Stars Across Time by Ruby Lionsdrake

Author:Ruby Lionsdrake [Lionsdrake, Ruby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction, Action & Adventure, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Time Travel
Goodreads: 25145109
Publisher: Ruby Lionsdrake
Published: 2015-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Theron’s hopes rose when he spotted the abandoned truck on the dirt road ahead.

“What a piece of crap,” the corporal in the driver’s seat of their vehicle said, then glanced at Theron and hurried to add, “Sir.”

“I’ll agree with that assessment,” Theron replied, though he kept his focus glued on the truck. Unfortunately, rain spattered off it, and the doors stood open. He had a feeling he was a few hours too late.

He had managed to get the truck in the mountains running again, patching the tires and using some pitch to plug a hole in a hose under the hood. By the time it had reached the border patrol office, they had been driving on the rims and wobbling like a top in an earthquake, but they had still made better time than if he and the women had walked the entire way. He had left them in the care of the lieutenant stationed there and would return to arrange a boat ride to the fort, but a private with a pair of binoculars had reported seeing another truck in the distance earlier in the day, one that had turned off the highway and onto a back road that smugglers were known to use. With a couple hours of daylight left, Theron had gone right back out again to search, in the hope that he might yet catch up with Andie’s group.

“Stop here.” Theron waved behind the truck. He realized he had been holding his knife, flipping it as a nervous habit, and he jammed it into his sheath.

“Yes, sir,” the corporal said without commenting on the knife.

Even though he was worried for Andie and the others, Theron managed a quick smile for the clean-shaven young soldier. It felt good to hear that “sir” again and to have people obey without arguing. Everyone in the border patrol office had been shocked when he rolled up in the battered truck with arrows sticking out of the sides. Thanks to the beard and the grime, the younger men hadn’t even recognized him, but a lieutenant from Fort Kitsap had seen through the dirt. The soldiers’ mouths had tumbled open when Theron had helped the troop of women out of the back of the vehicle. He had been glad to find a female sergeant stationed at the office, so he could hand them off to her for cleanup and medical needs. The women had surely suffered enough indignities at the hands of men.

“Prints look fresh, sir,” the corporal said, a rifle in hand as he climbed out of the office’s all-terrain vehicle.

Theron had felt guilty about requisitioning it, since gasoline was such a scarce commodity, but it was there for emergencies, and this had to count.

“Yes,” he murmured, eyeing footprints in the mud around a log.

He told himself that he recognized the tread of Andie’s shoes because he was observant and had seen them on the trail the day before, not because he was obsessed. Still, he admitted to the hollow feeling in his stomach at the thought of never seeing her again.

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