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"I’d just like to get our faces out of sight on the way out of town," Riley said "They’ve been all over us, and we need to break the trail clean"

Bryn considered that for a few long seconds, watching the trucks, then nodded "Follow ot this one"

• • •

Joe wasn’t a fan of her plan, but he went along with it anyway They cut across industrial lots and empty, weed-choked areas, down a couple of ditches, and ca co at the rate of one every ten minutes or so

She positioned herself behind a scrub tree, and waited until she heard the gru over a slight hill, coasting down to the stop sign, where it would turn right onto a road that led it to the nearest freeway

She counted down, and at the last possible second, stepped out in front of him

The visceral need to run was aled to root her feet to the paverill of the truck She had a two-second gli from bored to shocked to horrified, and heard the chatter of the air brakes

And then the truck hit her hard enough to throw her twenty feet down the road She landed with enough force to snap several bones, and sainst the tarred surface Red-hot agony blitzed through her, knocking out sensation and sense alike, until she rolled to a stop in a limp, broken heap A rush of heat flared, then, and she distantly recognized it Her trusty little zoe, knitting together smashed cells It would all take tiht hate it, but the little bastards came in handy sometimes Like now, as the truck slid to a stop, and the driver hastily dis the way

Joe stepped out froet back in the truck, sir We’re going to be joining you"

"But--she’s hurt! She needs--"

"She’ll be fine, believe me" Joe pulled his sidearm and held it steadily on the driver "In the truck Please Now"

The driver did it without any further protests, though he did look scared to death--and even htened as Riley picked up Bryn (a process that was beyond painful, from Bryn’s broken perspective) and carried her to the cab of the truck, where Joe pulled her in and laid her down on the narrow bunk in the back Riley sat in the back with her, along with Thorpe, and Joe took the literal shotgun seat, with his weapon held with casual competence on the driver "What’s your name, sir?" Joe asked

"Um--Lonnie Lonnie Brinks" He looked scared out of his ot kids"

"Me too And I love them, just like you do," Joe said "Relax We just need a ride Nobody’s going to hurt you Where you heading?"

"Long haul to San Francisco," he said "Where do you want to go?"

"San Francisco," Joe said

"Uh--that lady--she’s gonna die, ht look like it, but I won’t Promise"

Lonnie looked frankly shocked that she could talk at all, and when he looked back, she gave him a shaky thumbs-up He stared at her blankly, then at the rest of them "Who the hell are you people?"

"People who need your help, if we’re ever going to see our faain, Lonnie," Joe said, and the sincerity and warmth that radiated out of him washed ahatever fear Lonnie still held "I swear on onna walk away from this alive, andexcept drive"

He was bluffing about the cash, Bryn thought; she’d left the rest of it in that locker, in coht--life on the run was expensive Joe sold it, though--sold it so well that the driver Lonnie sighed, nodded, and put the engine in gear "Okay," he said "But don’t get me fired I need this job"

"Worst case, you’re under duress," Joe said "I figure either way you come out of this a winner--especially if you deliver your load on tiht?"