Mike would show up, looking to join the group, taking revenge for us stealing his girlfriend and his child sounded better, before we kicked him out of the group. We didn’t want it any more complicated than that, hoping he could figure the rest out on the fly if he had to. He would join them, listen and run up the ranks, only reporting back when he could safely by radio or when he returned to Saddle Ranch sometime before the Battle.
“This intel, if I can get it,” said Mike, “might make the end result different. If we don’t do this right and wipe them out, we will never be at peace again.”
“Agreed,” I said, with all of us shaking our heads in agreement. “We should be there in a week or less, I’m hoping.”
“We need a rendezvous spot,” Mike continued. “Since I’ll only be fifteen miles or so away, I could meet you—if they let me keep the bike, that is.”
“I have an idea,” I said. “Hold on. I’ll be right back.”
* * * *
I headed over to the makeshift camp.
“Lucy, it’s Lance,” I called out. “Are you feeling any better?”
I heard her respond with “Mmm, hmm.”
“Can you tell me when we’ll have the next full moon?” I asked.
There was a pause and a frightened voice from inside the tent said, “I don’t know anything about the weather.”
Now I paused, straining to hear the other voice whispering to her.
“Okay,” I told her. “I’m just going to check on my dog, Ricky, and I’ll be back later.”
“Thank you,” she said in a shaky voice.
I walked away, accenting my steps, and broke into a full run when I got around the trailer. I was out of breath when I reached Lonnie, Jake and Mike, only 50 yards away.
“It’s…” I said, holding my side. “It’s Lucy. She’s in the tent, and I think someone is in there with her. I asked about a full moon, and she said she doesn’t know anything about the weather.”
“She’s the queen of weather,” said Jake, grabbing his rifle.
“Exactly. I gave her a clue back that I knew she was in trouble.”
“What about the dogs?” asked Lonnie.
“They’re both still in the house,” I said.
“Okay, let’s get this done,” he replied. “I want us positioned, so we’re shooting away from the house if we have to.”
We quickly headed back, covering the tent from the front and one side.
“Come out of the tent now,” said Lonnie in his booming cop voice.
There was the sound of a struggle inside and a low male voice accusing her of telling on him.
“You have ten seconds to come out before this goes bad,” Mike said, looking flushed.
We all stayed crouched down behind the Bronco, only ten feet from the tent’s front, waiting for the gunfire we knew was coming.
“Nine!” Mike started counting, moving around the truck. “Eight…seven…six...”
I would have asked for cover, but I guess he just assumed we would.
The tent door slowly unzipped from the front, with a long-haired man poking his head out.
“Do you boys know who I am?”
Mike grabbed him by his greasy hair, replying, “I don’t care!”
“My dad runs things around here,” the man said, maybe feeling cocky, Mike thought.
“I’m not from around here,” Mike replied. “Now stop talking. Did he hurt you, Lucy?” he asked, poking his head into the tent.
“I don’t know,” she cried, in a fetal position, her clothes obviously torn.
“Are you going to tell my dad? You’re not going to tell my dad, are you?”
“Nope,” said Mike, asking me to get Joy. “Your dad won’t know a thing about this; that’s a promise.”
* * * *
I ran to get Joy, as Mike led the man into the woods, down towards the creek. We returned no more than ten minutes later, with Joy crawling into Lucy’s tent and zipping the front door closed.
“Where’s Mike?” I asked Lonnie.
He put up his hands in a classic “Beats me!” gesture. Jake’s old friend, our host, ran over, wanting to know every detail. We explained what we knew and his face was growing more concerned with each word.
“He’s right. His dad does run things around here. Where is he now?”
“Down by the creek with Mike, last we saw,” said Lonnie.
“What kind of Colorado man doesn’t know how to swim?” asked Mike, emerging from the trees.
“Where is he?” asked our host. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
“He took advantage of one of our ladies and, as I said, he couldn’t swim.”
“Jake, I need to talk to you,” his friend Carl said, pulling him aside. “I’m not sure what happened here, and yeah that guy is trouble but he’s the only son of a ruthless man who controls who goes where around here, including past the barricade. Did your guy kill him? Please tell me the answer is no.”
“If I know Mike like I think I do, your guy isn’t coming back, ever,” Jake replied.
“Well, I’m going to need to know for sure, one way or another, and it has to be tonight.”
“Mike?” asked Jake. “Is the guy still alive?”
“Nope,” he replied casually, like he’d been asked if he had a lighter.
“Can you show me where he is, so my friend here can figure out what to do next?”
“Follow me,” Mike said, heading to the creek.
* * * *
We all walked up the bank, next to a large pool that I would have loved to fish, to see the intruder facedown in the water, with his torso on land, as an anchor, I guessed. Our host rolled him over, shining a flashlight into his face, with no response. He checked for a pulse and found the same.
“Okay,” Carl sighed. “Man… This is not good, Jake. You guys are just passing through, but we live here. Let me think for a minute. I’m guessing he came out here alone—doesn’t have any friends I know of. Let’s fan out by the road behind your trailers. We’re looking for
