They were all three staring at the way she moved inside her shorts.
“How long you fellows been in?”
“Three nights,” said the leader, still looking past Rick. He licked a comer of his mouth. Then he took a pack of Winstons from the pocket of his sleeveless shirt, shook out a cigarette, and poked it into his mouth. “Borrow a light?” he asked.
Rick slipped a book of matches from his pocket. He pictured the guy grabbing his hand when he reached out, yanking him forward and driving a knee into his guts. So he tossed the matches.
The guy caught them, muttered “Thanks,” and lit his cigarette. He tossed the matches back to Rick.
“Where are you folks heading?” asked the one in sunglasses.
“Granger Lake,” Rick said. He’d never heard of such a place.
“Yeah? That anywhere near the Pylons?”
“Is that where you’re going?” Rick asked. “The Pylons?”
“Yeah.”
Rick heard footfalls behind him. Bert was coming back, and the eyes that he could see were on her. She stepped past Rick and handed a squeeze-bottle to Wally.
“Thanks a lot.”
In her other hand was a plastic tube. “Here, put some of this on your bites. It should help with the itching.”
Wally nodded. He uncapped the tube, sniffed its opening and wrinkled his nose.
Bert let out her husky laugh.
“Can’t smell any worse than your pits,” the one in the sunglasses said.
“You and the horse you rode in on, Bugger.” He started dabbing the pink ointment onto his bites.
“Bugger?” Bert asked, smiling.
“
“Also known as Ham, Cheese, and McDouble,” Wally said, leering as he got in his digs.
“So it’s Wally, Luke and ...” Bert looked at the leader and raised her eyebrows.
What is this, Rick thought, a goddamn cocktail party?
The guy blew out smoke and said, “Jase.”
“Jason?”
“Just Jase.”
“He’s sensitive,” Luke said.
“You know,” Wally said. “Jason. Friday the
Bert smiled at Jason. “I didn’t recognize you without the hockey mask.”
He blushed. Then he smiled.
“I’m Bert. Nobody calls me Bertha and lives.” She shook hands with Jase. The cigarette drooped in his lips, and his eyes glazed over as if she were holding his cock instead of his hand.
“My silent partner here is Rick,” she said.
Rick nodded, but didn’t offer his hand. Jase made a feeble smile, and his eyes stayed on Bert as she sidestepped to Wally.
“Bert,” Wally said. He wiped his pink fingertip on his shorts, then shook her hand. He grinned and blushed. Watching, Rick half expected the kid’s glasses to fog up.
She moved on down the line.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Bert,” Luke said, and gave her hand a quick, stiff shake. Rather formal. Rather mocking, as if he thought she was weird for shaking hands with them all.
Good for him, Rick thought.
Wally resumed smearing goo on his bites.
“Are you guys heading up over Dead Mule Pass?” Bert asked.
“Yeah,” Jase said. “How about you?”
“Same here.”
Great, Rick thought. Why don’t you break out the map and show them our whole route?
“Maybe we’ll run into you up ahead,” Bert continued.
“Yeah. Could be.”
Next, she’ll be inviting them to hike along with us.
“We’d better finish getting our stuff together,” Rick said, “or we’ll be here all day.”
“Need a hand with the tent?” Jase asked, looking at Bert.
“We can take care of it,” Rick said. “Thanks anyway.”
Wally twisted the cap back onto the ointment.
“Better?” Bert asked him.
“Yeah. Thanks. And thanks for this.” He patted the shirt pocket where he’d put the mosquito repellent.
“It was nice meeting you,” Jase said. Then, he stepped over to the muddy ashes of the fire and tossed in his cigarette butt.
“Well,” Bert said, “if we don’t run into you fellows up ahead somewhere, have a real good trip.”
Don’t worry, Rick thought. We’ll run into them again. They’ll see to it.
“Yeah,” Jase said. “So long.”
“Nice meeting you,” Wally said.
“See you around,” said Luke.
“Take it easy, guys,” Bert told them.
“Yeah,” added Rick.
He watched the three turn away and head for the trail. Wally looked back and waved. Jase glanced back a couple of times. Luke didn’t.
“Nice kids,” Bert said.
“That remains to be seen.”
She looked at him. “Did I miss something?”
“Hell, they were drooling all over you.”
“Drooling?”
Rick nodded. For a moment, he couldn’t see the three boys. Then they appeared on the other side of a rock cluster. “Looks like they’re leaving,” he muttered.
“Expect them to circle around and jump us?” She sounded amused.
“It’s a possibility.”
“My protector,” she said, and patted his rump.
Rick was tempted to lift his shirt and show her what was in his belt.
Protector, all right.
He fought the urge. If Bert found out that he had a gun, she would go into shock.
She’ll find out if I have to use it, he thought. Then she’ll be damn glad I was scared and crazy enough to bring it along.
“Want to stand guard while I pee?” Bert asked.
“Why don’t you wait a few minutes?”
The smile left her face. “They’re gone, honey.”
“Maybe.”
Frowning, Bert gently stroked his cheek. “I wish you wouldn’t worry so much.”
“Me too.”
“There’s honestly no need for it. We’re perfectly safe out here. We left all the nutcases behind in LA.”
“I hope so.”
“Anyway, my teeth are floating.”
The trail looked deserted. There was no sign of the boys. “Okay, go ahead. But stay out of sight.”
She turned away and walked toward her pack.
Rick shifted his attention from the trail to Bert until she wandered into the trees with a roll of toilet paper in her hand.
The moment she was gone, he rushed over to his pack. After a quick search, he found a T-shirt. He wrapped
