Lucas frowned. “Not much of a dancer.”
“Prove it.”
She was standing and pulling him to his feet before he could protest, and then they were in the crush of bodies, the alcohol swimming in his head as he held her close, her curves sculpted to his like they’d been made that way. The smell of her skin and her hair in the soft moonlight was as intoxicating as the cider.
They swayed together, the singer crooning a lament about never-ending love over the strumming guitars and the melody of a mandolin, and then they were kissing again. The world around them faded to a blur, their tongues darting and lips crushing in a hunger that was all-consuming.
Lucas didn’t know how they wound up in his room, how Sierra was lifting her dress over her head, her body a miracle in the faint starlight filtering through the gauze curtains. All he knew was that she was with him, tearing at his shirt, and then they were naked, falling together onto the bed, all hot skin and steaming breath and soft lips and entwined limbs and a sensation like sinking into a warm ocean whose surf broke against the shore again and again until they both lay panting, their passion and energy, for the moment, spent.
Chapter 26
Dust motes drifted lazily in the sunlight streaming through the curtains as Lucas rolled over and opened his eyes. He squinted against the glare and raised a hand to his head, which was throbbing like he’d gone ten rounds with a bear. He rubbed his face and patted the bed beside him with his other hand, and then sat up.
The bed was empty.
He remembered Sierra sleeping beside him, the sound of her soft breathing, the look of her face, childlike and peaceful in slumber, and smiled. He could still taste her lips on his as vividly as he could feel the soreness in his muscles from the night’s demands.
Lucas shook his head and immediately regretted the movement. So much for taking things slowly once they arrived at Shangri-La and figuring out their relationship. Part of him felt guilty, but he knew it was irrational – his wife had been gone for five years, and he’d mourned her passing every one of them, but he was only human, and at some point it was reasonable that he’d be interested in someone new.
That the someone was a woman he’d rescued, about whom he knew almost nothing, was par for the course in the chaotic new reality that was his life. And it wasn’t like he’d coerced her into bed – they’d both been willing participants, so there was nothing to be guilty about.
“You’re in the swamp now,” he muttered, Sierra’s scent still on the sheets.
Lucas swung his legs off the bed and stood. He padded to the bathroom, twisted on the shower, and luxuriated in the soft spray of hot water that washed over him. When he was done, he toweled off, ran his fingers through thick hair, and donned his clothes. A glance at his watch told him that he’d slept far later than normal – it was coming up on eleven, and he was usually awake with the rising sun.
When he stepped outside, he winced at how bright it seemed. He made his way over to the mess building and found a quiet corner to wolf down some eggs prepared by a stern woman wearing a blue apron and matching hat.
Arnold entered halfway through Lucas’s breakfast and nodded to him before loading a plate with food. He sat across from Lucas and offered a hushed greeting before digging into his meal. When he finished, he sat back and gave Lucas a bleary stare, his eyes red and puffy.
“Quite a shindig, huh?” Arnold said.
“Yeah. That cider’s a killer.”
The security chief nodded agreement. “Got to pay the toll for the fun. Nothing’s for free.”
“Don’t need to ask how you feel.”
“That obvious?”
Lucas didn’t answer, preferring to wait while a wave of dizziness passed.
Arnold cleared his throat. “What do you have planned for the day?”
“Nothing much.”
“I can take you around and show you the rest of the place, if you like.”
“I’d appreciate that. Be interesting to see how you organized things to support three hundred people. Especially when you’re buried in snow half the year.”
“It isn’t that bad. More like three or four months.” Arnold shrugged. “At least in winter we don’t have to worry about anyone discovering us.”
“You’re about as remote as I can imagine. How far’s the nearest town?”
“Santa Fe’s a long day’s ride downhill, two back.”
“You ever have anyone stumble across you?”
Arnold frowned. “Not yet. But there’s always a first time.”
“Seems like you’ve got some natural defenses with the canyons. No roads leading anywhere nearby, are there?” Lucas asked.
