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“Copy all.” His phone buzzed with a text.
"Good job. Aviss out." The connection went dead.
Trevor rose. He didn’t want to input the address into a mapping program, so he needed the map book from the SUV. “Sam, if you’re not ready to move in seconds, get that way. We might have to move fast.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Her chair scraped across the floor.
“Funny.” Outside, he scanned the area while he pulled the map book from between the seat and armrest on the passenger side. Nothing but cows and a hawk circling high above. He took a second look—it was a real hawk, not a drone.
Returning inside, he opened the book to the correct page and found their location, then mapped three routes to the new address. None were ideal because they had to use the highway going north for parts of the journey, but having alternatives gave them the chance to escape pursuit. If they absolutely had to, they’d go south, then east and find somewhere in the Big Hole to spend the night. The camping gear was still in the vehicle, although it wouldn’t be as comfortable without the rooftop tent.
He’d rather roll out now than wait, but if Aviss said to stay put, he would. He checked the security alerts again, but they were correctly set to notify him via text, which would ping his phone and watch. Since he hadn’t slept well last night, napping was the smartest thing he could do. He changed prostheses, because driving with the running blade wasn’t easy, and walked to the open bedroom door. “Sam, I’m taking a nap. I’ve got security set, so sleep if you’d like.”
She came out of the bathroom carrying a small bag and shoved it in her backpack. “Okay.” She met his gaze, the dark circles even more apparent. “I didn’t sleep much earlier, so I will if you don’t need me to watch.”
“No. I expect it would take some time for anyone to find us from the cell signal, if they can at all, and then it would take more time to get here. I’d rather we were moving now, but Aviss said the next place wasn’t ready yet.”
Sam shoved her toiletries into her backpack and carried it to him, placing it on the floor just inside the door. “Okay. Guess we’ll sleep.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry I was such a basket case today.”
“You weren’t.” When she opened her mouth, probably to object, he reached out and clasped her upper arm once, then let go. His fingers wanted to linger, but he controlled his impulses. “Really. That was a brutal scene. Parents shouldn’t attack their children like that. And yes, there are people who have it worse, but that doesn’t invalidate your horrible experience. Your reactions are valid and I’ll support you, no matter what.”
Sam’s mouth twisted. “That’s probably more than I deserve. Especially in comparison to what you’ve gone through. Thank you.”
Trevor couldn’t keep his head from shaking. “You deserve everything good. If I can help, I will.” He desperately wanted to hold her, so he turned away. “Get some sleep.”
“I’ll try.” She sighed.
Even though he longed for her, he kept moving, stopping at the bunk bed he’d chosen. He placed his weapon near his head, where he could see both doors, and put his phone on the charger he’d set next to the bed. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate on his breathing and wipe away all the thoughts and emotions spiraling through his brain.
Bed springs twanged from Sam’s room, and Trevor immediately envisioned Sam wrapped in a blanket, snuggling in close. But when the springs pinged again, and again, it was obvious that sleep was eluding her. Eventually, the sound stopped, and Trevor faded into sleep, the need to comfort Sam aching in his heart.
Chapter nineteen
“Sam, wake up.” At Trevor’s bellow, Sam shot from the mattress, the springs twanging. Shoving her feet into her shoes, she tied the laces, grabbed her pistol and phone, and ran to the back door.
Trevor stood to the side of the door, gun raised, glancing through the window. “Blast. I don’t know if that’s normal, or driven by someone, but let’s go.” He glanced back at her. “Me first. You wait for me to yell, then jump in.”
Outside, cows jammed the area around the house snorting and bellowing, streaming toward the SUV. Trevor shoved the cabin door open and sprinted to the passenger side of the SUV, opening the door for her and throwing his pack over the seats. “Now!” He ran around the back of the vehicle.
Sam ran from the house, pausing long enough to kick the door shut. Even at the risk of her life, she couldn’t let the stampede destroy the lovely cabin. Cattle shoved and pushed, kicking up dust, making her sneeze. She plopped in the seat just before a huge black body slammed the door shut, almost crushing her leg. The driver’s seat was empty—and she couldn’t find Trevor anywhere in the sea of Black Angus.
The back gate opened, and Trevor climbed in. “Drive!” Good thing they’d parked under the attached carport—if the SUV had been even five more feet away, they might not have made it. Dodging between the few steers that squeezed between the house and car sent her heart rate through the roof. And Trevor had barely escaped being crushed.
Shoving her backpack to the floor, she lunged over the center console and started the SUV. Throwing it in drive, she put one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake, hoping the cows moved. She honked the horn, but they kept coming. She creeped forward, bumping the cattle out of the way. If one fell, they couldn’t drive over anything that big—and the very thought made her ill.
Trevor climbed into the passenger seat, tossing her bag behind him. He opened the map book and peered around them. “The cows are coming from behind us, from the main house. The enemy might be driving us to the back way out. But we can’t make headway against the herd. So, go out to the driveway, turn with the cows, then take the next possible right turn. Ram any gate in the way. We’ll pay for it later.”
“Okay.” Gingerly, Sam turned the wheel to parallel the cows, and drove across the lawn to the gravel road. At the open gate, cows rammed into each other, all trying to shove through the small space at the same time. She honked her horn, but the cows had nowhere to go. The SUV rocked under the pressure of their bodies, but she kept rolling forward. A cow bellowed in pain when it got caught between the gate post and their vehicle, but after they’d squeezed through the gate, it ran off. She hoped it was okay; she’d tried to leave an equal amount of space on either side of the vehicle.
Trevor pointed to their right. “There. Aim for the gate. Get as far right as you can and still stay on the road. There’s a ditch.”
She could see the weird empty spot where the cows in the ditch disappeared below the backs of the herd, with a fence beyond keeping them hemmed in. Edging through the running cattle, she veered to the right, then turned on to the bridge across the ditch. On the far side, she shoved into the oncoming herd. Cows streamed around them, rocking the vehicle, mooing, and a green ranch gate blocked their way into the pasture beyond.
“Speed up, or we might get stuck.” Trevor kneeled on the passenger seat, leaning into the back of the SUV. His waist brushed her shoulder, a rather precarious position when jostling along a bumpy track, about to hit a metal gate.
“Okay. Hang on.” Hoping she didn’t crush any cows, Sam pressed the accelerator. Black bodies jostled around them, rocking the SUV. About three feet from the gate, the stream of cattle cleared, and she stomped on the accelerator. Surging forward, the glass headlights shattered and the plastic front of the SUV crunched, but they burst through. A rough two-tire track paralleled the fence to her right, so she kept driving. A few cows followed them, but they soon left the herd behind.
Trevor climbed all the way into the back seat. “Go as fast as you can!”
