Bryn nodded gravely, already weighing their options. “We just passed a sign saying there’s a rest stop ahead. We’ll have to make another switch.”
Hong nodded, then both men fell silent, keeping their eyes on the road and the rearview mirror for police vehicles.
In the back of the panel truck, the two other surviving REDI operatives stood guard over their captives. Shinn Mi-Kas was now wearing a summer dress that her abductors had grabbed from her bedroom. She sat on the floor of the truck between her husband and Li-Roo Kohb, and, like the men, her hands had been bound together behind her back with the same duct tape used to bind their ankles. None of the prisoners were gagged, but Li-Roo’s face was still bruised from the pistol-whipping he’d received when he’d tried to talk to Shinn after his friend had been dragged into the truck in Chino Valley. Since then, all three had been silent except for the few times when Mi-Kas, overwhelmed by the ordeal, had begun to weep.
Soon the two-lane road led out of the mountains and, two miles in the distance, Hong and Bryn could see the highway they would have to take to reach Phoenix. They were also coming up on the rest stop, and as Bryn took the exit, Hong quickly scanned the parking lot.
“We’re in luck,” he murmured.
Indeed, there were only two vehicles parked in the lot, a Subaru coupe and a fourteen-foot long Winnebago. The driver of the Subaru had just gotten out of his car, and when he opened the door to the back seat, a large Labrador retriever bounded out, making a beeline toward a grassy sward located on the far side of the restroom facilities. Bryn drove slowly past the parked vehicles, then stopped the truck and shifted into reverse so that he could back up next to the passenger’s side of the Winnebago. There was no one inside the mobile home, but Hong could see an elderly couple standing in front of a bulletin board mounted just outside the restrooms.
“Let’s wait for them outside,” he suggested.
Hong nodded, then turned and motioned to one of the men in the rear of the truck. “Let me show you how to work the radio,” he said.
As the man moved forward and wrangled his way around his colleague, Li-Roo Kohb took advantage of the distraction and leaned to one side, whispering over Mi-Kas’s shoulder to Shinn Kam-Song.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “They drugged me and—”
“No talking!” snapped the man who’d remained with the prisoners. For emphasis, he raised his Glock pistol and pointed the barrel at Li-Roo’s face. The man recoiled and fell silent. Shinn glanced his way and offered a faint, understanding nod.
Up in front, meanwhile, Hong quickly showed the other man how to operate the CB, then left him to monitor things and got out of the truck. Bryn was already standing on the curb, lighting a cigarette. Hong joined him, holding out his map so that it would look as though he was trying to figure out an itinerary. He stood so that he could peer over Bryn’s shoulder and keep an eye on the elderly couple as well as the man from the Subaru. Hong looked the other way, watching as other cars sped past the rest stop, bound for the highway.
“They must have found our place in Goffs,” Bryn said, making conversation as he stared at the map.
Hong nodded. “If they did, I hope they put a bullet through Ok-Hwa for me,” he said. “Never again will I…”
Hong’s voice trailed off and he cast aside his cigarette.
“They’re coming?” Bryn said.
Hong nodded. They continued to look over the map, though Hong raised his glance momentarily as the elderly couple walked past.
“Good morning,” the old man called to Hong, smiling.
Hong smiled back. “Good morning,” he said.
“You fellas lost?”
“No,” Hong said, gesturing at the map. “We’re just trying to figure out our driving time.”
“Well, if you’re heading to Phoenix,” the man’s wife interjected, “it’s about a half hour.”
“Thank you,” Hong said, folding the map.
Bryn stayed on the curb as Hong followed the couple back to their vehicles. He started to open the door to the panel truck, but once the older man led his wife to the passenger’s side of the Winnebago and was about to unlock the door, Hong suddenly whirled around, pulling out his pistol. He aimed the gun at the husband as he clamped his free hand over the old woman’s mouth.
“Go ahead, open the door,” Hong ordered.
“What are—”
“Open the door!” Hong repeated. “Now!”
Trembling, the older man unlocked the door. Hong reached past him and yanked the door open, then told the man, “Get in!”
The man stumbled as he climbed up into the Winnebago. Furious, Hong shoved him the rest of the way inside, then dragged the woman into the vehicle.