Page 68 of Shelter (The Wanderers 4)

“Okay. No problem. I just need to grab my pack.” Rush nodded over his shoulder toward the cabin as he started to back up. “I’ll go a few more miles today. There’s plenty of daylight left.”

“You do that.” The white guy kept advancing.

A noise inside the empty cabin made Storm’s spine stiffen. The walkie-talkie. Shit. Static, and then Maya’s voice came through. “R, you still there?”

Both men flinched and fixed their aim on Rush. “What the fuck is that?” the darker guy asked.

“My walkie-talkie.”

“Who the hell is that woman?”

“My sister.”

“Where the fuck is your sister?”

“Left her in Missouri. She likes to check up on me.”

“That’s pretty high tech for a guy traveling across the country. Not many people own a walkie with that kind of range.” The white guy took two more steps forward.

“We traded some cattle for them. Took a hit, but it gives my sister peace.”

“She’s in Missouri, you say?” This was from the darker man.

“Yes.”

“You sure? I’m not buying that you have a walkie that can communicate with anyone that far away. If you’ve got a woman nearby, you better fucking give her up now. No females are permitted free reign in this area.”

Rush shook his head. “Like I said. She’s in Missouri. Let me grab the walkie. You can talk to her yourself.”

The white guy glanced at the darker guy. “You buying this asshole’s story?”

“Not anymore.”

“Guys, no reason to panic. Just let me grab the walkie.”

“How about you fucking stay where you are, and I grab the walkie,” the white guy suggested as he continued forward, passing Rush and entering the cabin.

Rush gritted his teeth. Storm had no way to let him know he was no longer inside. Luckily, he didn’t give anything away, but he audibly sighed when the guy returned a moment later, holding up the walkie. “He’s right about this fine piece. It is long-range. Haven’t seen one in a while.”

“We could sure use one of those,” the darker guy stated.

“Guys… Having one of those won’t do you a bit of good, but it will make my sister panic,” Rush argued.

Storm was glad Maya didn’t try again. He hoped they had some sort of system in place. It would make sense. They apparently did this often. Surely she would wait a specified amount of time before trying again.

The white guy held out the walkie toward Rush. “Tell your sister you’re busy with friends right now and you’ll talk to her later.”

“Sure. That’ll work.” Rush took the walkie and pressed the button. “Hey, sis. I’m busy right now, but everything is still on track. I should be in Kentucky in a few days. I’ll let you know when I track down Mark.”

Storm held his breath.

More static and then Maya’s voice returned. “Oh good. I was worried about you. Keep in touch.”

“Will do.” Storm lowered the walkie.

The two men glanced at each other.

Storm hoped they were buying the story. It was certainly believable. Thank God Maya played along.

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