Hunter caught movement at the side of the barn and watched Ike stagger forward holding his head. He stopped once and braced against the barn with one hand as he threw up.
Hunter trotted to him, unaware of Paco’s attack, “What happened?”
Ike told her, then added. “If I ever get my hands on him…”
Hunter put one of his arms over her shoulder and they walked slowly, stopping every five minutes or so for Ike to retch. “My head is spinning like a top.”
“You’ve got a concussion. Your pupils are different sizes. And you’ve got a heck of a knot on the side of your head.”
“Just keep me walking. Let’s get to the truck. We’ve got to find those kids.”
Hunter didn’t answer, but thought about what Paco and the other kidnappers might do. They’d tried to burn a van load of children down in the vega near Del Rio, and now, with them being spooked by Hunter and Ike, there was nothing to keep them from doing it again. The thought put Hunter in an anxious state, but she continued walking with Ike. An hour later they reached the pickup and drove away, leaving the wrecked plane and several hundred empty shell casings littering the area.
Hunter drove as Ike continued to retch every five minutes, and after they made it out of the hills, she tried again to access her phone, and this
time it worked. She contacted the Sheriff’s Office and asked to speak to a Deputy. A minute later a man said, “Deputy Gonzales, what can I do for you?”
She explained their situation, skimming over some of the particulars, to say, “A van load of kidnapped children is driving down highway 277 toward San Angelo. You need to stop it and rescue the children.”
She heard the Deputy sit up in his chair, “Do you have a color, and make and model and plate number?”
Hunter told him, all except the license plate that she missed seeing.
Deputy Gonzales said, “Where are you?”
“We’re coming in on highway 277, trying to find the van. I’m a Border Patrol Agent, off duty, and these kidnappers are bad news.”
Gonzales said, “I’ll put out a watch on the van. Do you know where our office is?”
“I don’t, but I can find it.”
“I need to talk to you. Come by and ask for me.”
Hunter lied and said, “Okay. It might be a few minutes.”
He said, “This is a matter we can’t delay.”
“I understand. See you soon.” Hunter cut off the call.
Ike said, “You’re not through looking.”
“I know. We’ll meet him when we can. Right now, we need to find that van.”
Ike wobbled in the passenger seat as if it had come loose at the base. He said, “I’m still feeling kind of queasy.”
Hunter glanced at him as Ike put down his window and threw up again.
“Hey,” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m ok, just dizzy.”
“I’ll get you to some help.”
“What about the kids?”
“We’re looking. They’re around, I can feel it.”
“Me, too.”