Apologies to Robert Frost #2
Anthony kept his gaze casual, but Reg heard him suck air in through his teeth. “I see two SUVs full of bozos in masks and tactical gear. Could be ICE, could be fuckin’ Bratva, but you know what the real question is, don’t you?”
“Are they looking for us?” Reg asked, and Anthony nodded.
“Plan?” Anthony asked.
Reg closed his eyes and started running through routes and trails and where the pier was and….
“Got it,” he said. “Okay, I got it. One of us takes the boys and follows that trail to the shore. I think the trail keeps going. It’s about a couple of miles to the docks and the hotels and stuff. The other one grabs all the gear and catches up.”
“One person can’t carry all the gear,” Anthony said.
“And the boys are who they’re looking for.
You and the boys go around the side of the building.
These guys haven’t stopped the cars yet.
I’ll go make two trips, and you three start toward the beach while I’m making the second one.
” Anthony paused and swallowed. “We can’t go without food, Reg.
This might be the last chance we get to eat for a few. ”
Reg nodded and then gave a faint smile. “And cheese alone isn’t going to do it.”
Anthony shuddered. “At least we’ll be sleeping outside,” he said.
Reg took a deep breath and turned to go intercept the boys as they came out of the bathroom.
“Hey,” Anthony said softly. “Be careful.”
And then, oh wow. One of those kisses. Short and hard, because they were standing on business, but soul-sustaining. Meaningful.
Important.
“Boyfriends, right?” Reg said, feeling pathetic. He knew intellectually that there was more to a relationship than just sex, but somehow this relationship felt so much more important because sex was on the table.
“Oh my God, yes,” Anthony said. “Now go.”
Reg smiled at him and went.
There was a smaller back entrance that led to a patio, and the patio had steps to one of many hiking trails that led to the ocean. Reg greeted the boys calmly and took them toward that exit, proud that they caught his mood and behaved casually—but moved quickly.
“Which way are we going?” Ilia asked as they pounded down the small staircase, and Reg took a breath.
“Well, I’m waiting for the first round of backpacks, but I think the pier is that way.
” He gestured vaguely west. “There should be a trail guide where the trees start. I think you can see it from here. You guys head that way and pause at the first fork in the road. If anybody but us approaches, get off the trail and hide.” He grimaced.
“But, you know, watch out for poison oak and poison ivy and snakes and small bears and—”
Ilia and Reynaldo stared at him.
“Your brain does this all the time,” Reynaldo said. “You must be exhausted. Trust us, Mr. Royal. We know how to hide.”
“Closets, trees, is all the same,” Ilia said, and Reynaldo smacked him on the back of the head.
“Is true!” Ilia laughed, and together the two of them took off, walking quickly but not running down the path Reg hoped would take them to the mouth of Tillamook Bay.
God, he was starting to love those kids.
For a moment, he was alone, staring off across a field swept with the cold bay wind.
They were all dressed in hoodies and cargo shorts, and he found himself doing an inventory of everybody’s knapsacks, including the freshly laundered clothes that had added half an hour to their morning to finish drying.
Would they have enough? Oh God, he should have told Anthony to make sure he got the gear knapsack, with the foil blankets and wool blankets and the rain ponchos. It rained all the time here, and what if they had to sleep outside and—
“Here,” Anthony gasped, coming around the building at a full sprint, a backpack over each shoulder and a full canvas tote in his hand. “Start this toward the boys.”
“That way,” Reg said, taking first one and then the other pack from Anthony.
“Okay, I’ll head that way.”
“Are they scoping out the car?” Reg asked breathlessly as Anthony made sure the top of the tote was securely closed.
“No, but they have done the asshole park thing and are heading inside the factory. I figure I’ve got about ten minutes to get to the parking lot and back out here before they realize you can get down to the paths from the patio.”
“Oh God,” Reg squeaked.
“Get moving. The bag’s got the blankets and the ponchos and shit. I’ll have the food bag and the books.”
And before Reg could tell him to leave the books, Anthony was gone, and Reg had no choice but to go with the plan.
THE BOYS were apparently made of speed, because it took Reg twenty minutes to catch up with them, laboring under the weight of the three bags. As soon as he passed from the windswept grasses to the stand of pine trees overlooking a cliff over the ocean, though, he heard Reynaldo call out.
“Mr. Royal, stop. We’ll come help you.”
He dropped the tote and one of the knapsacks with a thunk and a groan of relief.
“He’s going back for another haul, and—”
“Here,” Reynaldo said. “You take Ilia, and I’ll wait for Mr. McCauley and help him with the rest. You’re so skinny. I can’t believe you hauled all this out here.”
“I don’t like letting you stay—”
Reynaldo gave him a very adult look. “We were talking. You need to let us pull our weight. We’re not children anymore, and you are trying to keep us alive.”
“Okay,” Reg said after a moment. “But remember, if you hear somebody coming down the path—”
“Hide,” Reynaldo said wisely. “Don’t worry. Like Ilia said, we’ve had practice all our lives.”
Reg grunted and picked up the tote—which seemed to weigh much less now that he was only carrying one of the packs—and hurried after Ilia.
Please, let him and Anthony succeed. Please let them succeed.
Whether it was Bratva or the US government, Reg needed to keep these kids out of the bad guys’ clutches.
A HALF hour later, Anthony and Reynaldo caught up with them, and everybody took a breath and took stock.
“Did they see you?” Reg asked, and Anthony shook his head.
“Everybody was in the cheese factory when I got to the parking lot. I cleared our stuff out and took off through the grasses obliquely, missing the trail.” He glanced at his socks, which were full of stickers, and grimaced. “And I’m going to be paying for that later.”
Reg hissed and squatted down to pull foxtails and the like out of Anthony’s crew socks.
“Reg…,” Anthony whined. “You don’t have to do that.”
“No. If you’re anything like Chance, they’ll scratch and fester. He once got a really nasty infection because he wasn’t paying attention to his socks. Trust me.”
Anthony shook his head. “I mean, I could do it,” he said gently, and Reg smiled up at him.
“But would you do a thorough job,” he teased, and Anthony laughed and glanced away.
“Got me there,” he said, before gazing back at Reg with an expression that could be termed “fondness” at the least, but something deeper and more intimate if Reg was being honest.
“Look at them,” Ilia said happily. “They’re cute when they’re stupid.”
“Yeah, but maybe we don’t spend so much time being stupid,” Reynaldo added. “Come on, you guys. I can see the dock through the trees. Let’s find a hotel or something.”
Anthony gave Reg a hand up, and they exchanged glances. Neither of them said the quiet part out loud.
If they couldn’t find a hotel or someplace safe to hole up until they came back for their vehicle, this last leg of the trip was going to be rough going.