The Day After Never - Covenant (Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller - Book 3) (17 page)

“But she didn’t,” Arnold muttered.

“I was off duty at nine in the morning. I wouldn’t know.”

“You believed her?” Lucas asked. “Why?”

“I had no reason not to, did I?” Lyle fired back. “We’ve been ordered to treat you as honored guests. That didn’t include assuming everything we were told was a lie.”

Arnold took Lucas aside. “It’s not his fault. He was just doing his job.”

“Way he describes things, the guide was in on it.”

“Sounds like he was. But to what end?”

Lucas’s expression hardened. “That’s what I’m going to find out.”

“Need some company?”

Lucas shook his head. “No. This is my problem.”

“Might be our problem if it’s a security breach.”

“You’ll be the first to know if it is.”

Arnold took in Lucas’s grim expression and nodded. “I believe it.”

Lucas swung up into the saddle and directed Tango to the trail that led to the canyon entry, his mind racing at the implication that Sierra had somehow conspired with the Apache to leave Shangri-La the day after she’d arrived. It made no sense to him after all she’d been through to get there.

He tried not to take it as a rejection, his logical mind telling him that if she’d planned it in advance with Tarak, it had nothing to do with him, but it was difficult to separate emotion from fact.

But then why? Why abandon Eve – and him – when they’d succeeded?

A dark suspicion formed in his mind as he recalled Arnold’s words. Had she been a turncoat all along, chartered with learning the location and reporting back to Magnus? Had her time with Lucas been nothing more than an act to lull him into trusting her? Had it meant nothing?

The thought twisted in his guts like a knife. If true, he had brought calamity to three hundred good people, and their very existences were now in jeopardy.

Eve’s face flashed through Lucas’s mind.

The idea was monstrous. But he couldn’t discount it. What did he really know about Sierra, anyway? Just what she’d told him, which he now realized could have all been lies – a cover story artfully crafted to fool him.

But what about Jacob? He’d been convinced she was genuine.

Which made it even worse. Perhaps she’d been planted all along and had used her charms to gain Jacob’s trust, just as she’d done with Lucas.

He banished the thoughts as he entered the first branch of the ravine, aware that he was being watched through sniper scopes from the caves at the canyon lip, the crosshairs tracing over his back as he wended his way along the dry wash.

The trip down the mountain went far faster than the climb up, and he was in Los Alamos little more than two hours later. He guided Tango along the main road, scanning it for tracks, and found what he was looking for as he neared the bridge over the Rio Grande. She was retracing her steps, either with the guide or close behind him. In the end it didn’t matter. She’d left under her own steam, nobody coercing her.

Lucas straightened in the saddle, grinding his teeth as he rode, digesting the unpleasant implications, and then forced the speculations from his mind. They had a day on him, so how to narrow the lead? Judging by the tracks, they were moving at a walk, which made sense if they expected their horses to have to travel many miles – like back to Albuquerque and then on to Houston or Lubbock.

Lucas had an advantage, because he could drive Tango hard and cut their lead down by continuing after dark, thus overtaking them, with any luck, by late that night or tomorrow. They would probably expect pursuit, though, so he couldn’t be reckless.

He calculated the math. They might make thirty to thirty-five miles per day, best case, on these trails. Tango could cover that in about six hours in judicious sprints, but he’d be blown out afterward and would be hard pressed to manage much more than a slow walk.

Which was fine. It meant by afternoon he’d have covered the distance they would have made their first day, and the rest would be keeping pace with them. He would close the final gap after dark, and they’d get the surprise of their lives in the wee hours.

He deliberately avoided thinking about what he would do when he caught up to them. There was no point in making his already miserable trip worse with trying to predict the future. All he knew was that there would be no more assumptions, no further benefits of the doubt given to Sierra.

Once across the river he urged Tango to a trot, somewhere around eight miles per hour, a loping speed the stallion could keep up for a half hour at a time. At a gallop he could hit over thirty, but he couldn’t sustain it, and even a canter would wear him out quickly. But a trot was manageable and the timing would work.

Lucas would be confronting Sierra some time that night.

And then he’d learn the truth.

One way or the other.

