Page 8 of Alpha Hunt

“You got a better idea?”

Seconds drag by until she answers. “Fine. We go in. But I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be. I’m just making sure you don’t try to meet up with any of your Leadmills cronies while you’re out there.”

I’m tempted to roll my eyes. Instead, I go on without rising to the bait. “Right. You and I team up; we’ll follow the road until we come to the first rest stop and then see where it leads us. Tarkin and Barrett, you’ll head in from the other end of Sweetwaters. Blend in. See if you can find anything that doesn’t add up.”

Tarkin nods in response. “We’ll steer clear of the suburbs. Don’t want this brute scaring the children.”

Barrett snorts at him. “We’d better get moving then. Got a bit of a hike ahead of us.” He pivots on his heel and sets off without another word.

“We’ll stay in contact,” Tarkin throws over his shoulder at us as he heads after him.

Casey and I are left alone. Eyeballing each other.

“Well? You just gonna stand there looking pretty?”

Pretty?

“Let’s move down the road. See if we get a lift; hopefully, someone chatty who can give us some info to get us started. Our story is that our car broke down on one of the roads that lead to the motorway.”

She looks skeptical but nods, brushing past me to step onto the asphalt. We’ve barely made it a hundred yards before an engine roars behind us. Casey sticks out a thumb, brakes hiss, and tires squeal. A huge hauler pulls to a halt, and the front door swings open.

“That was easy,” she says under her breath. I’m inclined to agree. If I’d been walking alone, I’d never have picked up a ride. I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, even if it does make my jaw clench to think that the driver is most likely checking her out.

“You’re a long way from anywhere,” the burly trucker says as he pats the seat beside him.

“Car broke down,” Casey’s answer comes easily. “Couple of miles back there.” She thrusts a thumb behind us and then scoots onto the seat. It’s not lost on me that the male’s eyes rove down her lean legs as she does it. She settles herself comfortably as I climb in behind her.

“Thanks for the ride,” I mutter. He’s still checking her out, and for some reason, I want to rip his eyes out. “My wife was struggling in this heat. I was starting to worry about her.”

I feel the burn of her stare more than see it. She doesn’t say anything, but I can feel her outrage at being called my wife.

“Yep, gets hot out here, alright. Even this time of the day.” The driver fixes his attention on the road ahead as he pulls back out into the lane. “Name’s Jed,” he tells us.

“Good to meet ya, Jed.” Casey’s getting into the swing of things. “I’m Angie. This here’sDick.” She pauses to let that sink in. “We just need to get to the next rest stop. See if there’s someone around who can get us a new alternative.”

The driver slants a look at her. “Alternative?”

“Alternator,” I say, nudging her with my knee.

Casey pinches her lips together. “That’s what I said,” she mutters.

Jed makes a humming sound. “Can’t say I know anyone off the bat. Don’t know much about Sweetwaters; I just stop in on my route from time to time. You’d probably have some luck over at the truck depot, though.”

“Truck depot?” I ask.

“Yeah. There’s a place behind the rest stop. Lot of truckers check in there when they’re pulling overnighters. Sometimes, they need repairs done. Pretty sure you’d find yourself a grease monkey ‘round there.”

I nod. “Good place to start, then. Thank you.”

“I’d watch my back, though.” Jeb glances at Casey. “Some rough types round there. Might take a shine to your lady here.” I feel Casey stiffen, but still she says nothing. “But you look like a fella who can take care of yourself,” he adds. I nod.

We’re pulling up toward the outskirts of Sweetwaters, and I take note of the area. Not much to see aside from what looks like a light industrial area on the outskirts of town. Pretty typical of the places out here. There’ll be suburban zones closer to the center. And most likely a small CBD. With any luck, we won’t have to go that far in.

The hiss of the brakes makes me realize we’ve pulled up at the rest stop. Casey has been making small talk with the driver during the brief trip.