Page 30 of Running Scared
As if to punctuate this, Bailey’s stomach grumbled, and he yawned.“Hey,” he said, “does anybody want to switch seats with me?It’s getting dark and I’m… I’m feeling a nap coming on, and I’ve worked at a hospital too long to let a car ride go without catching some sleep.”
“Begging your pardon, Mr.McCauley” came Connor Dodge’s apologetic voice, “but I would give a lot to look out on the road from the front.Catherine too.”
Bailey heard the smile in Rory McCauley’s voice when he said, “Not a problem.I could use a nap myself, and the pullout sleeps two.Don’t get jealous, Val.I’m pretty sure Bailey’s eyeballs are about to roll back in his head.”
“Not jealous.Coming to a rest stop soon,” Val said.“We can get out, cop a whiz, grab some snacks, and rearrange.Hold on, folks, it’ll all be good.”
TRUE TOhis word, the rest stop came in about half an hour, and everybody used the chance to stretch their legs.Bailey noted that Val and Rory took turns standing by the truck—like many semis, the thing didn’t get turned on and off on a dime.Letting it sit and idle for ten minutes took less diesel than starting it up again, and less time.
When Bailey crawled into the back, a rather tasty homemade chicken wrap in his stomach to hold him until “barbecue time,” as Val called it, Rory let him kick off his solid sneaker-boots (as he called the ankle-high cross trainers he wore to the hospital) and wedge himself into the cabin’s sleeper.It was surprisingly spacious, so when Rory stretched out next to him, his back to Bailey, Bailey felt no more intimacy than he did bunking with somebody in the crib.
“You all right back there, Doc?”Rory asked, and Bailey grunted.
“Yessir.Thanks for asking.”
“Good.Need anything before I cop my own nap?Years in the Bureau—you know how it is.”
“Sleep if you can catch it,” Bailey agreed.
“Yeah.So need anything?”
“Only one thing,” Bailey said with a yawn.“Why was it so funny about Anthony?And who is he anyway?”
Rory chuckled.“Anthony’s my son,” he said, his voice low.“And it’s funny because he’s pretty damned in love with Val’s little brother, but I don’t think Reg knows it yet.And Val certainly doesn’t.”
Bailey smiled a little.“Why not?”he wondered sleepily.“Why wouldn’t Val know?”
“You gotta meet the family,” Rory said on his own yawn.“Once you meet them, it’ll all become clear.Trust me, Doc.A man throws you out of a plane with your cat and he’s pretty sure you’re gonna stick, if he has to bungee cord you to his roof.”
Bailey chuckled and had an image of being bungee corded to the roof of Dean’s rental, the wind through his hair, Marcus—who was clearly insane—at the wheel.
“Whee….”he mumbled, and then the cool dark of the vibrating cabin took over, and he was out.
Out of the Rain
THE PLANEclimbed up, up, up and—sort of—leveled out.Birdie came hauling back to the cargo area to grab a parachute and yell at them.
“What are you doing?”the pilot demanded.“Why aren’t you prepping the bikes to bail?”
Marcus and Dean stared at each other.
“Are we hit?”Marcus asked, standing up anyway and slipping on his own chute as the plane sputtered.
“No, but I’m not landing here!”Birdie snapped.“Get your transpo ready, and I’ll be back in two to push you out of the fucking door!”And with that the pilot whirled around to keep the damned plane aloft.
“Well, this feels like karma,” Marcus muttered, but he was on it.The two cross-country bikes had full fuel tanks and landing platforms, because Dean knew how to requisition things months and months ahead of time so nobody shouted about the expense.Together the two of them prepped the bikes, and then Dean opened the bay door again and stared down.
“Jesus!”he shouted.“Bird, I don’t even know where we are!”
“About a hundred miles south of where you were gonna be!”Birdie shouted back.“You got supplies, right?”
“I fucking hope so!”
But it didn’t matter.Marcus was shoving the first platform out the bay door, having set the chute to deploy in forty-five seconds, and Dean was putting his shoulder behind the second platform, having done the same.
“Christ,” he muttered.“If we’re lucky they won’t collide in midair.What’s our terrain looking like?”
“Like a rattlesnake’s toilet!”Marcus replied, getting his shoulder in on the action next to Dean’s.One of the platforms held a motorcycle cart with the provisions Birdie hoped they had, and this must be that one because it weighed a fuckington.“Let’s go swim in coyote shit, shall we?”
