Deserted - Cara Dee Page 0,97

and someone’s gotta teach the poor kid to do somethin’ other than play video games.”

“I hear ya,” Hank agreed. “It’s all they do these days if we don’t drag ’em out every now and then.”

Safe to say, they’d found something to bond over.

If Gray didn’t know better, he’d accuse Darius of being social, but he could hear that this was just a necessary evil. Darius used his time to cement their cover and drop enough details about their weekend plans in the bush that Hank and his family wouldn’t come knockin’. We don’t know if we’re sleeping here or somewhere out there, he’d said. Then he’d added a joke at Gray’s expense, claiming it was up to the kid if he got scared of rattlesnakes.

Hank thought that was hilarious.

“Uncle James!” Gray hollered. “I think the hot dogs are done!”

“Ah—I should get some grub before we head out,” Darius told Hank. “Let’s have a beer later if our paths cross.”

“Absolutely, man!” Hank was all for it.

Nineteen

After they’d eaten, they changed into more appropriate clothes and hiking boots for their mission. Cargo pants with multiple pockets, long-sleeved tees—both blending in with the desert surroundings—and sunscreen would protect them from the elements as well as from being spotted by anyone.

Darius’s backpack fit in the compartment under the seat of the ATV, and Gray threw his own on his back. And when all was said and done, Darius revved the engine and headed straight out into the dead basin that lay ahead of them.

Gray hugged Darius’s midsection and rested his chin on his shoulder.

Darius didn’t drive around in any cheap shit that would fall apart after a mile of rough terrain. It was a sturdy utility ATV that could break eighty miles an hour and go seventy miles on one tank of gas, though that was on paved roads. The landscape they drove into consisted of sand, smaller rocks, and cacti, and Darius had to be somewhat mindful of where he steered the vehicle.

From the campsite, it was fifteen miles to Chester Warren’s house, and they did not want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Darius eased up on the throttle when they reached a narrow pass between two mountains, and he maneuvered them through the underbrush and over the low boulders that came up from the ground. Then he turned left, following the bend of the mountainside, until he came to a stop.

Gray blinked and rubbed his hands over his eyes.

The dust settled around them, and the first thing that struck him was the silence.

Utter and complete silence.

Holy hell, he’d never experienced this before, not even during their road trip through the desert in Texas. It was as beautiful and tranquil as it was eerie and frightening. Right then and there, they were alone in the world.

Darius took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

No car sounds, no rustling, no wind, no background buzz of electricity.

Just silence and mountains and vast flatlands of sand.

Gray hugged Darius from behind a little harder and kissed his neck.

Darius sighed contentedly and leaned back against Gray.

After a moment of enjoying the peace together, Darius lifted his arm and pointed toward the horizon. “The hills over there—that’s where the park ends. Highway 62 should be right behind them, and that’s where we’ll find his house.”

“Got it.” Gray estimated they’d reach the hills in five to ten minutes, depending on how fast they could go.

They continued their journey after chugging some water, and Gray watched the hills come closer and closer. He couldn’t decide if they were green or brown, and the color bled into the yellow of the ground below.

Once they reached the low mountains, Darius found a passage to go through.

The highway appeared out of nowhere and looked out of place.

Not a car in sight, but Gray knew the nearest town, Twentynine Palms, was mere minutes away. The road wouldn’t be deserted for long.

“It’s up there.” Darius pointed in the opposite direction of the town, up the road, and Gray squinted.

The heat was liquid along the ground, but he could see it. Far away. There was a house.

“We’ll get behind the mountains again and drive closer,” Darius decided. “We’re sitting ducks out here.”

So, they went back, and Darius sped up. He drove along the back of the mountains until they came across another passage, and that was where he stopped.

“We’ll hoof it from here.”

Gray dismounted first and adjusted the straps of his backpack.

Darius unpacked a pair of binoculars before throwing his backpack onto his back.