “Because I put it there.” He checked the load in the rifle. “I’m hoping he went to the hospital, but I’ve no proof of that. So until we know differently, we’ll operate as if he’s still in the area and with the other hunters.”

“What are you going to do?” Riece asked.

Twisting around, Mason said, “I thought you were still asleep. Sorry.”

“You said there could be as many as three more people. I see one. That means there are others lurking around here somewhere,” Tyler pointed out.

“I don’t think so. I used their radio to call you. They knew you were meeting us, and only had a general idea of where. We were in thick enough trees that they couldn’t have been tracking us closely enough to know exactly where on the road we’d be. We’d have seen them as well. I’m betting they split up and blocked the road at the two farthest points. It’s what I’d do. How long between when you picked us up and we stopped here?”

Tyler shrugged. “Twenty minutes tops. Maybe even less.”

“I think if there were others here with him they’d be in this truck by now. It’s not an armored vehicle. The windows are nothing but regular glass. I wounded that man badly enough I doubt he can walk well, or at all.” Mason turned toward the passenger door and looked in the side-view mirror, then rolled the window down and cautiously leaned out so he could see up and down the road. “That doesn’t mean he can’t shoot, however.”

“What do you want me to do?” Tyler asked.

“You’re a teacher, Tyler,” Mason pointed out.

“Was a teacher,” Tyler corrected.

Mason huffed breath. “Neither one of you has any sort of training, and I refuse to risk you getting hurt.”

“If you get hurt, what happens to us?” Riece asked softly. Mason hated how logical Riece was sometimes. More so, he hated how Riece had no problem voicing that logic. Whether or not he and Tyler would survive without Mason was irrelevant. All three of them knew their chances were far better with Mason than without.

“We need a plan and fast before”—Tyler dipped his head out the front window—“his buddies get here.”

“Yes, we do.” Mason leaned forward and stared out the window. “First thing is to find out if he’s alone.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Riece said.

“You guys up for this?” Mason looked from Riece to Tyler.

“What do you have in mind?” Riece asked.

“He knows we’re in here. He knows we have that kid, and he knows where the others are,” Mason said. He turned to Tyler. “Can you swing the truck around so it’s between him and us? If you two can distract him, I think I can get the drop on him.”

Tyler nodded and put the truck in gear. When he backed it up, Red Hair crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. He stepped over the shredding strip and took his crossbow from its place on his back. Loading it, he glared at them. Tyler swung the truck around so it completely blocked the road, the driver side facing Red Hair.

Mason grabbed Tyler’s shoulder and shoved, snapping out, “Get down!”

A bolt crashed through the window, barely skimming over Mason’s and Tyler’s backs, and slammed through the far window.

“Holy crap!” Riece said from the back. There was no window back there, so it was likely he hadn’t been seen.

“I didn’t know that was even possible,” Tyler said softly and brushed glass shards from the seat. “I’m glad you did.”

Mason opened the passenger door. “It’s likely he only saw two of us. Stall as long as you can, but don’t antagonize him.”

“I think he’s already been antagonized,” Riece mumbled.

Tyler put both hands in the air and shouted, “Don’t shoot me.” He twisted in the driver’s seat so he blocked Mason and Riece’s actions.

Riece climbed into the front seat and Mason slipped out of the passenger side door. Moving fast and keeping low, Mason made his way around the truck to the back. He heard the kid banging around, but it wasn’t likely that Red Hair could hear him from his vantage point.

“Get out!” Red Hair shouted.

Mason ducked under the truck and rolled to the driver’s side. Tyler climbed out with his hands up, and Riece walked around from the other side of the truck.

“Who are you?” Red Hair snapped. “And where’s Ranger Red-Nigger Rick?”

“Um… I drive this truck.” Tyler motioned with one hand to Riece. “I picked him up hitchhiking a few miles back.”

“Down,” Red Hair ordered and waved at the ground with the crossbow. His attention was drawn to the back of the truck when the kid shouted. “J.P., you in there?” He aimed the crossbow at Tyler. “Get this thing open.” He turned it on Riece again. “You, I said
down
, you fag piece of shit.”

Riece sank to his knees and Tyler sidestepped toward the front of the truck. “My keys are still inside the cab.”

Red Hair jerked his chin at the cab’s driver side door. “Hands where I can see them. You move one muscle I don’t like, and you’ll be dead before you hit the ground.” He paced behind Tyler, looked down at Riece, and shouted, “Where the fuck is he? Don’t play stupid with me.”

Riece stared at the ground and shook his head. Mason recognized Riece’s expression immediately. Too much emotion, too quickly, and Riece would shut down. Terror was a strong emotion, and one Riece couldn’t really process or function with. Anger and hate welled up in Mason. Riece had never hurt anyone, he wasn’t frightening, and he didn’t deserve this.

