Joseph (8 page)

When the gas gauge registered half a tank, Ember pulled into a truck stop and fueled the car. She paid cash. She used the bathroom and bought more bottled water, a couple of protein bars, and four packets of Tylenol. Going back to the car, she unlocked it and slid onto the seat, putting his head back on her thigh. He was still out of it when she forced him to take the anti-inflammatory tablets and sip some water. The effect of acetaminophen on his injuries was like slapping a Band-Aid on an arterial hemorrhage, but it was all she could do. Praying his body would hold down the medicine, she pulled back out onto the interstate.

Ember gripped his shoulder lightly as she entered Rapid City. “Joey, I need you to wake up.”

His eyes opened and he bolted upright. He tried to stifle the exclamation of pain. Slamming his fist viciously and repeatedly against the dash, he ground out another moan. “Fuuuuck!” he hissed. “Remind me not to do that again.” Clenching his eyes closed, he fought the effects of the pain. Joseph opened his eyes again as he lay back against the headrest. “Em, take the second turn to the off ramp. The mall is down about a mile on the right. Pull over and park in the south lot near a lot of cars.”

She nodded and followed his instructions.

“You stopped for gas?”

She nodded again concentrating on driving the unfamiliar streets.

“Did you see anyone trailing us?”

“No, there was a car back there for a while, but they pulled off at a tourist stop. Wall Drug? I haven’t seen them since.” She pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off.

“Joey, how are we going to find the truck?”

“Turn on the satphone. Jacob was going to send a description and plate number.”

Ember reached back, pulled the phone out and hit the power button. The text came through and she memorized the information. “Alright I got it. Let’s find the truck and go.”

He chuckled humorlessly, “No. You need clothes. We have to go shopping.”

“You are insane. I don’t think so my friend. You can barely sit up, how in the world are you going last while I go shopping?”

He turned his head towards her. “Em, I’m asking you to make quick selections and only get the basics, but you do need to have some clothes. We don’t know how long we’ll be at the cabin.”

She nodded at the store they were parked in front of. “I can get the basics here.” She reached over to the floorboard and pulled his hiking boots towards her. “You stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Not happening. I’m going with you. I can’t risk leaving you alone.” He lowered slowly toward the floor board, reaching for his hiking boots.

“Fine. Let’s get you dressed and go shopping.”

Ember found a bench for him and stood unmoving in front of him until he agreed to sit down. “I promise to keep within your line of site. The store is closing in ten minutes and there is nobody here but the cashier. She’s at least sixty-five. I’m not in any danger.”

She quickly selected clothes and walked to the register. Paying for the items, she put the bags next to him and smiled. “I have to buy some shoes, Joey. As much as I love them, these heels probably won’t work where we are going. The shoe department is around that corner. Give me five minutes and if I’m not back, you can send in the cavalry.”

He stood and physically paled before he bent over and grabbed the shopping bags. “Like hell I will. I feel like I’ve been hit by a car, but I’ve lived through worse.” He nodded in the direction of the shoe department.

“Men. I swear a feather would knock you down right now and you think you are going to protect me?”

“No Em, my forty-five is going to protect you. I may be under the weather, but I’m still better than ninety-five percent of the people they would send after you.”

“Yeah? And what about the other five percent?”

“Unless Morales pays over two million, they wouldn’t bother.”

Em looked up at him. He was dead serious. Dead being the operative word.

“Glad I’m not worth the effort then.”

“Oh, I have the distinct feeling you will be worth the effort.” His small evil laugh left no doubt of his meaning. Even beaten to hell his mind went from zero to sex in a second flat. Ember visibly shuddered earning another roll of the wicked laughter.

Em watched him hunch over the steering wheel of the truck in obvious distress. He tried to play off the pain, but she knew. She knew only too well.

“Joey, do you want to get a room here and get some sleep? Or maybe I could drive?” He shook his head and started the truck.

“No. I’m taking back roads. We need to make it to the cabin tonight under the cover of darkness. The area we are going to is desolate and I need to know for sure we’re not being followed. If someone is tailing us, we’ll see them. Once we get there, we’re uploading the data to the server in Virginia and then we’re going to lock the doors and go to bed for a couple days.”

She laughed gently. “I’m game, tiger, but I think you may need a few days of sleep first.”

The perspiration soaked edges of his hair clung to his face making the pallor of his skin almost ghostly in the fading evening light. “Actually, I
was
talking about sleeping, Em. I think I’m pushing my limits right now.”

She put her hand on his forehead. Heat radiated from him. Infection or withdrawal, either way, the source needed to be addressed. “Can we stop at a drug store on the way out of town? I want to get some over the counter medication, decent bandages and antiseptic for your wounds and a temporal thermometer. You’re burning up. I have to know how high that fever is. I’ll make it quick.”
If I were licensed in this state, I could write a script for antibiotics and painkillers.
But that process took forever, which wouldn’t do them a damn bit of good tonight and would leave a trail to her. Right now, she agreed with Joey. It seemed nothing in life was easy.

