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Authors: Steven Alan Montano
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her seat on the opposite side of the big fire, while Vos was just out of sight behind her, walking the perimeter.
The two men ate warm beans heated in tin cans. Cross thought they tasted like asphalt. The ground was hard beneath them, and it was so cold it more or less nullified the blankets they hid under.
Cross brought Dillon up to speed regarding his conversation with Danica Black. He left out what Black had said to him there at the end about saving lives not meaning much to her. He still wasn’t exactly sure what to make of that.
“ Shit,” Dillon said when Cross finished. “Man…this is turning out to be a real pain in the ass, Cross.”
“ Sorry,” Cross said. “What did you expect when they handed you the job of babysitting me?”
“ Trouble,” Dillon laughed. “Not like this, though.” He paused, and cast a furtive glance at Black. “You, uh…you buy her story?”
Cross took a sip of cowboy coffee. It tasted like they’d made it with dirt instead of coffee grounds.
“ I think so,” he said after a moment. “But we need to be careful.”
“ You think she’s setting us up?”
“ No,” Cross said. He stretched his arms out. He could have used a healing salve, but he wanted to hold on to what small supply they had in case they needed it later. Black and Vos had salvaged everything they possibly could from the Dreadnaught’s wreckage, but even with what they’d recovered there was still barely enough supplies for the five people from the ship. Cross and Dillon had enough of their own supplies, but there was very little they could spare. “No,” Cross said again. “I truly believe she wants her girlfriend back.”
“ I dig the fact that she has a girlfriend,” Dillon said with a wry smile.
I don’t , Cross thought.
“ Just because she wants to get her girl back,” Dillon continued, “doesn’t mean she won’t turn on us when the deal is done. You know, so she doesn’t have to keep up her end of the bargain.”
“ Yeah…in the end, she may not want to give up Lucan,” Cross said. His beans were gone, but his stomach still growled with hunger. “So like I said…we’ll be careful.”
Dillon threw the rest of his coffee into the fire, and pulled a licorice root out of his pocket, which he chewed on thoughtfully.
“ You got any family, Cross?” he asked. They’d been on the mission for weeks, but Cross realized he knew little about the ranger.
“ No,” he said with some hesitation.
He sees Snow, burning on the train.
“ You have a sister, right?” Cross asked him. “And a nephew?”
“ Yeah,” Dillon said. “Jeraline’s husband died a few years back. She’s been taking care of Dwayne on her own. He’s a good kid. Cute. Loud, though.” Dillon laughed. “I don’t see them too much,” he said. “But I would like to see them again.” He looked at Cross. “I’ll follow your lead. Just try not to get us killed, all right?”
Cross nodded.
“ Fair enough,” he said. “Shall we?”
They rose and went to speak with Black. There were some things that needed to be sorted out.
They took their seats by the fire and accepted more coffee, this time from a fresh kettle that Black had just made. It tasted slightly less gritty than what Cross and Dillon had been drinking.
Black sat bundled up in a blanket. Her face looked ashen in the firelight. Vos came over and stood with his weapon folded in his arms.
“ We’ll help you get Cole back,” Cross continued. “In return, you convince her to help us find what we’re looking for. In either case, when this is all over, Lucan Keth comes with us.”
“ Back to Thornn,” Vos said with an angry smile on his face.
“ Yes,” Cross answered. “Back to Thornn.”
“ Do you want us to bend over, too?” Vos asked.
Dillon blew Vos a mocking kiss.
“ I don’t like being bullied, Cross,” Black said. “But you have to protect what’s yours. Vos and I can’t do this on our own. If you help us get Cole
The two men ate warm beans heated in tin cans. Cross thought they tasted like asphalt. The ground was hard beneath them, and it was so cold it more or less nullified the blankets they hid under.
Cross brought Dillon up to speed regarding his conversation with Danica Black. He left out what Black had said to him there at the end about saving lives not meaning much to her. He still wasn’t exactly sure what to make of that.
“ Shit,” Dillon said when Cross finished. “Man…this is turning out to be a real pain in the ass, Cross.”
“ Sorry,” Cross said. “What did you expect when they handed you the job of babysitting me?”
“ Trouble,” Dillon laughed. “Not like this, though.” He paused, and cast a furtive glance at Black. “You, uh…you buy her story?”
Cross took a sip of cowboy coffee. It tasted like they’d made it with dirt instead of coffee grounds.
“ I think so,” he said after a moment. “But we need to be careful.”
“ You think she’s setting us up?”
“ No,” Cross said. He stretched his arms out. He could have used a healing salve, but he wanted to hold on to what small supply they had in case they needed it later. Black and Vos had salvaged everything they possibly could from the Dreadnaught’s wreckage, but even with what they’d recovered there was still barely enough supplies for the five people from the ship. Cross and Dillon had enough of their own supplies, but there was very little they could spare. “No,” Cross said again. “I truly believe she wants her girlfriend back.”
“ I dig the fact that she has a girlfriend,” Dillon said with a wry smile.
I don’t , Cross thought.
“ Just because she wants to get her girl back,” Dillon continued, “doesn’t mean she won’t turn on us when the deal is done. You know, so she doesn’t have to keep up her end of the bargain.”
“ Yeah…in the end, she may not want to give up Lucan,” Cross said. His beans were gone, but his stomach still growled with hunger. “So like I said…we’ll be careful.”
Dillon threw the rest of his coffee into the fire, and pulled a licorice root out of his pocket, which he chewed on thoughtfully.
“ You got any family, Cross?” he asked. They’d been on the mission for weeks, but Cross realized he knew little about the ranger.
“ No,” he said with some hesitation.
He sees Snow, burning on the train.
“ You have a sister, right?” Cross asked him. “And a nephew?”
“ Yeah,” Dillon said. “Jeraline’s husband died a few years back. She’s been taking care of Dwayne on her own. He’s a good kid. Cute. Loud, though.” Dillon laughed. “I don’t see them too much,” he said. “But I would like to see them again.” He looked at Cross. “I’ll follow your lead. Just try not to get us killed, all right?”
Cross nodded.
“ Fair enough,” he said. “Shall we?”
They rose and went to speak with Black. There were some things that needed to be sorted out.
They took their seats by the fire and accepted more coffee, this time from a fresh kettle that Black had just made. It tasted slightly less gritty than what Cross and Dillon had been drinking.
Black sat bundled up in a blanket. Her face looked ashen in the firelight. Vos came over and stood with his weapon folded in his arms.
“ We’ll help you get Cole back,” Cross continued. “In return, you convince her to help us find what we’re looking for. In either case, when this is all over, Lucan Keth comes with us.”
“ Back to Thornn,” Vos said with an angry smile on his face.
“ Yes,” Cross answered. “Back to Thornn.”
“ Do you want us to bend over, too?” Vos asked.
Dillon blew Vos a mocking kiss.
“ I don’t like being bullied, Cross,” Black said. “But you have to protect what’s yours. Vos and I can’t do this on our own. If you help us get Cole
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