“Ha ha ha.” Sinner tossed items from the medicine cabinet to the floor. “You’re a real comedian.”
“I try.” He pulled out a roll of condoms and held them at arm’s length. “Really?” He dropped them to the floor and moved to the other table. “Any luck?”
“Only if you have high blood pressure or cholesterol.” Sinner appeared in the bathroom doorway. “How about you?”
“Only if you want to really screw something.” He huffed as he came to his feet. “Viagra, condoms and KY Jelly.”
Sinner hung his head and turned for the door. “Maybe the next house.”
“Maybe we should move further out.” Shooter fell into step behind him. “I know Simon already raided most of these houses. Maybe the ones further from where we’re staying?”
Sinner paused at the bottom of the stairs. “Maybe we should go out of the subdivision…maybe hit a pharmacy.”
“You don’t think they’ve already been raided?”
“By who? The Ragers?”
Shooter shrugged. “Maybe the Cagers hit them already.”
Sinner shook his head. “They’re plum over on the other side of town now.”
“But they used to be closer. They were in the industrial district for a long time.” He walked outside the house and squinted in the bright sunlight.
“Then we stay to this side of town, just back aways.” Sinner nodded toward the tiny hybrid car. “Fetch the shitmobile and we’ll check out the next neighborhood.”
Shooter shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to risk leading the Ragers back here.” He looked to Sinner, his face serious. “Simon would be pissed.”
“Fuck Simon.”
Shooter nodded and looked to him with hesitation. “We could pull up stakes. Leave him sitting here with his dick in his hand and just…take off.” He gave Sinner a hopeful look.
Sinner considered the option. “I dunno.” He scratched at his chin and hitched his wounded arm up in the sling. “He’s about crazy enough to try to track us down.”
Shooter swallowed hard and stepped closer, lowering his voice lest the winds betray him and allow Simon to hear. “We could always try to go back to the Cagers.” He held his hands up to stop Sinner from arguing. “It’s just an option. I know they moved to a different place and all, but they have lights.”
Sinner’s gaze narrowed. “So?”
“Dude, if they have lights, that means power.”
“Again, so?”
Shooter sighed heavily and cocked his head to the side. “Power means comfort, man. Maybe even running water.” He pointed to the houses. “There’s barely a trickle from the faucets anymore. That means that unless we want to drink from the river, we better find a shit ton of bottled water and fast.”
“That’s an awful lot of maybes.”
Shooter shrugged. “Just till your wing heals. Then we can hit the road again. Wind in our faces, guns blazing, whatever.” He stepped closer, his eyes pleading. “What’s the harm?”
“What’s the harm?” He stepped back from the smaller man and gave him a confused stare. “We just tried to bulldoze their place and you think they’ll welcome us back with open arms?”
Shooter shrugged. “Maybe.”
“And once they find out that we released the Ragers on them at their old place?”
“We tell ‘em Simon made us do it.” He nodded vigorously. “They’d believe that. Squirrel is there. He knows that Simon is batshit crazy. He even said so.”
Sinner rubbed at his jaw. “That would be a pretty shitty thing to do. Even to a douchebag like Simon.”
Shooter’s face fell. “The same guy who would cut your throat for a handful of Vicodin?” He shook his head. “I know you’re smarter than that.”
Sinner gave him a dirty look. “Don’t call me stupid.”
“I’m not!” Shooter took a step back, his hands up. “I’m just saying, we don’t owe Simon nothing.”
Sinner nodded slowly. “Yeah, we kinda do.”
“How? The man is a tyrant. He’s WORSE than a tyrant.” Shooter lowered his voice. “He stole other guy’s wives and made them be part of his harem. He took food from the children and stays drunk most of the time. How the hell did he earn your loyalty?”
“Loyalty is given, not earned. You’re confusing it with respect.”
“Fine then. Whatever.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice again. “I’m just saying that if the tables were turned, he’d toss either of us to the Ragers to save his own ass and not lose a moment’s sleep over it.”
Sinner inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. “I can’t argue with that.”
Shooter nodded again. “So? What do you say?”
Sinner groaned and reached into his vest pocket. “There’s six Lortabs in this bottle.” He shook it for effect. “We give these to him. Maybe spike his booze with a few extras.” He raised a brow at him.
“You want him to overdose?”
“No, stupid. Just knock his sorry ass out.” He squared his shoulders and stared at the house across the intersection. “Once he’s down, we roll our bikes out and we split.”
“Go to the Cagers?”
Sinner shrugged. “I guess. At least…at first. See if they’ll let us hole up with them until my shoulder is better.”
“Then we hit the road.” Shooter added, smiling.
Sinner nodded slowly. “Then we hit the road.”
Shooter slapped the man’s back in excitement, forgetting about the bullet wound. “Oh, shit…sorry man.”
Sinner waved him off. “And you have to work harder at hiding your enthusiasm. Otherwise, Cockbite will figure out something is up.”
Shooter nodded. “Deal.” He held his hand out for the bottle. “You want me to pull a few of these and dose his hooch?”
Sinner shook his head. “I have something else you can use for that.” He held out a plastic baggie filled with white tablets. “Drop these in it when he ain’t looking.”
Shooter grabbed the baggie and stuffed them into his pants pocket. “Let’s do this.”
“I really wish you’d reconsider.”
Trevor turned and gave him a dirty look. “Just help me transfer my goodies over and we’ll call it even.”
Hank sighed and nodded slowly. “I just…can’t help but think that if Vicky could see your little girl that—”
“We’ve already discussed this.” He slowed the RV beside