“No. We destroyed all the roads to the west and engineered a few rock slides to seal off those approaches. Only way in is the canyon.”
“Then it’s perfect.”
“Nothing is, but this is close,” Arnold acceded.
“How long you been here?”
“Coming up on four years.”
Lucas nodded. “How did you find out about it?”
“The Doc recruited me out of Santa Fe.”
“What were you doing there?”
Arnold looked away. “Little of this and that. Trading. Trying to stay alive. You know what it was like the year after the flu hit.”
“I remember well.”
“I had a few men I’d organized for mutual defense, but things were touch and go. Santa Fe was getting raided almost monthly by one group or another. When I was offered a job here, I jumped at it. Brought my men, and haven’t left since except for a few trading runs to town and some expeditions to get weapons or supplies.”
“Where did you go for weapons?”
“National Guard armory down in La Cienega. Same in Albuquerque. Back in the early days they hadn’t been completely looted and stripped, at least not the good stuff. Now they’re empty buildings.”
“Get anything good?”
“Three .50-caliber Brownings. Twenty thousand rounds. Some mortars, a few AT4s, frag grenades, M4s and M16s. Much as we could carry without attracting too much attention.”
“No missile systems?” Lucas joked.
Arnold laughed. “Don’t think I didn’t try. They put me in charge of security, and I took the job seriously.”
“I bet.”
They rose and carried their trays to the kitchen before making for the entrance. Lucas almost ran Ruby down as she stepped through the door with Terry behind her.
“Well, good morning,” Ruby said.
“Morning. You just get up?”
“Oh, no. We’ve been awake for hours. Just came in looking for you,” Ruby said.
Lucas caught the we, but didn’t comment. “Yeah?”
“I wanted to see if you were interested in seeing Terry’s plane.”
Lucas looked to Arnold, who rolled his eyes. “Sure,” he said. “But I wanted to check on Colt.”
“Already did. He’s stable. The doctor’s keeping him for a few days while he mends.”
“Not surprised.”
Terry rubbed his hands together. “Well, then, let’s go. It’s quite a walk. Might want to take our horses.” He glanced at Arnold. “You going to tag along?”
“I’ve got to make the rounds. Lucas, look me up when you’re done. I’ll probably be around the lab entrance.”
“Sure thing.”
Terry led them to the stable. Tango whickered to see Lucas, and he gave his steed a few pats and checked his legs for any signs of inflammation or soreness. Noting none, he saddled up with the rest of the party, and they rode west for several miles, following the creek until they could cross at a shallow stretch. They approached a building, the exterior raw cinderblock, and Terry dismounted.
“The hangar,” he proclaimed. Ruby and Lucas followed him off their horses as he strode to a roll-up door and raised it with a clatter. “Got this from town,” he said. “Loading dock wasn’t using it anymore.”
They peered inside the dark space and saw the da
rk form of a small prop plane. Terry walked to it and tapped the fuselage. “Cessna U206A. Runs like a top, if not all that quickly. But it’s not like I’m in a hurry to get anywhere.”
“You take it up often?” Lucas asked.
“Not as often as I’d like. Don’t want to attract attention, so mostly at night.”
Terry gave them a tour of the plane and rattled off a host of technical specs, smiling as he spoke. When he concluded the presentation, he waited for questions like a high school teacher at the end of a lecture. Lucas obliged with some about the engine, which he fielded with enthusiasm, obviously passionate about his baby.
They waited by the horses as he closed the hangar, and Lucas murmured to Ruby, “You see Sierra around this morning?”
Ruby regarded him for a moment. “No. Why?”
“Nothing. It’s just…she wasn’t with me when I woke up.”
Ruby restrained the smile that flitted across her face. “You two were heating up the dance floor last night, that’s for sure. Can’t say as I’m surprised, given how she looks at you.”
Lucas shrugged, not wanting to explain. “Just thought she’d stick around some.”
