Free Blazer Drive by Sigmund Brouwer Page B

to make money in two ways. First of all, with the other bulls off the market it makes his worth more. He can raise his stud fees if people don’t have the other bulls to go to.”
    She was right, which made me angrier.
    â€œHe’ll sell the others,” she said, “far away from here, where it’s unlikely any rancher will ever recognize them. Someone in Japan wants to start a new herd using the other four bulls.”
    â€œIt sounds like he’s got it all figured out.”
    She didn’t say anything for a few minutes. The dashboard clock moved to 12:14. Then 12:15.
    â€œSteph?” Why had she stopped talking? “He’s got it figured out, Josh. Including how you and I are going to die.”

Chapter Twenty-One
    â€œTell me,” I said as softly as I could. “How are they going to kill us?”
    â€œCarbon monoxide. They’re going to take my truck to the end of some road. Then they’re going to rig a hose from the exhaust pipe into the window and let the motor run. When we’re dead, they’ll pull the hose out and untape us. It’ll look like a couple of teenagers who wanted to be alone accidentally died while sitting in a parked truck with the motor running.”
    â€œGreat,” I said.
    â€œYou’re not scared?”
    â€œOf course I am,” I said. “But I’m not going to give up. Maybe I can lean over and pull the tape off your hands with my teeth.”
    I tilted in her direction.
    â€œJosh?”
    â€œYes?” I was looking into her eyes from only a couple of inches away.
    â€œI’m scared. Will you kiss me?”
    I leaned as close as I could. She leaned my way. Our lips got closer and closer.
    â€œUm, Steph?”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œThis is as far as I can stretch.”
    â€œMe too.”
    There we were, so close I could feel her breath. Yet so far apart I’d never be able to kiss her before I died.
    Talk about rotten luck.
    Then Luke knocked on the windshield.
    â€œHey, guys,” he said, “am I interrupting anything?”
    Five minutes later, we were free, standing in the near darkness of the storage shed. With the moonlight coming through a small window, I could see bags of feed stacked against the walls around Stephanie’s 4x4.
    â€œWhat happened?” I asked. “I thought you were going to wait back at the truck?”
    â€œI saw the Belkie guy leave his house with a rifle. I couldn’t just walk out on you. Then I saw them drag you out of the barn. I followed them, so I knew where you were all this time.”
    â€œAll this time?” I said. Four hours had passed.
    â€œThey heard me outside,” Luke said. He looked at his feet. “I had to hide. Then I watched the shed until I was sure it was safe to come in.”
    â€œWhere did you hide?” Stephanie asked.
    He kept his head down. His voice was shaky. “I went into the cattle pens. They had this stupid dog, and I was afraid it would smell me unless I was around all those animals.”
    â€œBig animals,” I said. “With pointy horns. Remember?”
    He shrugged like it was no big deal, but I knew it was.
    I rubbed his bald head like I was trying to shine it. “You’re a stand-up guy, Luke. Thanks.”
    â€œWe should go,” Stephanie said. “They might come back.”
    Luke started for the door with Stephanie behind him. I followed them out after grabbing a flashlight from Stephanie’s 4x4.
    â€œIf we can make it to my truck,” I said, “we’ll have a real good shot at escaping. But let’s go the long way around.”
    We stepped into the crisp air and half jogged away from the ranch house, barn and animal pens.
    We were five minutes away when I stopped so suddenly Luke ran into my back.
    â€œWhat is it?” he asked.
    â€œGuys,” I said, “you go on without me.”
    â€œI don’t get it,” Stephanie said. “Where are