or waiting.
I pulled into a spot well away from the other cars and cut the engine.
“Should we be stopping?” Jeff asked.
“It’s fine,” I said. “Go use the bathroom if you guys need to. We’re not stopping again for a while.”
Lacey climbed out of the car and stalked off toward the building without a word. Jeff and my Mom followed her silently, staring ahead like zombies.
I climbed out and leaned against the hood of the car. Trip stood in front of me, his arms crossed.
“Shit situation,” he said.
“No kidding.”
“Folks seem to be taking it well.”
“They watched me kill a guy.”
“They’ll get over it.” He paused. “They saw me kill the other. And it’s not like you had a choice.”
“About that,” I said, standing up. “Where were you back there?”
“Told you. I had to take a piss break.”
“One hell of a piss break.”
“Look, I’m sorry. You know I’m not built for long stakeouts.”
I clenched my jaw. I wanted to hit him, but he had helped save my life back during the shootout.
“You can’t fuck up like that again.”
“I know, Cam.”
“If the cartel doesn’t kill you, I will.”
He grinned. “Loud and clear, captain.”
I wanted to keep pressing, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. It wasn’t worth going over and over the same ground. We had to move forward. “Okay. Why did you want to stop?”
“Well, there’s the matter of our plan.”
“You mean that completely fucked thing that’s basically useless now?”
“Yeah, that,” he said, laughing.
“I’ve been thinking about it.” I looked back at the building, frowning, and then back at Trip. “I think we should split up.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“The Mexicans only have so many guys. They can’t track us both effectively.”
“But we’ll be more vulnerable if we split up.”
“True. We just have to make sure we don’t get caught.”
He frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“What was your idea then?”
“Can’t really say I have one.”
“You take my parents,” I said, “and I’ll take Lacey.”
“Good luck with that. Girl seems to despise you.”
“Do you fucking blame her?” I leaned back up against the car again with a grunt.
“Nah, I don’t. Why don’t you just tell them about the agency?”
“You know we can’t do that.”
“Cam, man, the fucking CIA doesn’t give a shit about us anymore.”
“Maybe. But if we start telling state secrets and shit like that, we’re completely on our own.”
“We’re on our own right now.”
“I’m not so sure we are.”
“Look, Cam. Tell the girl at least. Maybe it’ll help her hate you a little less.”
I sighed and shook my head. Trip didn’t understand and he never would. He didn’t know about my past with Lacey and how she made me feel every time she was around. To him, we were just stepbrother and stepsister. But in my mind she was still Lacey, the girl I’d had a crush on ever since I first met her, the girl I thought about every time I jerked off. The girl I let go.
“Maybe,” I said, shrugging.
After that, we talked about where we would go. Trip decided he’d take a shot at crossing the Canadian border right away and try to travel that way. He’d cut north, which meant his trip would be shorter than mine. I was going to move through America until we hit the coast, and then start traveling north from there.
It was going to be a long trip. Alaska was far, far away from Hammond, especially by car. We were looking at a week, possibly more, assuming we drove at least eight hours a day. And since Trip was taking a more direct route, he was going to get there a few days before I did.
Which was good, since they were his people and he needed to make contact.
As we finalized our plans, Lacey and our parents walked back up to us. Lynn looked marginally more interested, though Lacey still had an awful scowl on her face.
“We need to talk,” Jeff said.
Trip grinned at me and stepped
I pulled into a spot well away from the other cars and cut the engine.
“Should we be stopping?” Jeff asked.
“It’s fine,” I said. “Go use the bathroom if you guys need to. We’re not stopping again for a while.”
Lacey climbed out of the car and stalked off toward the building without a word. Jeff and my Mom followed her silently, staring ahead like zombies.
I climbed out and leaned against the hood of the car. Trip stood in front of me, his arms crossed.
“Shit situation,” he said.
“No kidding.”
“Folks seem to be taking it well.”
“They watched me kill a guy.”
“They’ll get over it.” He paused. “They saw me kill the other. And it’s not like you had a choice.”
“About that,” I said, standing up. “Where were you back there?”
“Told you. I had to take a piss break.”
“One hell of a piss break.”
“Look, I’m sorry. You know I’m not built for long stakeouts.”
I clenched my jaw. I wanted to hit him, but he had helped save my life back during the shootout.
“You can’t fuck up like that again.”
“I know, Cam.”
“If the cartel doesn’t kill you, I will.”
He grinned. “Loud and clear, captain.”
I wanted to keep pressing, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. It wasn’t worth going over and over the same ground. We had to move forward. “Okay. Why did you want to stop?”
“Well, there’s the matter of our plan.”
“You mean that completely fucked thing that’s basically useless now?”
“Yeah, that,” he said, laughing.
“I’ve been thinking about it.” I looked back at the building, frowning, and then back at Trip. “I think we should split up.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“The Mexicans only have so many guys. They can’t track us both effectively.”
“But we’ll be more vulnerable if we split up.”
“True. We just have to make sure we don’t get caught.”
He frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“What was your idea then?”
“Can’t really say I have one.”
“You take my parents,” I said, “and I’ll take Lacey.”
“Good luck with that. Girl seems to despise you.”
“Do you fucking blame her?” I leaned back up against the car again with a grunt.
“Nah, I don’t. Why don’t you just tell them about the agency?”
“You know we can’t do that.”
“Cam, man, the fucking CIA doesn’t give a shit about us anymore.”
“Maybe. But if we start telling state secrets and shit like that, we’re completely on our own.”
“We’re on our own right now.”
“I’m not so sure we are.”
“Look, Cam. Tell the girl at least. Maybe it’ll help her hate you a little less.”
I sighed and shook my head. Trip didn’t understand and he never would. He didn’t know about my past with Lacey and how she made me feel every time she was around. To him, we were just stepbrother and stepsister. But in my mind she was still Lacey, the girl I’d had a crush on ever since I first met her, the girl I thought about every time I jerked off. The girl I let go.
“Maybe,” I said, shrugging.
After that, we talked about where we would go. Trip decided he’d take a shot at crossing the Canadian border right away and try to travel that way. He’d cut north, which meant his trip would be shorter than mine. I was going to move through America until we hit the coast, and then start traveling north from there.
It was going to be a long trip. Alaska was far, far away from Hammond, especially by car. We were looking at a week, possibly more, assuming we drove at least eight hours a day. And since Trip was taking a more direct route, he was going to get there a few days before I did.
Which was good, since they were his people and he needed to make contact.
As we finalized our plans, Lacey and our parents walked back up to us. Lynn looked marginally more interested, though Lacey still had an awful scowl on her face.
“We need to talk,” Jeff said.
Trip grinned at me and stepped
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