Ruby shook her head. “Not necessarily. Never assume you know what’s running through a woman’s head.”
“I learned that lesson a long time ago.”
“She’ll show up again when she’s ready.”
“I figure.”
Terry guided them back to the complex, recounting his background as they rode. He’d been a master mechanic in the Navy and then earned his pilot’s license in his thirties, caught by the flying bug after a few trips with a friend. He’d saved carefully most of his life, and when his wife had passed away ten years before the flu, he’d bought the Cessna at auction and rebuilt it from the ground up. The project had clearly consumed him as he approached retirement from the auto repair shop he’d founded.
They strolled back to the barn and handed the horses over to stable hands, and Lucas went in search of Arnold, watching for Sierra as he walked to the caves. Arnold was speaking with one of his men when Lucas arrived at the lab entry. He quickly ended the conversation and moved to Lucas.
“I thought you might be interested in the layout of the place. The Doc only showed you a small part of the compound. There’s a lot more to see.”
“Love to.”
“Want to grab lunch first, or head straight to the armory and the dorms?”
“I’m going to skip the food. Stomach’s a little rough.”
“Probably smart.”
The afternoon went by quickly, and by the time dusk was falling, Lucas felt like he knew the place as well as he’d known Loving. The level of sophistication of the systems was remarkable, and he had to hand it to Elliot – everyone he’d recruited had been an asset, and all had contributed materially to creating an enviable sanctuary.
Back in the sleeping quarters, he knocked on Sierra’s door, but nobody answered. He debated going in, but opted instead to nap until dinnertime, given that his head still ached from the prior night’s excesses. After two hours of sleep he felt better, and he took time to shave with his straight razor, touching his neck where Sierra’s pendant had hung before he’d returned it to her the night before. She’d been fingering it as they’d basked in the afterglow of lovemaking, and he’d slipped it off and lowered it over her head with the solemnity of a head of state awarding a medal. She’d laughed at his expression and kissed him hard, and then the world had faded and it had been only them.
He made his way to the mess hall and spotted Ruby sitting with Terry and Eve at one end of the crowded tables. Lucas helped himself to a rich brown stew and joined them. Elliot was sitting one table over with Michael and Arnold, and the hearty scientist waved.
Lucas smiled as he took a seat.
“How’d your day go?” he asked Eve.
“Good. I met a pig! Her name’s Ellie.”
“A pig?”
Ruby nodded. “A piglet. Cute little thing. Eve fell in love.”
“That’s wonderful,” Lucas said. “What else did you do?”
“Played. Made new friends.”
“There are a bunch of kids here,” Ruby said.
“Yes, we have twenty-three, fourteen of which are Eve’s age or younger,” Terry said.
“Your Aunt Sierra have fun with you?” Lucas asked, feeling sneaky at the loaded question.
Eve studied her knees beneath the table but didn’t respond.
Ruby frowned. “What is it, Eve?”
The girl shook her head and remained silent, her mouth a stubborn line.
“Is it about Sierra, Eve?” Lucas tried.
“Can’t talk about it.”
Lucas eyed Ruby and bent down to the little girl. “Who told you not to talk about it?”
“Aunt Sierra.”
“It’s okay, Eve,” Ruby said. “Sometimes grown-ups play jokes on each other. To be funny. One of the ways they do that is to ask people to keep secrets they know they can’t keep.”
Eve frowned. “Why’s that funny?”
“To see how long they can hold out.” Ruby paused. “It’s a grown-up thing. I don’t think it’s funny.”
“Neither do I,” Lucas said. “So you can tell us. You won’t get into trouble.”
“She made me swear.”
Ruby smiled. “Then it has to be a joke. Nobody would make a little angel like you swear unless it was a joke.”
Eve brightened. “Really?”
“Of course.”
Eve looked away. “I miss her.”
Lucas swallowed hard. “Where did she go, Eve?”
