Mercy (The Night Man Chronicles Book 3), Brett Battles [best books to read in your 20s TXT] 📗

Thanks, I say in my silent voice, then I hop the fence and make my way back to Jar.

Chapter Six

I wake just after seven a.m., feeling well rested.

I slept great. I mean, really great. It’s not that I sleep bad most nights—I don’t. But I think finally getting back to work has eased something inside me that I didn’t know was so tense. Granted, it’s work for my hobby and not the day job, but it stretches the same muscles, both real and metaphorical.

Yikes. Suddenly I’m a philosopher. I’ll try to temper that a little, but no promises.

Per usual, Jar is already up and working at her computer. I sometimes wonder what would happen if she gets eight hours of sleep. Could she keep going for days then? I’m not going to ask her out of fear she would actually try it out.

“The Prices up yet?” I ask as I make myself a cup of coffee.

“I hear some movement but no voices yet,” Jar says.

Which probably means Chuckie is still asleep, and whoever is up—maybe Kate, maybe one of the boys, maybe all three—is making as little noise as possible to not wake the lion.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

She turns her computer just long enough for me to see the screen. On it is today’s New York Times crossword puzzle. She’s taken to doing them every day, though she has yet to finish one without considerable help. Not only is English not her first language, she doesn’t have the cultural knowledge to decipher many of the clues. Still, it’s surprising how much she does figure out on her own. I give her four months, six tops, before she’s knocking them out in record time.

I retrieve my own laptop and sit across from her. I check the news first and read an encouraging report on a possible vaccine for the virus. It’s still in the trial phase, but scientists are upbeat about its potential to fight off the pandemic. It’s funny—this thing has been with us only since the start of the year, so just under five months, but it feels like it’s been here forever, and any reports about potential vaccines seem like fantasies that will never happen.

I guess it’s a case of I’m-not-going-to-believe-any-of-it-until-someone-is-shooting-the-cure-into-my-arm type of thing.

And now I’m Doubting Thomas. What the hell is going on with me this morning?

I skim through the rest of the news and then click over to YouTube, wanting to find something funny to put me in a lighter mood. I’m watching a video montage of people trying to ice skate for the first time when Jar sits up and says, “He’s awake.”

I click pause as she turns up the volume on her computer.

“…because that’s what we’re going to do, that’s why,” Chuckie’s saying.

“All right, then that’s what we’ll do,” Kate replies in a calming voice. “But….they’re going to wonder why we left without saying goodbye. I know you don’t want that. Why don’t we have breakfast first? They should be awake by the time we finish.”

Though I don’t hear it, I imagine that Chuckie takes an exasperated breath right before he says, “Fine.”

When the conversation seems to end with that, I ask Jar, “They’re leaving?”

She nods. “The father said he wanted to leave right away so they could be home by lunchtime. The mother would like to say goodbye to her sister first.”

“Why the sudden desire to get out of there? Did he get a phone call or something?”

“I did not hear him taking a call.”

“Maybe he got a text or an email.”

Jar says nothing to this, as she has no way of knowing the answer.

It’s possible Chuckie had a falling out with Tyler and Kristen the night before. He did seem agitated last night when he and Kate returned to the RV. Or maybe he just isn’t a big fan of his sister-in-law and her husband. Whatever the case, if they’re getting back on the road, we need to do the same.

I take a quick shower, get dressed, and go outside, where I unplug us from the RV park’s electrical system and make sure my motorcycle is securely in place on the trailer.

Since we know where the Prices are going, we don’t need to wait around to follow them. We leave Santa Fe while they’re still eating breakfast.

From the New Mexican capital, there are two basic routes to Mercy, Colorado. According to Google Maps, the longer trip is actually faster by nearly a half hour, thanks to the majority of the route being on the interstate. I’m guessing this is the way Chuckie will go. The second choice is a bit more scenic and travels through the tail end of the Rocky Mountains, on a two-lane highway for the most part.

Since we’re still technically on vacation, I see no reason not to take this second option. I mean, we might as well enjoy the view as we stalk the Prices, right?

I still believe we’re doing the correct thing, but what’s not clear to me yet is what our endgame will be. Yes, our goal is to make sure Evan and his brother and their mother are safe, but it’s not like we can keep watch over them for the rest of their lives. So, we’ll have to either come up with a permanent solution to improve their lives, or at some point we’ll have to let them fend for themselves.

I hear a whispered not that in my ear. Is it surprising Liz isn’t a fan of leaving the Prices on their own?

No, it is not.

Once again, we are embraced by another gorgeous day. The bright blue sky is streaked with just enough clouds to emphasize how wide it stretches. And on the ground, the greens of spring tinge the brush all around us.

Jar stares out the window toward the mountains off to our right, taking everything in. Though I can’t see it, I know she has an earbud in her right ear. While she’s enjoying the beauty of