Chapter 29

Ruby heard Elliot’s distinctive voice before she saw him. He rounded the corner of the sleeping quarters from the trail that led to the lab, in a heated discussion with Michael and Arnold. Eve was playing with three of the local children, Ellie the piglet running alongside her as she hopped on one leg and made horse noises, their game punctuated by loud peals of laughter when one or the other caught up to the lead pretend rider. Ruby looked up from the kids as Elliot neared, and he drew up short when he spotted her.

“Ruby, dear woman. Good morning to you,” he said.

“Dr. Barnes,” she said with a nod.

“Please. Elliot.”

“Elliot,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

“I need to take some blood from young Eve here so I can begin working on the vaccine. I have considerable sense of urgency in light of the recent developments.”

“Yes, I can imagine. Troubling.”

“I’m glad you understand. It’s the last thing any of us were expecting under the circumstances…”

“Agreed. But Lucas will sort it out. I have a lot of faith in him. He’s faced down armies and lived to tell the story. He’ll get to the bottom of it in short order.”

Arnold frowned. “You don’t think his relationship with the woman could affect his judgment?”

Ruby’s expression was stony. “You don’t know Lucas.”

“I know human nature,” Arnold replied.

“Lucas was as surprised as any of us.”

Arnold regarded her skeptically. “That’s the story, anyway.”

Ruby stood. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Michael touched Arnold’s arm, but he shrugged it off and took a step closer to Ruby. “It means that you two weren’t part of the deal when Jacob arranged this, and now we have a security breach that could result in disaster. No offense, but you’re both unknown quantities, and by inviting you in we’ve put ourselves at risk.”

Elliot scowled. “Arnold, really, I don’t think…”

“No, Dr. Bar…I mean, Elliot, he’s right,” Ruby said. “You don’t know anything about us except what we’ve told you. That is, except that we’ve put ourselves in harm’s way multiple times, crossed the state to reach you, and been almost killed in the process of delivering Eve to you.”

Arnold’s stare was glacial. “So you say.”

“Maybe you should talk to Colt,” Ruby snapped. “He watched Lucas kill several dozen Crew fighters single-handedly so we could escape. Or you can ask Eve. She was there when we all ambushed another Crew war party down by the Texas border.” Ruby fought to control her fury, and her tone softened. “It must be lost on you that I didn’t ride off in the dark, and neither did Lucas. It was Sierra, who
your
Jacob vouched for and sent with Eve. We’re just the poor slobs who did your people’s job for them. If it wasn’t for us, there would be no Eve, and your entire reason for existing would be gone, wouldn’t it?”

Arnold had no comeback. Elliot stepped between them. “Arnold, take some time to cool down. She’s right. She came here in good faith and has done nothing wrong. You’re out of line.”

“Out of line?” the security chief demanded angrily.

“Yes, Arnold, out of line. You’re insulting our guest. I understand your frustration; we all share it. But lashing out at Ruby accomplishes nothing. The problem still remains.”

“Fine. Handle this however you like. But don’t ask me to be happy about it.”

Arnold stormed off, trailed by Ruby’s dark stare. Elliot shook his head and sighed. “I’m sorry, Ruby. Tensions are obviously high, and Arnold’s responsible for security. He takes his job personally.”

“Sometimes too personally,” Michael said, pursing his lips in disapproval.

Eve continued racing after the other children, who were now chasing a butterfly, its bright yellow wings flapping above their heads as they jumped with outstretched arms. Elliot couldn’t help but smile at the sight, and when he turned back to Ruby, his eyes were sparkling with his usual good humor. “Ah, to be young again, eh?”

“It goes by fast,” Ruby agreed.

“That it does, dear lady, that it does. Can I presume upon you to help me with Eve? She’ll probably be frightened having her blood drawn.”

“I imagine she’s suffered through worse,” Ruby countered. “But sure, I’ll help.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, “Eve! Come here, please.”

Eve gave her a long-suffering look and disengaged from her companions, panting as she ran to Ruby, her eyes dancing with joy, Ellie scampering behind her.

“Is Auntie back?” Eve asked.

“Not yet. But Dr. Barnes needs to check you to make sure you’re healthy.”

“I feel fine.”