They left the city behind after a stop at an all-night drug store. The drive through the Black Hills, in the dark, seemed eerie yet beautiful at the same time. The moon illuminated the white granite peaks contrasting with the looming black of the huge pine trees that towered over the roads.

They passed Mount Rushmore and Ember caught a glimpse of the grandeur of the massive monument. The pictures she’d seen failed epically to portray the majesty of the stone carvings. Yet despite the beauty and awe-inspiring sights, she couldn’t relax or let down her guard. Joseph was in pain. His breathing labored in harsh contrast to the silence in the cab of the truck. He groaned involuntarily when he was forced to engage his large muscle groups.

They hit the Wyoming state line and continued west until just before Sundance. Turning north on a dirt road, he drove into a Wyoming spur of the Black Hills. Joseph turned off the headlights and traveled slowly using only the moonlight to keep them on the gravel track. Ember feared for him.

“Your temperature is too damn high.” Ember cleared the digital readout. One hundred and three. If it gets higher your bodily functions are going to fail. You need help, Joseph.

His glassy stare remained on the road. “I’m not stopping.”

Fear and concern churned deep inside her. “If you won’t stop, at least let me drive.”

“No.”

“Joseph— ”

“No.” She settled into her seat and crossed her arms. “You are an idiot…a single-minded determined idiot. I can’t remember when I’ve seen someone so hell bent on killing themselves.”

"Welcome to my life." Joseph muttered and then lapsed into silence.

The road behind them remained dark. No headlights trailed them. After about forty minutes, Joseph slowed even further and turned down a trail that was marked by a dime-sized red reflector on the side of a massive pine tree. He followed what Ember assumed passed as a road, although as vague as it appeared, she couldn’t be sure. It appeared he followed a faint set of tire tracks barely discernible by the overgrowth of vegetation. After fifteen minutes, the truck bounced around a curve and he stopped in front of a fence and gate. The grey metal tubing formed a huge rectangle barrier blocking the dirt road. A chain and padlock wrapped around the metal blocking any further travel.

He put the truck in park and collapsed on the steering wheel. “Em, I’m going to go open the gate. Drive through so I can shut it after us alright?” She nodded and watched as he slowly exited the vehicle. She could not imagine how he functioned through the physiological rigors. Driving through the gate, she put the truck in park and waited. The darkness obscured her vision but the muted sounds of metal against metal hinted at his location. She listened intently for his approach, but as the seconds dragged and the noise at the gate ceased, panic flashed through her. Em pushed the door of the truck open and practically fell to the ground in her scramble to get out. As she stood, she saw him, silhouetted in the faint light of the moon. He’d crumpled to his hands and knees and swayed. His head hung limply from his neck. She ran to him and dropped beside him. His eyes were closed and his breathing came in shallow pants. Even in the pale light she could see the perspiration dripping from his nose and chin.

She put his arm over her shoulder. “Joey, you have to help me. You have to stand up.” He nodded and struggled to stand as she lifted him. She walked him to the passenger side door and helped push him up into the cab. Getting into the driver’s seat, she turned the high beams on. To hell with being stealthy. She wanted them alive when they got to the cabin. She crept the truck through impenetrable black, her eyes riveted on the two ghostly white ribbons that passed as the road. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up in front of a log cabin. It took her several moments to unwrap her hands from the steering wheel and relax enough to move.

Ember managed to get the barely coherent man out of the truck and into the cabin. They struggled up the split log steps onto a massive porch that wrapped around the entire dwelling. The moon shone through the windows and provided the only light as she struggled to hold up his ever-growing weight. Joseph disabled a security system with the press of several keys before he pointed toward the right where she found a bedroom. She tried to lower him slowly to the bed, but his weight was far too much to handle. The best she could do was control his fall. He grimaced and groaned in pain but grabbed her wrist before she moved away. “Em, get Jacob the information.”

“I don’t care about that damned information right now, Joey. You push yourself any further and you may not make it. You need medicine and rest. Jacob will just have to wait until morning. You’re too sick to be worried about that right now.” She pulled the comforter off the footboard and covered him with it. “You’re home, Joey. I’ll take care of you. Now go to sleep. We’re safe.”

He grabbed her hand again and held her tightly, almost painfully. “Em, call Jacob.”

“Alright, Joey. I promise I’ll call him. Now, please rest.”

He laid his head back and in the next instant, he was out.

After insuring his respiration and heart rate was stable, she wet a cloth, stripped him down to his boxers and set about cooling his overheated torso. She performed basic first aid measures and prayed his body was strong enough to beat both the infection and the detox that ravaged him. Satisfied when his temperature finally lowered, Ember took a few minutes to empty the truck. She threw the bolt on the front door and found the kitchen. Had she been less stressed, she probably would have marveled at the modern stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. Instead, Ember pulled the phone from his pack and turned it on. Angry and frustrated at her inability to help Joey, she jabbed the redial button and waited.

“Alpha.” The deep voice at the other end answered. From the gravel sound of his voice, the man had been sleeping.
Well, good for him.

Ember puffed her cheeks in exasperation and said, “May I please speak to Jacob King.”

