Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
No rest for the wicked, though. The day was wasting away, and they had a lot to do. He yawned again and unzipped his sleeping bag. He got dressed in the same clothes he’d worn yesterday, with his combat knife strapped securely to his belt. At a camping site, everyone carried a knife.
The only difference was that he didn’t think any one of the other campers was planning on using their knives on people.
After crawling out of the tent and making sure it was zipped shut tightly, he made his way over to the fire Darius had started before he’d gotten chatty with Hank. The two men stood in front of the truck, and Gray nodded politely and said good morning.
Hank replied in kind and turned to Darius to ask what they were up to today, giving him the ideal opportunity to perfect their cover some more.
Gray sat down and folded a leg underneath himself, pulling one knee to his chest, and he busied himself making coffee over the fire. Darius had prepared everything. He must’ve gone over to the restrooms too and cleaned out the pot from yesterday.
While Darius spoke of Skull Rock, some panoramic view, and a cactus garden, Gray sank into his thoughts as he watched the coffee simmer in the pot.
He’d have a big responsibility today, and as grateful as he was that Darius trusted him, it was scary too. Gray had to pull it off. This wouldn’t be a situation in which Darius only relied on him if his hand was forced. This was the two of them operating together. There was no superhero and his sidekick, just two equals.
“That sounds like a great day,” Hank commented.
“Yeah, it’ll be nice,” Darius said. “Hopefully tonight, we can try sleeping in the bush again. We were planning on it last night, but someone forgot his asthma inhaler in the truck.”
Gray heard his cue and interjected. “Someone forgot to mention they were gonna start their own sandstorm with the ATV.”
Darius and Hank laughed merrily in that “Oh, kids” kind of way.
Hilarious.
Something shifted in Gray’s brain after breakfast. He felt himself shutting down emotionally, and it was unlike anything he’d done before. Things had been different on the yacht—and even on the island. He wasn’t defeated or lost. He wasn’t weak. He’d trained for weeks under Darius’s guidance, getting a taste of both his support and tough love.
With Darius’s help, Gray had opened his eyes further too. He saw consequences and possibilities in every action, and he’d become a bit more analytical.
Before heading out, they stopped at the restrooms to relieve themselves and refill their water bottles. Gray sensed Darius observing him, so he just laid it out there. He said what was happening, how his processing changed, how he filtered out a bunch of things that didn’t matter to the task they were facing.
It didn’t take a genius to know that Darius could relate. On the way over to the ATV, he draped an arm around Gray’s shoulders and kissed the side of his head. Innocent enough.
“One of the reasons we PMCs don’t settle down with a wife and kids in the same capacity. It ain’t easy flipping between mental states like a light switch.”
Gray nodded and stopped at the ATV. He’d heard similar things about men and women in the armed forces. The military was more structured; it was a lifestyle where they tried to involve the whole family. Bases existed all over the world, with options to bring spouses and children. Nevertheless, soldiers still had to flip that switch every now and then, particularly after a deployment.
“You wanna talk about it?” Darius tilted his head.
“No.” Gray was done talking. He was done thinking too. He wanted to get shit done. “Let’s go give Jackie his freedom back.”
“All right, then.”
Instead of going through the desert like yesterday, Darius drove out on the main road and followed the signs for the exit nearest Twentynine Palms.
It would be a pretty short ride. The highway that went through the town was the same that went right outside Warren’s house. And unless there was traffic—at which point Darius would just pass the house and come back when it was clear—they’d be there in fifteen or twenty minutes.
Gray went through a mental checklist, not for the first time. It worked as meditation. No backpack today, though Darius had packed the gear they needed in the compartment under the seat, including their water and gas. But other than that, Gray had everything he needed stashed on his person. Two knives, one multitool, duct tape, phone, first aid, rope…
He blew out a breath as they exited the park and hit the highway.
It was gonna be a warm day and, with the weekend starting, most likely many visitors showing up in Joshua Tree later. For now, however, the road was empty.