High Desert Barbecue by J. D. Tuccille

Author:J. D. Tuccille [Tuccille, J. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781466448308
Amazon: 146644830X
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2011-10-30T01:00:00+00:00

Chapter 37

Lani was nervously pacing around a small clearing with Champ dogging her heels when Scott caught up with his friends.

“Told ya,” Rollo said to the woman. He sat under a stubby tree with his pack at his side and his rifle across his knees. An uncapped water bottle sat within easy reach.

“You look comfy,” Scott said. It was all he could get out before a blonde cyclone flew across the clearing and buried herself in his arms. He returned her attention for a long moment, every bit as happy to see Lani as she was to see him.

“Well, one of us had to get comfortable. She’s been wearing grooves in the dirt. But I told her you’d come back all right.”

“You had faith in my abilities?” Scott had reclaimed his lips and now buried his face in Lani’s hair. “Shucks.”

“Some. More than that, though, I figured that a gunfight is a heroic way to die. You’re not the type to go out all that heroically. You’re more a die-in-a-compromising-situation kind of guy.”

“Thanks.”

Reunited with his girlfriend, Scott spared a moment to rub Champ’s head, acknowledging the affection of the beast who stood almost erect on his hind legs, leaning against the couple and licking both their faces.

“We heard the gunshots,” Lani said.

“Yeah. I got stupid and fired a warning shot. They responded with World War 3.”

Rollo snorted, snatched the hat from his own head and threw it against the ground, doing the aged fabric no perceptible harm. A cloud of dust rose around the brim, and then settled in place. The hat’s fabric blended in as if camouflaged.

“Now are you convinced they’re trying to kill us?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“What do they want?” Lani asked.

“I’d guess they’re not happy that we witnessed whatever it was we saw in the forest, but I don’t know. You need to see them. It’s like being chased by a well-armed circus sideshow.”

“You teach them any manners back there?” Rollo asked.

“I taught them to keep their heads down; but they did the same for me. I don’t think they’ve given up, if that’s what you mean.” He paused. “And that brings up a point. The firebugs outnumber us, are better armed than we are and apparently have a shitload of ammunition. We’ve been lucky so far, but they could easily catch up with us.”

Rollo grunted. Lani crinkled her forehead—a smudge of dirt clung there, left by her clinch with Scott—and glanced nervously down the canyon.

“Then, shouldn’t we get mov—”

“You should get moving. You and Champ with the phone and the video.”

He handed over a folded piece of paper.

“Here’s the log-on information for the mailing-list server and my YouTube account. Just find a cell-phone signal, upload the video and send the information as an e-mail formatted like it says.”

“What? You have to be kidding me! I’m not going anywhere without—”

“He’s right,” Rollo said.

“No he’s fucking not!”

Rollo sighed and shuffled his feet.

Scott jumped in.

“If Rollo and I stay back and block the canyon, you have a much better chance at getting through with that footage we shot of the forest fire being set.

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