Elliot smiled. “I’m quite sure you do, my young friend. Purely a formality. Won’t take more than a minute or two.”

Eve looked to Ruby, who nodded. “It’s no big deal, Eve. You’ll be back playing in no time,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Can Ellie come?”

Elliot and Ruby exchanged a glance, and he nodded gravely. “Normally we don’t allow swine in the lab, but I think we can make an exception in this case.”

Eve looked uncertain. Ruby clarified for her. “You can bring Ellie. I can carry her if you like.”

“I’ll do it,” Eve said, and scooped up the animal, which squealed before settling into her arms. They followed Elliot and Michael to the cave and then down the steps carved into the stone to the steel blast door of the lab.

Inside, every light was illuminated, and it was nearly as bright as outside. Elliot escorted them to the sterilized area of the laboratory and moved to a rack of equipment. He selected a butterfly needle in a sealed packet and a bottle of alcohol, and placed a plastic vial holder filled with glass tubes on the table beside him.

“Sit down here, young lady, and we’ll get this taken care of.” He laid a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “Would you see to our piglet while I do the honors?”

Ruby nodded, and Eve reluctantly handed over Ellie.

“Put your arm on this pad, please,” Elliot said to the little girl.

Eve did as instructed, her face suddenly slack. Ruby glanced at Elliot, who nodded once – he’d caught the change in her demeanor too. He pretended not to notice and swabbed her arm with alcohol before cinching a length of rubber surgical tube around her bicep and studying the veins in the crook of her arm. Satisfied, he had her make a fist.

“Why, you’re going to be an easy one,” he declared jovially, and removed the needle from the package. He offered another smile and lowered his voice. “You should look over at Ruby. This might sting just a little.”

Eve leveled a stare at Elliot that chilled him for its dead quality. When she spoke, her voice was no longer that of an innocent child. “I’m used to it.”

Elliot nodded and slipped the tiny needle into the vein. Eve didn’t blink. The narrow plastic tube that hung from the needle went crimson with blood, and he snapped the first of three vials into place.

True to his promise, he was finished in little more than two minutes, and Eve was holding a cotton ball against the needle mark, her arm folded. Michael brought a glass of fruit punch and offered it to her. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.”

She took it with numb fingers and nodded mutely. Ruby watched as she drained the glass and set it down carefully on the table beside her, and then looked at them with the same blank expression that had settled over her when she’d sat. “Done?” she asked.

Ruby looked to Elliot, who was sliding the vials into another tray. “Yes, yes. For the time being, anyway. You’re a very brave little girl, Eve. Remarkable.”

“Can we go?” Eve asked.

Ruby nodded and held out her hand, the piglet squirming in her other. “Let’s.”

Elliot watched as the woman led the child out the door and frowned at Michael, his eyes troubled.

Michael shook his head. “Poor thing.”

“Yes. She’s obviously been traumatized.” Elliot finished his task and placed the used needle into a glass tray and immersed it in alcohol – supplies being far too valuable to throw anything away.

“Animals.”

“Yes, Michael, they are. Now you get a sense of what we’re dealing with. If they have their way, we’ll all be their slaves, and the world will be a dark place indeed.”

“That won’t happen. You’ll be successful. You always are.”

Elliot regarded the test tubes full of the most precious blood on the planet and nodded thoughtfully. “I hope you’re right. For all our sakes.”

Chapter 30

Sierra followed Tarak along the trail that paralleled the Rio Grande, her cowboy hat pulled low on her brow against the afternoon heat. The Apache was clearly annoyed by their slow pace, but Nugget couldn’t manage any more than she was giving, still not a hundred percent after the grueling march north.

Tarak had waited for Sierra in Los Alamos, as she’d arranged with him the day before she’d slipped away from Lucas at five a.m. He’d had no problem with her accompanying him after she’d paid him a hundred rounds of ammo, which left her with only sixty for her rifle – he was headed back south anyway. But his disposition had turned sour at the pace of her horse, and they’d ridden all day without a word, which was fine by her, given everything else on her mind.

She’d improvised a story when challenged by the sentries and for a nervous moment had feared that her trip would be over before it started, but to her relief they’d let her pass. That had been the big hurdle, and the rest was now downhill – literally.