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“We estimate that they are about fifteen miles in front of us at this point,”

Kevin’s voice answered him. “Bring the Durangos to a stop. ”

Curtis looked into the back of the helicopter where Kevin sat flipping through a sheath of papers on a clipboard. The man’s forehead was beaded with sweat. These were his plans that everyone had agreed on and he had insisted on flying out with Greta to run strategy from the air.

Curtis resented him to no end. Kevin was not one of them. He was one of the others. An interloper. Just one more person to complicate things and ma

ke it hard at the fort.

With a curt nod, he sat back in his chair and looked down at the Durangos now idling on the road below. Linda was down there with that slut. It ate at him that Linda was a volunteer, but at the same time whatever happened, she deserved it. He had hoped that she would see the light.

That he was the one for her and that she needed to be with him. But that hope felt futile every time he saw the two women together. The Southern Baptists had that right. It was just not natural.

If only he could go back to the old days, sitting at the station house, flipping through the latest catalog detailing the best in prisoner restraints, watching Linda deliver the mail every morning. Those were the days.

“Bette,” Kevin’s voice said in his headset once more.

“I’m here,” Bette answered.

Curtis could feel the hesitation in Kevin before his voice said, “You have a go. ”

“Roger that,” Bette answered.

Curtis looked down to see the Durango that Linda was in began to move down the road, while the other two remained in position. The windows of the departing window rolled down and the two women stuck out their hands to wave and give the thumbs up.

Curtis felt his stomach slowly roll over, but his jaw set. Looking down at his map, he readied his pen. Time to go to work.

* * * * * Bette closed her window as she drove on, a grin on her face, her blond hair sticking up around her head at odd angles. Grabbing Linda’s hand, she kissed it and winked at her.

“Let’s do this!”

“Woot!” Linda shouted out the closing window on her side.

“Scared?”

“Shitless. ”

“Me, too. ” Bette donned a very worn dark green cap. “I swear my insides are quivering. ”

Linda pushed up the brim of her beat up cowboy hat and exhaled slowly.

“I think my stomach exploded. ”

Reaching out, Bette snagged her hand and squeezed. “You didn’t have to come,”she said softly.

Linda looked at Bette very intently. “Oh, yes. I did. Where you go, I go. ”

Tears flashed into Bette’s eyes as she pressed a string of kisses to Linda’s knuckles. I’m lucky to be with you. ”

“Let’s hope your luck keeps up,” Linda answered, her voice trembling with emotion.

Bette crossed her fingers on both hands and pushed her foot down on the accelerator. Above them, the helicopter swooped ahead, the wind from its enormous blades buffeting the SUV. Linda swallowed hard next and reached for her water bottle.

“It’s okay, babe,” Bette assured her. “It’s okay. ”

“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” Linda answered, then gulped down her water.

“I know. I know. ”