Jedi swerves the Humvee onto a new compass bearing and heads away from the Canadian container. Resting on top of his thigh is his open notebook. Every so often he glances down at the map, then back up at the compass.
Next to him, Lloyd looks over and says, "Oil!" He shakes his head. "I dunno, kid, I think you've been reading way too many comic books."
"Have some faith, dude." Jedi watches Matt and Lola zoom past on their bikes.
"God made me an atheist—faith don't work for me."
"Then you're gonna have to trust me."
"I trust nobody."
"Then you're just going to have to do one thing for me, Lloyd."
"What's that?"
"Believe, just believe—okay?" Jedi shouts up to Cutter and Jim in the gun turret, "Hey! You guys up there?"
"Yeah?" Cutter yells down.
"DO YOU BELIEVE?"
"What you talking about?"
"In me?" Jedi yells.
"You—you okay, kid?" Cutter yells.
"I'm asking if you believe in me."
"Yeah, sure, you're a value bet."
Jedi smiles over at Lloyd. "You see, Lloyd, that's all you need sometimes—someone saying something good."
"Right!" Lloyd says.
"You know what, Lloyd?"
"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me."
"You're my passenger, and I am your driver, so you'd better start believing too."
"Just drive the truck, kid, just drive the fucking truck."
***
Alone with Books in the back of the Humvee, Sophia watches him strip down his M16. He methodically cleans the various components. As he works, he senses her watching him. He doesn't look up but concentrates fully on the weapon.
"Hey, Books?" Sophia says.
"Yeah?"
"What Lola said, back there."
"What about it?"
"The feelings thing."
"Uh-huh."
"Bullshit, right?"
Books clicks the M16's bolt carrier back onto the gun's main body assembly. "What do you think?"
"I think . . . I think you make me feel like everything's going to be okay," Sophia says.
Finished, Books puts the gun down. He shuffles forward on the bench seat and moves closer to Sophia. He leans toward her. "I like to surf. You ever surfed?"
Sophia shakes her head.
Books continues, "I've got this place, it's overseas, right by the ocean. Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to live by the sea. So I got me a small beach house—it's not much and it needs a ton of work, but it's all mine. There's no phone, no TV, no people, just a whole load of beach, blue water and mountains as far as you can see. I think it's as close to paradise as I've ever found."
Books pauses as he thinks about his special place.
Sophia interrupts his train of thought. "I've always loved the ocean too—how'd you find it?"
