She ran across the rain-flooded highway, dropping to her knees in the water, hugging Michael and Annie to her.
She looked up at the fisherman. "Thank you. I just couldn't have gone back with them."
"I know, lady. That Kleinschmidt is a good fella, but comes on heavy. Hey—"
What was it, she thought. "I don't understand."
"Your name Sarah?"
"Yes, I thought you—" but she stopped. She'd sent the children down with Mary Beth, had never seen the fisherman from less than a distance of several hundred feet.
"I just put it together— you and them kids. Sarah and Michael and Annie," he said.
"Who?" Sarah started up to her feet, pushing the wet hair back from her eyes.
"He's gone now. Went to Texas there by the Louisiana border to U.S. II headquarters. Some kind of mission. Name of John Rourke. Was lookin' for you."
Sarah dropped back to her knees in the rain-flooded highway, hugging her wet children to her. "Daddy's alive!" John, she thought. John...
She could tell the difference. Now not only was there rain water running down her cheeks, but tears.
Sarah Rourke looked up at the fisherman. "After I get the horses, how far is it?"
"I don't follow you, lady."
"To Texas, I mean." She hugged Michael and Annie again, not hearing if he had answered her or not.
Chapter 50
John Rourke stood in the rain. He'd landed the Beech-craft because the plane had almost been out of fuel. As best he'd been able to judge from the maps, the plane was about twenty-five miles from Chambers and U.S. II headquarters.
Paul was sitting in the plane, talking to his parents, the pilot had gone to find some kind of transportation. The radio wasn't working well, too much static.
Beside Rourke stood Major Natalia Tiemerovna. "The truce will be over soon, John— it is over now, I think."
"At least it showed we're still human beings, didn't it?" Rourke said quietly, his left hand cupped over his dark tobacco cigar, his right arm around Natalia.
"You will go on looking?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Where do you plan to go?"
"The Carolinas, maybeGeorgia bySavannah . She was likely headed that way."
"I hope you find her— and the children."
Rourke looked at the Russian woman. Rainwater streamed down her face— and his.
"Thank you, Natalia."
The woman smiled, then lowered her eyes. She stood beside Rourke in the pouring down rain.
The End
Published by
peanutpress.com, Inc.
www.peanutpress.com
ISBN: 0-7408-0311-5
First Peanut Press Edition
This edition published by
arrangement with
Boondock Books
www.boondockbooks.com