“Ember? This is Jacob. Where are you?”

Bitterness swelled, contaminating her voice. She needed to blame someone for what was happening to Joey and Jacob became the available target. “We’re at the Wyoming cabin.” The silence at the other end of the line was frustrating, but two could play at that game so she remained silent.

“Why isn’t Joseph making this call?”

“There are actually several reasons, speaking from a strictly medical perspective. First, he was shot this morning. Although it is just a flesh wound, the path it traversed aggravated the damage that was done by the recent torture.”

“Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say?” Jacob’s voice boomed across the connection.

“Tortured. In my estimation due to the repair, remodeling and infection that has occurred, the trauma was inflicted within the last ten to fifteen days. And let’s add a cherry to the top of the unfathomable suffering he has endured, shall we? He stopped taking his pain meds cold turkey. So he is going through clinical opioid withdrawal without the aid of any mitigating medications to lessen the crash. At the moment, he is unconscious with a fever of 101.” Her throat closed up and she struggled to keep her tears at bay. “So I guess that’s why your brother
is not making this call.”

“Tortured? My God, Ember, are you sure?”

“Oh, I’m sure. I’m an emergency medicine physician. I see trauma daily. I deal with car accidents, bullet wounds, knife wounds, burns, severe beatings, and abuse. But in all my years in the ER, I have never, repeat never, seen the extent of trauma your brother has endured. From the evidence on his torso, it appears as if someone succeeded in flaying the skin off ninety-percent of his back.”

The silence at the other end of the line was unbearable. “Did you hear me? Did you hear what I said?”

“I heard you. Is there anything I can do?” His voice broke as he asked the last question.

“Yeah, Jacob, you can keep him safe. No work until he’s healed. The world will just have to spin on its own. I’ll take care of him. We’ll send the information when he wakes up. But his body is going through a massive shock. He needs antibiotics, pain killers and a solid week of rest. He needs time to recover.”

“Em, I didn’t know. He didn’t say anything. It wasn’t in his reports.”

She sighed. It would be like Joey not to let anyone know. Regretting her tantrum, she swallowed her pride. “Okay Jacob. Hey, look…I’m sorry for assuming you knew. I’ve unloaded the truck and locked up the cabin. I’m going take care of his wounds, get him to hydrate some more and then go to sleep. I’ll have him call when he wakes up. We can upload the information then. If the cartel finds us tonight, they can have us.”
How can I be so tired?

“Em, you’re safe for now. Joseph’s home is off the grid. Nobody will know you’re there. Hell, until last night I didn’t know where it was. I’ll get you help ASAP. Get some sleep and call when you can.”

“Goodnight, Jacob.”

She turned off the power to the phone and retrieved the bag from the drug store. With an effort, she roused Joey enough to take more Tylenol and forced him to drink most of the bottle of water.
I wish I had something better to help you, Joey.

Em covered him with the comforter and turned off the light. Undressing quietly, she slid into bed next to him. Turning towards him, she snuggled close, giving him the warmth his body needed. Ember put her hand on his chest. His heartbeat felt strong and regular. Reassured, she fell asleep almost immediately.

*

The sun spilled into the cabin through the skylight in the bedroom too soon. Ember woke slowly and squinted, her eyes trying to focus. With a sudden realization of her surroundings, she looked to her left and smiled softly at the man sleeping beside her. Some of his color had returned. His breathing was even, deep and steady and his face was relaxed. She marveled at how the boy she knew had become such a magnificent man. His hair hung over his brow making him look seventeen again. The multitude of lesions on his shoulders and chest were livid, red and puckered. She could not imagine the pain he must have endured. Em fought the tears that threatened to spill. The injuries were so severe and yet, he came for her. He put aside the anguish, the pain, flown halfway across the country and then had driven all night just to make sure she was safe. No matter what he said or how he said it, he cared for her. That thought bolstered her spirits and allowed a small upward tug of her lips as she brushed the hair from his forehead.

She slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom to shower. Shampooing removed most of the black rinse out of her auburn hair. Wrapped only in a towel she tiptoed across the floor and out into the kitchen where her new clothes sat in shopping bags. She dressed quickly. Rifling through the cabinets, she found an unopened can of coffee and coffee maker. After a fifteen-minute search for a can opener, she found it mounted under the cabinet. Laughing at herself for missing the obvious, she started a full pot.

A picture window framed a meadow that spread out behind the cabin. The view of the Black Hills and the yellow and purple wild flowers scattered throughout the field was breathtaking. A gentle breeze blew the flowers and tall grasses. They swayed in time to nature’s own dance. She rinsed out a cup and filled it with coffee.

Now armed with the caffeine her body desperately needed, she peeked into the bedroom. Joseph’s steady breathing reassured her he was still asleep. Ember walked to the back door and left it open as she sat down on the edge of the porch and dangled her legs in the morning sun like a little girl.

Ember leaned against the pole and breathed in the warm air. Pine, sunshine, and freshness invaded to a cellular level. Finally, she relaxed from the drama of the last two days. Her only plans for the day were drinking at least one more pot of coffee and exploring the house.