“Are you cray-cray?’ Justin stormed off. Scarlett’s sentiments exactly.
“Not at all,” Zac remarked full of his usual smuggish-optimism. “A mission means—helicopter. Once I secure a helo”—Zac carefully avoided her disapproving glare—“it’s adios amigos. We bypass the hordes, gang lords, and Enforcers.”
“Interesting.” Dean rubbed his chin. “How do you go ’bout arranging a mission?”
Zac’s grin widened. “I waltz into the Capitol like I own the damn place and offer my highly valuable assets. Meanwhile, you crash here and hit the Zhetto Market for dried goods. Once the mission’s a go, I’ll hire a pilot.”
“Bro, don’t tell me the man of the hour here can’t fly a helicopter?” Luther ribbed.
Zac laughed. “Never got around to it.” He purposefully made eye contact with each person. Finally, his eyes reached hers. “Clearly, it’s the best option given our logistics.” He nodded toward Twila and Ella.
“But, where do we go? No place is safe anymore,” Ella murmured from the bed.
“The market’s only open on the weekends,” Justin spouted to the ceiling.
Luther looked at his Rolex. “You think we can hold out here that long?”
“I don’t see why not. Stanwyck owes me. Bigtime,” Zac said, back to monitoring his window.
“Scarlett, give us your two cents,” Dean pressed.
An unknown force seemed to consume her lifeforce. It had to be the Ancient Ones trying to home in on their location. At least the probing hadn’t started. “Sorry, I’m so out of it. I feel like a fly on the wall.”
“No worries,” Dean said. “Just listen in. Now, for Plan C—”
Twila crossed her eyes emphatically. “It’s stupid to stay here! Can’t you see—”
The whup-whup-whup of a helicopter echoed in the distance.
“They’re coming! For you.” Twila pointed to Zac. “You have to hide this very second.”
“Probably just a recon flyover,” Zac countered, downplaying it.
“I’m not liking this,” Luther insisted. “It’s landing at the Stanwyck’s house.”
Zac strutted to Luther’s window.
“Dude, why didn’t you remove your chip?” Justin chastised in obvious contempt.
“Hey!” Zac raised his hands at the accusation. “I went dark just before we escaped through Boom Town’s tunnel. I’m officially MIA. One of Stanwyck’s men must have reported me to the Capitol,” he said without apparent concern.
But Scarlett sensed Zac’s apprehension. He pulled out a pocket-sized notebook and leaned over the dresser and jotted down something.
“The helicopter’s taking off,” Luther announced as if it were good news.
“I told you already. They just want Zac!” Twila yelled. “But nooo, no one ever listens to me.”
“Aw, shit!” Zac groaned. “It’s coming this way. Looks like I’m going to the Capitol sooner than I thought.” He ripped a page from the notebook and handed it to Dean. “Get to the Frito-Lay distribution warehouse on the Y-zone side. From there, you can get to Quinton’s safehouse—just inside the Forbidden Zone. And watch for drones.”
“Don’t think about it!” Twila ran to Dean. “The Ancient Ones might see.”
“Dude, are you for real?” Justin bellowed over the helicopter’s thuds, which reverberated against her chest. “You do know the Forbidden Zone’s sealed-off for a reason? It’s full of Zs!”
Zac’s eyes narrowed in concern. “Look, no matter how you slice it, it’s going to get dicey. Twila’s right. They want me. But if there’s a mole amongst Stanwyck’s men, they might snoop around the bunkhouse.”
“And, and”—Justin apparently wasn’t finished with his tirade—“the border wall has enough juice to take down a T. rex.”
“There’s an off-grid section. You’ll find it,” Zac stated rather dismissively.
Scarlett knew only too well. Women and children were worth millions. And a baby? Who knew when a baby had been born in Last State?
Dean patted his chest and said, “I don’t even want to speculate what would happen to Twila and Mateo . . .”
“Actually, this could work in our favor.” Zac sorted through his duffle. “Last State’s security will be pushed to its limits. Neutralizing the hordes and reinforcing Zoat will be their numero uno priority. Illegal citizens, not so much.”
Justin scuffed his sneakers on the floor. “You’re probably right. I used to monitor the Zones. The entire force is probably working twenty-four seven. Hordes are always priority.”
“Then what?” Luther probed.
“Once the arrangements are set, I’ll meet you at Quinton’s and take you to the LZ.” Zac strapped on his duffle. “Landing zone, that is. And we’ll helo it out of Last State.”
“How will you explain us?” Dean questioned.
“Simple. I always select my team. It’s one of my stipulations. Congrats, you all made the cut. You just need to dress the part. Quinton has plenty of military gear, so help yourselves. Once I arrange the evac, we’ll march right onto the helo.”
“What about baby Mateo and Twila?” Ella asked in a tiny voice.
“Artillery cases. If you don’t mind small places until we land?” Zac turned to Twila.
Twila shrugged.
“But where are we going?” Ella pleaded in the background to no avail.
“How do we keep the pilot from ratting us out?” Luther asked.
Zac cocked an intriguing brow. “I find bribery works.”
The roar of the helicopter deafened the conversation. The room seemed to spin as if caught in the vortex of the helicopter’s rotor blades. Scarlett grabbed onto the windowsill to keep her balance, hoping no one noticed her vertigo.
“Holy sh—crap! It’s landing. Here!” Justin turned to Dean. “What should we do?”
“Justin, heads up.” Zac tossed him a pouch. “Re-chip the adults with these RFIDs. Destroy any old ones. I always carry extras due to my wife-collecting habit.” Zac laughed, but nobody else did. “These give you XYZ Zone clearance. Preloaded with one thousand LSCs. Trust me, it won’t buy much.” He flashed her one of his
