“No thanks, Bud,” Joe said.
As Nate guided Bud out the backyard toward the distant truck, Joe heard Bud say, “If you really want to kill me, I probably wouldn’t put up too much of a fight.”
“Shut up,” Nate responded.
LATER, AS JOE crawled into bed, Marybeth said, “It’s so sad what’s happened to Bud. I don’t know what’s going to become of him.”
He moved close to her and she turned away to her side. Their bodies fit so well together, he thought.
She said, “I keep expecting to get a call from the sheriff’s office asking us to come down and bail him out of jail. Or identify a body.” She didn’t sound sleepy.
He said, “Your mother’s body count is getting pretty high. How did you manage to turn out so well?”
“I guess I’m the black sheep of the family.”
Joe chuckled. “Yup. No one can accuse you of trading up.”
“Do you think he’ll come back? Bud, I mean?”
Joe pulled her closer. Her body felt warm and soft. He buried his face into her hair. “I doubt it. He knows now Nate’s not after him. And deep down, Bud’s a good man. He’ll wake up and be ashamed of himself for showing up here, I think.”
“Mmmm.”
“Marybeth,” he whispered into her ear, “I was wondering . . .”
“Joe,” she said, cutting him off. “First, we need to talk.”
“About what?”
She took a deep soft breath and paused. “I can see the direction this is all headed. I could see it tonight when you and Nate got your guns and went outside. It was like your sails were full. I know it was me who called Nate for help, but at the time I wasn’t sure when I’d see you again, if at all.
“You’re thinking of going back up into those mountains, aren’t you? You want to find those brothers,” she said.
He closed his eyes, even though she wasn’t looking at his face. “No one believes me, honey.”
“I do.”
“I keep thinking about everything that happened—how they whipped me. I keep thinking about Terri Wade and . . . that other woman. Something was going on up there and I couldn’t see it at the time. I still can’t. But whatever it is, it’s still there. That the sheriff in Carbon County and all those DCI boys couldn’t find the Grim Brothers at all puzzles the heck out of me. That the FBI seems to be monitoring the situation makes no logical sense. And who is this Bobby McCue representing? There are a load of unanswered questions, starting with why the Grim Brothers are up there in the first place. Plus, there are lives at stake. Even though Terri Wade and the mystery woman seemed to be there willingly, I just don’t buy it. No woman would choose to be alone in the wilderness like that with those two brothers around. I think they’re being held, even if they didn’t act like it. Just walking away doesn’t feel right.”
She turned to face him. He could see the side of her face in the soft light of the moon outside. She still looked youthful, attractive, strong. He wanted her.
She said, “Be thankful you were able to walk away, Joe.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Maybe it was a blessing,” she said. “You may not be so lucky the next time.”
He said nothing for a long time. Then: “I’ll tell you something I have trouble putting into words. I’m scared to go back up there. I’ve been scared a lot in the past. But this one is different somehow. I don’t think I can beat them.”
She reached out and touched his cheek. She spoke softly, “Eventually, those brothers will get caught or turn themselves in. And who knows—maybe those women are up there on their own accord. Not all women have brains in their heads, Joe. Some are actually attracted by men like that, which sickens me. But for once, why not let the system work? You don’t need to be the one driving it this time.”
She said, “For God’s sake, they aren’t even in your district anymore. You’ve been reassigned, so they’re someone else’s problem now. We both know the governor wants you to stay out of it. And the sheriff down there probably never wants to see you again. If you went after them, it would be purely personal, and that’s not good.”
“Still,” he said.
“Look,” she said, propping herself up on an elbow. His arm that had been draped over her fell away from her movement. “You’ve been gone a long time. You see the situation here. April is like a stick of dynamite walking around in a room filled with candles. She’s just going to go off if we aren’t there to help and guide her. Sheridan’s got a year left before she goes to college, Joe. To college! She’s in a situation right now where she goes to practice every night and that hysterical coach of hers mistreats her because she won’t suck up to him. She doesn’t say much about it. She’s miserable—but she won’t quit. Who does that remind you of?”
Joe grunted.
She said, “I don’t sleep well when any of my children are unhappy, even if I can’t do anything about it. And there’s Lucy. I don’t want her to think she’s been forgotten amidst all this drama.”
He reached out and stroked her naked shoulder.
“I’ve never asked this before,” she said, “But I’m asking now: promise me you won’t go after them.”
Joe sighed and rubbed his eyes hard.
“I know it’s against your nature,” she said. “I know you think your advantage is your inability to simply let things go. But something happened up there. They got into your head and under your skin and they stole a part of you. You can’t get it back, Joe. You’ve just got to heal. And you’ve got to be home to heal. Where I need you right now. I need some help here, Joe.”
He said, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” he said. “I promise.”
He was shocked how relieved he was when he said it, how a tremendous downward pressure on him seemed to release and dissipate. He felt lighter and slightly ashamed of himself.
The truth was, he needed her permission not to go after the Grim Brothers. Because from what he’d experienced, they’d likely beat him again. And this time, he doubted they’d let the job go unfinished.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her to him.
She came.
18
DAVE FARKUS RODE IN THE DARK WITH HIS LEFT ARM UP IN front of his face in case the fat horse walked under a branch. He couldn’t see a thing, and he was terrified. He was also severely chilled, because the temperature had dropped once the sun went down behind the clouds.
“I’m freezing,” Farkus said.
Ahead of him, Smith turned and said, “Shut up, Dave.”
Smith, like the other three, had put on night vision goggles to ride by. Where Smith’s eyes should have been, there were dark holes. Only when one of the other riders looked directly at him could Farkus see a dull ball of red deep inside the lenses, which unnerved him. It was as if the twin eyepieces were drilled into their brains. Occasionally, if the riders adjusted their goggles or briefly removed them, he could see their faces bathed in an eerie green.
Farkus said, “I feel like I’m in a goddamned zombie movie.”
EARLIER, PARNELL HAD ORDERED them all to put on body armor and night-vision goggles—except for Farkus, of course. Smith and Campbell had dismounted and dug in the panniers and handed out the bulletproof vests. Farkus could hear the soft clink of ceramic plating as the vests were strapped on. Then, in the last few minutes of dusk, he watched them check lithium batteries and adjust the straps of the goggles in a well-practiced way. Campbell and Smith debated the merits of their goggles, and Farkus listened carefully.
“I was hoping for generation fours instead of these ATN gen threes,” Campbell told Smith. “There’s hardly any moon at all and the gen fours will reach out a thousand yards in these conditions.”