“Well, Mike,” she replied, never being one to hold her tongue. “Your particular brand of justice, while needed in certain circumstances, is unconventional. Would you agree?”
“I’ll give you that,” he replied.
“You get along well with David and their group. I’m sure they could use a man like you to help them survive up here long-term.”
“Are you asking me not to go north with you all?” Mike asked.
“No, I’m not saying that. You have been invaluable to our group, and we wouldn’t all be here without your help. I wouldn’t want to head back out into hostile territory without you in the group. I just want to make sure you and your family end up in the right place is all. The Ranch may be filled with more than a few people who you don’t get along with, but you won’t have the freedom there to take situations into your own hands. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, I see your point. I’ll talk with Sheila about it.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Joy asked.
“Sure, I’ll give you two.”
“Okay. How do you feel about having a family now?”
“That’s a good question. It’s different, for sure. I have to check in more and watch out for being too adult all the time.”
“Well, we’ve all got that issue,” Joy said, laughing. “Wait until little Javi pulls out a swear jar. Then you will really be careful! Does Sheila know what happened to her old boyfriend, Dan?”
“No, I don’t think so. She’s never asked.”
“Would you tell her the truth if she did?”
“That’s three questions,” Mike replied. “Now my turn.”
“Are you concerned about a guy like me, with my particular brand of justice, as you call it, caring for a family?”
“No, not in the way some others might. I’ve seen you firsthand with my husband and every one of our kids. You’re loyal—maybe to a fault, I don’t know. What I am worried about is you getting yourself killed doing something over the top and leaving Sheila and Javi without their protector.”
“And maybe you and the rest of the group as well?” he asked.
“Yes, there is that too.”
“Last question. How does your husband get people to open up so much?”
“What do you mean?” Joy asked.
“Well, I’m not one to talk about my feelings or my past, and I’ve told him more about me than everyone else I have ever known combined.”
“It’s funny really,” she replied. “He’s always been like that, at least since we met back in 2000. I guess it’s pretty simple. He just listens and then keeps things confidential. Not confidential like I’m only going to tell one or two people and ask them to not say anything, but confidential like he would take it to his grave and only intervene if it was absolutely necessary to help somebody else.”
“So, you don’t know about me, Joy?”
“Only what I’ve seen, and that’s enough to make me not concerned about being on a shift with you.”
They ended their shift, both agreeing to talk again about his decision, after talking with Sheila and Javi.
* * * * * * *
Chapter Twenty-eight
Raton Pass, New Mexico
“How did it go?” I asked Joy before falling back asleep.
“We had a good talk,” Joy replied. “I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”
With no disturbances in the night, Mel got his drones up early to scout out as close to the Interstate as he could view.
Jim called over the walkie-talkies. “Vlad, the Colonel is on the line.”
“I’ll be right up,” Vlad responded, with the rest of us scrambling to get up there as well.
Jake picked me up on the four-wheeler, and we listened in.
“Vlad,” said the Colonel, “what did you think about our little display the other day?”
“I don’t recall anything out of the ordinary recently, sir,” he responded with a serious tone and heavy accent. “Perhaps you have dialed the wrong number.”
There was laughing by several men on the other end of the line.
“You see, he’s such a smart ass, that Russian,” said the Colonel.
“Yes, yes. Okay, sir, it was pretty crazy to see you coming over the trees—like Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! And then the fire planes! Sir, putting all joking aside, you saved us. All of us. We only lost two, and that was before you even got here. Well…maybe one more who ran away into the woods before it all started. Thank you to you and your soldiers, Colonel,” Vlad added, with sincere clarity.
“You’re welcome, my friend,” replied the Colonel. “Now, let’s get down to business. Ronna and his group will pass by your place this afternoon early, probably so they can get down the backside to camp. They won’t cause you any trouble if you do the same.”
We all cheered at the news and gave high fives all around.
I wasn’t too surprised, but hearing it firsthand made a huge difference.
“And one last thing,” continued the Colonel. “Keep your friends traveling behind him far enough back. He doesn’t want to see them in his rearview.”
“Yes, sir,” I called back after a pause, adding, “it’s Lance here, and I’ll let them know.”
* * * *
The good news spread throughout the camp. We got hold of our friends, who agreed to stay another half day behind, and let James know that Ronna’s group would likely bypass them as well.
Both groups gathered this morning to discuss the upcoming days and our departure.
I stood to thank David, Beatrice, and the rest of the group for hosting us.
“I hope we didn’t eat up all your food,” I joked, “but we will leave you with a half dozen yo-yo fishing reels to make up for it,” tossing the box to Mark.
“It’s been just the best having you all here,” said