“She didn’t say that. Just she has to leave, and that she really loves me.” Eve blinked, and a tear trickled down her cheek.
“I’m sure of that,” Ruby said, struggling to maintain her composure.
“When did she tell you that?” Lucas asked.
“Early. She woke me. It was dark.” She looked up at Lucas. “She’ll be back, right?”
Lucas shoved his plate away and rose. “Better believe it.”
Ruby was right behind him when he pushed outside and stood glowering at the darkness. “You can’t do this tonight, Lucas.”
“I can, and will.”
“You’re just going to wind up with a lame horse, and we both know it. Not with this terrain. Wait until morning.”
Lucas looked at Ruby, and she could see pain in his eyes. “Why do you think she left?” he asked.
“I don’t know. But she’s always had her own agenda. I told you that before.”
He nodded. “You were right. But then why…why last night?”
Ruby had no answer.
Lucas looked around the valley, the stars so close at the high altitude he felt like he could touch them, and exhaled a long hiss of breath. “Be foolish to put Tango at risk on that trail tonight.”
“You’re better on a horse than she is. You’ll catch up to her.”
“Well, there’s only one way out. I’ll talk to Arnold and find out who was on guard duty this morning.” Lucas shook his head and his voice softened. “I don’t get it. I really don’t.”
“You’ll figure it out, Lucas. You always do.”
Lucas didn’t respond and instead trudged slowly back to the bunkhouse, his shoulders slumped like a defeated man.
Chapter 27
Duke and Aaron ambled up the main street in Roswell, leading their horses on foot. Their trip from Artesia had proved a grueling one and had taken three times longer than they’d expected due to flash floods. They’d barely left the town in pursuit of Lucas when the heavens opened up again, turning the trail into an impassible nightmare. They had made camp and waited it out. After a long day the rain had finally stopped, and they’d decided to spend the night where they were.
When they finally reached Roswell, they’d been stopped by guards and given the first degree, the sentries openly hostile until Duke had been able to reassure them that he was there to see his
acquaintance, who owned the trading post in town.
It had been too late that evening to see Tucker, so they’d rented a room for the night in a sprawling Victorian house two blocks off the main drag and had their first hot meal in almost a week at an outdoor grill that boasted fish, rabbit, and dove.
After a solid night’s sleep, they’d gone in search of Tucker’s Trading and were making their way up the street on their horses when a man called out to them at the main square.
“You two. Hold up!”
A rugged man in a ten-gallon hat with a semiautomatic pistol in a hip holster walked toward them from the far sidewalk. Duke spotted the badge pinned to his vest and nudged Aaron. “Looks like the local lawman wants a word.”
“We haven’t done anything.”
“Then we’ve got nothing to worry about.”
The sheriff neared and stopped a few yards from them, taking their measure, a look of disapproval on his face. “Where are you boys headed?”
“Up to Tucker’s,” Duke said, his voice neutral.
“You got business there?”
Duke nodded. “Yes. He’s a friend of mine.”
The sheriff stared up at Aaron for a long beat and then shifted his gaze back to Duke. “That right? Where you boys from?”
“Down south,” Duke said, wanting to keep it vague.
“Look like you’ve been through it.”
“Got caught in the storm. You know how it is.”
“Right. Well, I figured I’d introduce myself and lay out the town rules. We don’t like trouble. Which means we tend to keep to our own kind and mind our business,” the sheriff said, looking to Aaron again.
“Your own kind?” Aaron asked.
“That’s right. Locals tend to like other locals, if you catch my drift.”
Duke nodded, trying to diffuse the tension that was building from nowhere. “We’re just here to check in with Tucker.”
“Best to keep it to that.”
Both Aaron and Duke nodded, and the sheriff moved away. Duke shook his head and gave Aaron a sidelong glance, and the younger man rolled his eyes.
They arrived at Tucker’s and tied their horses outside. When they entered, Tucker looked up from the ammo he was counting and nodded a greeting. “That really you, Duke?”
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