Dollar Runaways

Chapter 35: Circling

"COME ON AMBER," I said to her for a change.

She groaned, and slowly got herself out of the bag, and out to the fire where Annie had already started cooking. We each had our fill of scrambled eggs and bacon that morning. Something about frying the eggs over the fire made them taste so much better than back home. After we all ate Mom and I returned to the tent and she had me wipe myself down with some baby wipes before changing into another set of jeans and another t-shirt.

By nine we had everything packed back up and loaded onto the horses. We rode for three hours before taking a break to make lunch at an existing fire pit. This was another of the freeze-dried dinners; chicken and gumbo this time. I kind of felt like turning my nose up a bit at this one, but it was what was there to eat so I ate it. Being picky out here wouldn't be something my Mom or anyone else would be likely to be okay with!

After we had all eaten, we poured several buckets worth of water onto the fire, stirred the slush up with one of our shovels, and then repeated that. Collin took the time to explain to me how many forest fires the area had already had that year, and he didn't want to see anymore because of a poorly put out fire! Especially since they had just lifted the campfire restrictions the week before!

This next camping spot was a lot farther away apparently, because we didn't reach the spot until two hours after lunch. We began setting up camp right away since the clouds that were rolling in didn't look friendly.

RAY HEARD HIS phone ring and immediately answered it, "Hello?"

"Secure?"

"Secure," he said back after checking.

"They're at a ranch above Santa Fe. I've got an address for you here too."

"How?"

"Kline got cute and decided to borrow a guard's car... Just so happens he's family... and the car's equipped with OnStar!"

That made Ray laugh, "What are the odds of that?"

Greg laughed too, "Pretty good at most of the prisons actually. It helps to keep anyone that might forget Omerta in line you know..."

Ray nodded, "So what's the address...?"

He spent a moment writing it down, "Thanks Greg."

"Hey, I recommend you go take care of things tomorrow night, should be the least busy time on the ranch."

"Got it, I'll go tomorrow night about eleven or so and sneak up."

"Sounds like a plan, but be careful, you are in the West."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means more of them have guns and will shoot your ass," he told him.

"Don't worry, I'll have guns too."

He hung up the phone and began making the plans he'd need to fix things permanently. The fact that they were already in a remote area would make the job of hiding his wife's body much easier. He would probably just knock out his son or tie him up to get him back home. His dad could have him as far as he was concerned at this point. She'd probably completely turned the boy on him in the last month.

Ray started to make phone calls...

AGENT KLINE SAT in the hotel room with Brian and Ryan discussing the day before. "I think that was a bit too easy for you to get that guard's car Boss," Brian told him.

He thought for a moment and agreed, "I think so too... Do you think I was followed?"

"Could have just tracked you. Not that hard, and it was a newer car, right?"