G Hopf: The Long Road

Samantha didn’t know how to talk to her daughter right now. She looked at her reflection in the window and wiped the blood off her face.

Nelson walked up and said, “Samantha, it’s about Gordon.”

She stopped wiping her face and braced herself against the car.

Nelson handed her a dirty, crumpled white envelope.

“What’s this?” she said, lifting herself up.

“Gordon gave it to me.”

“What?” she asked, snatching it out of his hands.

“He’s not coming back, he…”

“What do you mean, he’s not coming back?” she asked, looking at the envelope, then put her attention on Nelson. “He gives you an envelope? That’s it?” she asked, again looking at the envelope.

“He told me to tell you to go. Go to Idaho. He will catch up with us there.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean? Why? Why is he not coming back?” Concern was quickly replaced by anger. She took the crumpled envelope and shoved it in her pocket. “What could he possibly be doing that’s more important than being here taking care of his family?”

“He’s going to go find the man who killed Hunter.”

Salton Sea, California

Sebastian waved good-bye to the bulk of Bishop Sorenson’s group. He and his group had driven with them as far as they could. Their route took them along smaller highways and through small towns. All had agreed, the more they could stay away from heavily populated areas, the better.

Sebastian and his small band of survivors would head north now and eventually get on Interstate 15. They’d take it directly into Sandy, Utah. He estimated that driving with only stops to refuel, they could be there in twenty-four hours.

Sebastian was an optimist but also a realist, so he had communicated with Annaliese’s uncle. They would link up near St. George. From there they would follow him to the compound.

As the last glimmer from the last car died over the horizon, Sebastian felt loneliness grip him. Yes, he had eight others with him, but not being part of the larger group made him feel more vulnerable.

He walked back to his car and sat on the hood. Ahead of them was the expansive Salton Sea.

“It’s beautiful,” Luke said, walking up next to him.

“It reeks. What the fuck!” Brandon followed up.

“I swear you two are yin and yang,” Sebastian said, pointing at each boy.

“Sebastian, we should go,” Annaliese said. She walked up to him and put one arm around his shoulder.

“One sec, I’m taking in this view. I don’t know why this is mesmerizing me. Heck, I’ve never seen it up close. I always remember flying over it. Plus, my old man told me about a trip he had out here years ago. It reminded me of him.”

“You haven’t mentioned your parents before. Where are they?” she asked, looking at him closely.

Sebastian just kept gazing out across the flat sea.

“They’re dead.”

“I’m sorry,” she quickly said as she tightened her embrace.

“Nothing to be sorry about; it happened years ago. My older brother, Gordon, kinda took on the job of being my parent and brother.”

“Where do you think he is?”

“I don’t know. Out there somewhere,” he said, pointing north. “He’s out there somewhere.”

40 miles east of Barstow, California

“Hey, psst, Nelson?” Lexi was trying to get his attention.

Nelson was busy tying down gear on the top of the Gremlin. Talking was not something he wanted to do, especially to someone he didn’t know.

“Nelson, you got a minute?” she asked.

“What? What do you want?” he snapped back.

“Chill out.”

“Hey, my best friend’s son is dead and he just up and took off on me, on us!”

“I’m sorry, but this is not the last death you’re going to experience. I lost my sister recently. That’s why I want to ask you a couple of questions.”

Nelson stopped what he was doing and looked at her scornfully. Catching movement over her shoulder, he then saw Samantha sitting in the open desert next to Hunter’s grave.

The group had buried him over an hour ago. Once they finished with the ceremony, everyone had begun preparations for the continued trip to Idaho. All of them had heard what Gordon was doing, but no one said anything about it. After Hunter’s death, no one dared bring up Gordon.

Samantha sat next to her son’s grave singing old nursery rhymes and songs while the desert winds kicked up dirt and whipped her hair.

Refocusing on Lexi, Nelson asked, “What do you want?”

“You’re a dick, you know that,” she shot back.

“Are you going to ask me what you want or not?”

“Your friend, Gordon. Did I hear correctly, is he going after Rahab?”

“I don’t know who Rahab is, but if he’s the guy who murdered Hunter, then, yes. He’s going after him.”

“Do you know where Rahab and his people went?”

“All I know is I saw them head north. Beyond that, I have no idea.”

“Anything else?”

“Why? What does it matter?” Nelson asked, now curious about her questions.

“Because.”

“Because, what?”

“I want to hunt that fucker down and kill him too!” Lexi said with a determined look on her face.

“You do whatever you want. You can stay or you can go. But don’t think you’re taking any of our shit. Do you understand me?”

Laughing, Lexi walked away from Nelson.

He watched her as she left. He didn’t know her, but there was something alluring about her.

Shaking his head to clear the inappropriate thoughts he was having about her, he went back to packing. If they could get on the road in an hour, they’d have a good three or four hours of drive time.

So much had happened in the eleven days they’d been camped out there. Their group was now broken. His best friend’s son was murdered, and that best friend had abandoned them in search of vengeance. Ahead of them were still days and days of rough, dangerous road.

He was now the leader of this group and more important, the guardian of Haley while Samantha dealt with her grief.

West of Tijuana, Mexico

Pablo coughed out some of the thick dust that was floating in the cab of his SUV. For him it was important that his father got the best perspective on what their future looked like.

Today was the day he’d be able to prove to his father that he now was the true leader of the Juarez family. Years of planning would finally be revealed, and he hoped his father would respect him for it.

“The view of the ocean from where we’re going is superb. You can see for miles up and down the coast!” Pablo said excitedly.

Alfredo sat unresponsive in the backseat. His gaze out the side window hadn’t changed since they’d left the compound over an hour ago.

Finally Pablo gave up trying to talk to his father. “Forget it,” he said. “You’re just a grumpy old man.”

He turned back around and watched the road as it changed from highway to surface street to isolated paved road to remote dirt road.

Pablo’s takeover of the cartel had gone very smoothly. The last remnants of his father’s old guard had been swept away in what many were calling the Night of the Bambino.

“Right there!” Pablo pointed to a spot high on the hill. “Park right there.”

The large Yukon came to a stop near the crest of the hill.

“Okay, Father. Let’s go,” Pablo said.

Pablo, Alfredo, and two guards got out of the SUV. Pablo led them the final distance to the crest of the large hill.

When Pablo reached the top, he threw his arms in the air and shouted. “Aha, they’re here!” He spun and took a few steps to bring his father all the way to the top.