Jack
We all headed straight to Chiricahua from wherever we were on the road, without passing Go and without collecting two hundred dollars.
I got there about the same time Ellie did—she took my truck, in which I had secured Peter’s infant seat weeks ago to keep her from ever using the deathtrap piece of shit she had been driving. I’d actually been closer to the park than most since I’d been scouring the south side of Tucson and the desert surrounding, and I could maneuver faster on the bike. I wanted to get maps and the lay of the land as soon as fucking possible, to start to formulate a plan for taking this asshole down.
As an MC, it was SOP to have a messaging system that spread word of marching orders to every member in quick time. So my brothers all turned on a dime, and were all arriving en masse, the only stragglers being those who had been on the north side of the city, and those further upstate. But they were on their way, too. All in.
Many of them had stopped along the way to fill up paniers with water bottles and snacks, trail mixes and bars, in preparation for whatever time we would spend in the park. The Arizona sun is a fierce bitch, and we would all need both sustenance and water to function for any amount of time spent there. My boys came ready, and brought enough for Ellie and myself and anyone else who may not have thought to pause in the rush to get there.
When Ellie pulled up and saw us waiting for her in the parking lot, she started crying again. Did she think she was actually going to be alone for this ordeal? Damn. She probably did. The woman didn’t yet know who we were.
It was the old ladies who had been hanging with her at the house who sounded the alarm about the phone call with McAfee. They had been listening to Ellie’s part, and put together easily enough what directions the psycho gave my wife. They called me first, then their men, and we were off. The system did exactly what it was supposed to.
She climbed down from the truck and came straight into my arms.
“Shh, it’s okay, baby. We’re gonna do this. We get Peter back today. Yeah? We got this, Ellie. This ends today.” She nodded, mopped up her eyes on my sweaty tee, and lifted her blotchy face to me.
“I didn’t expect…”
“You gotta trust us, babe. We will have your back. He said Echo Canyon Trail, right? Okay. Look at this. That trail is way over there, on the east side, so we’re not near the trailhead now. I’ll take you there on the bike, we’ll all be heading over there. The guys who aren’t here yet are gonna be coming in from where we are now, so in case he manages to run and tries to get out this way, he’ll run into them. But all the guys here now, we come with you, and then we’ll follow behind you on the trail. Once you meet up with McAfee, and he takes you to his camp, you gotta trust that we are on your tail, we will take that motherfucker out, and we are going to get both you and Peter out. Alive and well. You with me?”
Relief flooded her face, and more tears—but thank Christ, this time, no sobs—and she nodded her head with more determination. She was strong. It did my heart good to see it.
We hooked her up with a CamelBak filled with a double supply of water and a bunch of trail bars and a few small bags of cheese puff snacks—they were the easiest breadcrumb variation to follow. Then we all were back on the bikes and headed around the park to the campsite closest to the trailhead.
We staggered parking along the off-road track in order to hide the roar of the engines should McAfee have had an ear tuned for us.
Once off the bike, I took Ellie’s hand and intertwined our fingers, leading her to the trailhead. There, I turned her to face me, and took her other hand as well. I needed her to listen to me, to concentrate, and get all of my instructions down. She was new to Arizona, and there was a lot she needed to be aware of.
“You getting an idea of this park, Ellie? It’s completely crazy, the whole thing, and it gets worse the further you go in. It’s a confusing madhouse.
“So you stay on the trail until Brian finds you. Do not take even one step off of it. When McAfee meets up with you, I’m pretty sure you’ll go off-trail quick. Drop those cheese puffs immediately, right there, and keep dropping as much as you can, every few feet.
“If this is where he’s been hiding out for months, he’ll know his way around. He won’t like seeing you drop a trail, Ellie. Do it on the sly. You got plenty of packs in there, use them.
“We will be right behind you. Know that. But you won’t see us. You have to trust me, trust all of us, to have your back. Okay, baby?”
Her eyes were wide with fear and worry, but she nodded and swallowed.
“Also, you gotta drink lots of water. Keep drinking. This sun will kill. We don’t know how long this is gonna take, right? So keep drinking, eat your bars, drop the puffs.
“Let us worry about McAfee, once he finds you. Doubtful he’s gonna have Peter with him when he does—more likely, he’s gonna have camp set up somewhere. You just make him take you there. It’s what he wants to do, anyway. Let him. Try not to let him touch you, though. Makes me crazy to think of his hands on you.
“But the main thing is, you get to Peter, first. We’re packing—all of us. Even you. I put a small handgun in your pack, tucked in between the water reservoirs and your back, you see? It’s locked and loaded. Here, let me show you.”
I slipped it out and showed her how to unlock, and lock, and unlock, and lock it again.
“You only use this if you really have to, El. I hope to God you don’t need to, but I wouldn’t feel right sending you out there without it. You got it if you need it.
“But remember: it’s not on you to take him down. Let us do that. You just get to the baby, do what you need to, to take care of him. We’re gonna be minutes, at most, right behind you. We got this, El.”
She nodded, and I wrapped my arms around her, my head bowed down to face-plant in her hair, breathing her in. We stayed there for long moments. I think she was gathering her courage, while I was willing her strength and comfort and determination.
I hated sending her out there, alone, to meet the fuck-wad who had stolen her baby and continually fucked with her peace of mind. I’d had enough. This ended today. On that point, I was fucking determined. McAfee was done. It was just a matter of minutes now.
But as much as I hated the circumstances today, I was aware that a part of me was thriving like it hadn’t done in weeks. I loved that she was seeking me out for comfort, and that she was putting her trust in me. I felt good about us again, and I knew I would always do everything in my power to make sure she was protected and safe.
She was mine. Peter was mine. No matter what any agreement was, no matter whether we were married or not.
I had got my woman back, and despite the unknown that was on our immediate horizon in this park, I felt better and stronger and more sure than ever. We were gonna be good. I knew it.
I tightened my hold on her briefly, kissed the top of her head, and whispered, “You ready?”
She backed up, put her hands on my ribs and pushed me away, then tipped her head up to look me straight in the eye. With great determination, she spoke, low but strong. “Yes. I’m ready.”
Damn. She was fierce. I nodded, and went for her hand again, to give her one more minute of my support and strength—
And she pulled away. She wouldn’t look at me anymore. Obviously, she didn’t want to touch me anymore.
That fucking hurt.
But she needed to do what she needed to do, and I got that. I didn’t like it, but I understood it.
And I respected her for it.
She wasn’t hesitating now. She strode straight over to the trailhead, dug into her bag for the first pack of cheese puffs, pulled it open, and began her journey into the twisted rock formations.
My heart clenched for a moment, and then I got a grip. I had a job to do, and it was time to do it.
I grabbed up my own backpack of water reservoirs and snacks, checked that my holstered guns were strapped and fully loaded, signaled to my brothers that we were moving, and followed her two minutes later.
It was go-time.