Page 55 of Guarded By Them

He shrugged. “I carried far greater weights on treks when I was in the Army.”

“You had two legs then,” I pointed out.

“I’ll manage.”

There was no arguing with Ryan. He was a stubborn son of a bitch. I guessed we all were.

We took our new purchases and left the store. I could sense the palpable relief of the store attendant when we finally looked like we were going. Maybe he’d thought we’d try to rob the place first. So much for the smart businessmen we’d been back in the city. It was something I’d always prided myself on. Cabs would stop for me, women would thank me when I held open the door, I’d be first served in a bar or seated at the best table in a restaurant.

Everything had changed now.

Chapter Nineteen

Rue

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I WAS RELIEVED TO BE back in the car, on the road, and out of the town. I hadn’t liked the way everyone was looking at us.

Would it be like that when we got to Canada? From what I’d heard, the Canadians were friendly people, but I wasn’t exactly a worldly person. I hoped we wouldn’t feel this way forever—like everyone was our enemy. It would be great to just feel like a normal person.

Kodee drove a little way out of town and then we stopped to go through our purchases, and so I could change Dillon’s bandage.

“Throw away any unnecessary packaging,” Ryan said, tearing the piece of cardboard off from around the bundle of socks he’d chosen. “There’s no point in carrying any more than we have to, and even though each little piece doesn’t feel like much, it does add up, especially after you’ve walked twenty miles.”

Twenty miles. That felt like hell of a long way, and I knew that was only a part of it. By the time we’d reached our destination, we’d have walked a lot farther than that.

Kodee unfolded the map he’d bought at the store. None of it meant anything to me. I couldn’t read the names, and even if I could, I wouldn’t have recognized any of them.

“We’re here.” He jabbed a finger on a point on the map. “The border is here.” He ran the same finger over a line horizontally across the map. “I suggest we drive as far as we dare, then dump the car somewhere it’s unlikely to be found, and take it from there.”

“It’s pretty remote up this way,” Ryan said. “I can’t see why we need to worry about the car being found. It’s unlikely, unless someone is actively looking for it.”

“Hmm.” Kodee rubbed his hand across his mouth. “There are hunters and hikers, among others, who are used to walking this area. Even if they’re not looking for it, seeing a car like this dumped in the middle of nowhere will raise suspicions. We don’t know if the registration has already been flagged by the police.”

“We could set fire to it,” Dillon suggested. “No one’s going to know the registration then.”

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