Adan watched the upturned pickup sink lower and lower, finally disappearing when it floated down to the deeper hole of water.
Hunter turned the steering to use the floating vehicle’s wheels as crude rudders, and they approached the Texas river bank. The left front wheel slid onto a submerged sand bar and moved the pickup in slow motion, like a small anchor, swinging the vehicle around so that both front wheels were on the sandbar.
As the truck sank lower, the rear wheels contacted the wet sand, and Hunter worked the gas in slight, feathery pulses, easing the vehicle forward out of the water. It seemed to Adan like it took ten minutes, but he knew in reality it was only a minute or two.
Hunter pressed the gas pedal as lightly as possible, and the pickup crawled out of the water and silt, moving up onto the bank like an old alligator coming up to sun. When she was up far enough that she felt secure, Hunter pushed the gas and they drove out of the Cottonwood Campground so fast the pickup cleared the ground for a few feet as they shot over the metal cattle-guard in the road.
Adan said, “I saw another vehicle down by the river.”
“On the Mexican side?”
“Yes, it looked like it was going to cross to our side.”
“What kind was it?”
“I think it was a Suburban.”
“Did you see how many were in it?”
“I couldn’t, but there was a rifle pointing out of the passenger window. It had a scope.”
Hunter’s lips thinned. “Okay, we’re going to go fast.” She hit the gas and they sped along the road, in minutes they were passing the turnoff to the Santa Elena Overlook, and a short time later passed by Luna’s Jacal. In the rearview mirror, far back, was an SUV. “What color was the Suburban?”
“It was black.”
Hunter nodded. The one coming behind them was black. She pushed the pickup, even though the gas gauge needle rested on E. When they reached the juncture with highway 118, She took the hard left directly in front of an RV approaching from the right, so close Hunter saw the woman’s silent, open-mouthed scream through their windshield.
The wheels chirped as the pickup slid sideways until they caught, then she raced ahead on the paved road, going for the Study Butte area. She checked the rearview and didn’t see the black SUV, and thought, maybe she put some distance between them.
Hunter felt the pickup lurch, and felt sure she was out of gas. Just ahead was the Alon gas station, and she coasted into it to stop at the pumps. No one else was gassing up, but she looked at the store and saw Carlo Diaz and Sam Kinney standing beside Sam’s pickup, parked to face out, looking at her in disbelief.
She grinned, and Adan said, “I can gas it up if you want.”
Hunter said, “Thanks. I’ll get some money from them and be right back.”
She hugged both men, and borrowed Sam’s credit card. She trotted back to the pump and slid the card in the slot, starting the pump. Adan worked the nozzle and pushed it in the tank opening as she headed toward her two friends.
Carlo said to her, “We were all worried sick about you.”
“I’m sorry, things were a little hectic.”
Sam said, “Just glad you’re all right, and that kid, too.”
“Is Raymond around?”
“He’s with a dozen of your friends who are down here looking for you. Norma and Lynne are with them.”
“I’ll apologize to everybody.”
A sudden roar of an approaching engine snapped her head toward the pumps and Adan. He dropped the nozzle and ran towards Hunter as the black SUV slid to a sideways stop and two men with rifles poured out of it. One snapped a shot at Adan and the bullet grazed his arm, causing the boy to cry out.
Before she could react, Carlo and Sam opened up on the black vehicle. Carlo worked the shotgun as fast as he could pump the slide, and Sam cut lose with the big BAR, which seemed to materialize from nowhere, sending a full magazine of heavy bullets into the men, followed instantly with another full magazine.
Two men fell to the ground near the Suburban as windows blew out and holes appeared in the side. Other men inside it yelled in pain and alarm, but bullets continued to come at Sam and Carlo, and many aimed futilely at Adan, who hid behind the suburban’s engine block.
Heavy rounds from a large-caliber weapon hit Sam’s p
ickup and blew glass out of the store windows behind them.