The Thug and the Pup

Chapter 6: running

"What are you going to do, Rakkon?"

"Make a run for it."

"Where?"

"Out into the desert."

"What about me?"

"You're coming with me."

"Rakkon, I'm sorry. My father made me come on this bloody exercise. I didn't want to."

"And then you tried to be the hero?"

"Yeah, dumb, ay?"

"It was, Pup."

"Don't call me Pup."

"Okay, Connie, okay."

"And don't call me Connie, that's even worse, and how the fuck are you going to work this?"

"Chrys, you talk a lot."

"I'm fucking scared, Rakkon."

"Well, stay scared and shut up."

"You won't hurt me, will you?"

Rakkon snorted and responded sarcastically, "Not if you're a good boy, Pup."

Rakkon figured that Quinn could no longer see what was happening at the former gold mine; he drove off slowly, being careful not to create too much of a telltale dust cloud. He drove down along the side of the rocky ridge and around to the other side. The ridge would now provide some shielding.

There was no road or track; Rakkon had to pick his way through the sand, rocks, holes and scrubby bushes. It was slow going, but by nightfall, they had covered around forty kilometres.

"We'll stop here for the night and get going again at first light."

"Where are we going to sleep?"

"In the truck."

"Shit. Can you untie me?"

"Just your feet."

"You think Quinn will try to follow us, don't you?"

"For sure. Tonight, he'll come back down the road in the Jeep with a few men. They will get themselves into position and hope to pick me off in the morning. It won't take him long to work out where we've gone and he'll come after us."

"But we're too far ahead, aren't we?"

"No, he won't have to work his way forward like we have to; he'll be able to drive along our wheel tracks and that way he'll be able to go at least twice as fast as we can."

"What will you do?

"We'll see."