Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson

Author:Dee Garretson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2010-09-18T04:00:00+00:00

22

The Back Gate

“Stay close to the fence!” Sal shouted as he plunged into the forest. Luke started the jeep and pushed on the gas pedal. The engine roared.

“Wait!” Theo said.

“What?”

“Buckle your seat belt.”

In any other situation Luke would have laughed. Leave it to Theo to remember seat belts.

“Don’t gun it,” Callie said. “Just push on the gas a bit.”

“I know, I know,” Luke said. He handed Theo the microphone and the earpiece. “See if you can talk to Sal.”

Luke knew how cars operated; he had just never driven one. Taking a deep breath, he put the jeep in gear and gave it some gas. The jeep jolted forward and he pushed hard on the brakes.

“Let me drive, Luke,” Callie said. “I can drive.”

“No, I’ve got it. I was just getting used to it.” He pushed on the gas pedal again, more gently this time, and the jeep moved forward. “Hold on,” Luke said. “Since we can’t drive on the road, it will be rough.”

It was rough. Luke hadn’t expected it to be so tricky to hold the steering wheel when the jeep bounced over a rock or an exposed root. It was hard to figure out how much to turn the steering wheel without going too far, and he threw himself and everyone else from side to side until he got the hang of it. He could still hear the sirens in the distance, but the sound was so constant, it was easy to ignore now.

“Why can’t we go on the road? How is the helicopter going to land in the woods? I don’t want to get lost in there,” Callie said.

“We won’t get lost. Camp David is like a big doughnut, with the road cutting it almost in half.”

“What? A doughnut? What are you talking about?” Callie said.

Luke could picture the layout of the camp in his head, but he realized it would be hard to explain to Callie. She hadn’t been here long enough to understand it easily. “We don’t have time now. I’ll tell you later. Just trust me,” he said.

“Let me drive,” Callie said. “I drive the pickup at the ranch. You sit in the back.”

“No, I’m driving.”

“Who made you the boss?” Callie said. “I’m sure I can drive better than you.”

“Look, Callie, I know how to get to the back gate. You don’t. And I drive the golf carts all the time.” A golf cart couldn’t be too different from a jeep, Luke thought. He wanted to add that he had no intention of moving out of the driver’s seat, but he knew that would make Callie mad.

“Theo, what about Sal?” Luke asked, hoping Callie would stop arguing.

Theo put the earpiece in his ear. “Sal! Sal! Can you hear me?” he yelled. He listened for a moment. “Sal can hear me. He says I don’t need to yell. He’s following the fence around the outside to the back gate. He said we would get there before he does, so we’re supposed to wait for him before we open the gate.

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