“I said, where is your ranger squaw?” Red Hair had the bolt point inches from Riece’s head.

Riece said nothing. He continued to stare at the ground.

“Answer me!” Red Hair shouted.

Shoving the rifle ahead of him, Mason rolled out from under the truck behind Red Hair. He snatched up the weapon and rolled to his feet at the same time. Putting the rifle to his shoulder, he took aim and yelled, “Hey!”

Red Hair spun around, the bolt no longer trained on Riece’s head. Mason fired. His shot grazed Red Hair’s hand. The bolt discharged and gouged out a path in the ground as the crossbow dropped from his grip.

“Tyler,” Mason tossed the rifle to Tyler and ran at Red Hair. He tackled the other man and punched him repeatedly in the head. “I need a knife,” he shouted. At the same time, he grabbed the crossbow and shoved it away from Red Hair. Like the woman, this man had his weapon tethered to him. “Tyler!”

Red Hair swung his other hand around and landed a solid hit to Mason’s neck. The blow knocked him off balance, but not away. Mason levered himself to his feet, hauling Red Hair after him. Tyler darted forward and pulled a pocketknife from his jeans.

“Cut this.” Mason held out Red Hair’s arm. Tyler swiped the knife through the leather cording. He flung the crossbow away. A second later Red Hair hooked one leg around Mason’s and yanked. He twisted away from Mason and made a grab for the knife Tyler held.

Tyler jumped back and kicked the guy in the face. “May have been a teacher, but I taught in a high school with gangs.” He braced the rifle against his shoulder, aiming at Red Hair.

Mason growled and lurched forward. He grabbed the man by his shirt collar and spun him around, slamming him against the truck. Pulling him forward, he did it again before delivering a gut punch followed by one to his face.

“Mason,” Riece said from right behind him. His voice was shaking and soft. He put one hand on Mason’s back. “Stop it.”

Mason kneed Red Hair in the nuts and shoved him away. When the man slid to the ground, dry heaving and rolling to his side, Mason backed up and stood staring at him, breathing hard. He clenched his fists tight to stop his hands from shaking. “We need more rope. Or the bungie cords.”

He reached down and took Red Hair’s go pack and crossbow quiver away from him. He held out his hand to Tyler. “Gimme the rifle.”

“What are you going to do?” Riece was still beside him. He was close enough he could feel Riece shaking.

“We need to search him after we tie him up.” Mason pointed the rifle at Red Hair’s head but was sure to stay out of reach.

Tyler ran to the back of the truck. He was back a minute later with a handful of bungie cords and held one hand up. “I’ll do it.” Stepping to the man, he rolled him to his stomach and tied his hands behind his back.

“Get his feet,” Mason said.

Tyler nodded and wound a bungie cord around the man’s ankles. He stopped and leaned back, holding up a small pistol. He put it on the ground and shoved it to Mason. Finally Mason felt it was safe to put the rifle down. He handed it off to Tyler again, then searched Red Hair, finding another handgun and two hunting knives.

Mason hauled the guy up and leaned him against the truck. “Where are the rest of them and how many?”

“Fuck you,” Red Hair snarled.

Shrugging, Mason smirked and said, “If you insist.” He grabbed Red Hair’s belt and jerked it open, then spun the man and slammed him face-first into the truck. “I bet you like it rough.” Mason held him by the back of his neck.

Red Hair started shrieking and struggling. “No! Don’t. No…
please
!”

Mason glanced at Tyler and rolled his eyes. Tyler’s shoulders shook, and Riece scratched at the back of his head, looked down, and smirked.

“First you want it. Then you don’t. Make up your mind, man. What are you? One of those guys who teases but doesn’t follow through?” Mason stepped close enough to speak in the man’s ear. “Where are they?” He tightened his grip on the man’s neck and gave him a shake.

“Six miles north. Two people. One went to Billings.”

“Now, was that so hard?” Mason took the man’s radio from him and held it to his face. “Now, call them and tell them we’re dead and that you can meet them now. Any codes or tricks and you’ll be my bitch.”

Red Hair nodded. Mason pressed the call button and Red Hair spoke into the radio. “Got them. You missed a good kill. It was sweet. Bring the pickup.”

Mason shut off the radio and threw it to the ground. “Let’s get him inside.”

Once they had Red Hair secured in the back of the truck with the kid, Mason followed Riece and Tyler to the cab. Tyler climbed back into the driver’s seat. As Riece reached for the handle of the passenger door, Mason put a hand on his shoulder. When Riece turned to him, Mason pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry I got out of control. What that man was doing to you—” Mason’s voice cracked and he stopped.