Chapter 13 - THE LONG ROAD NORTH
The city skyline slowly disappeared in the rearview mirror as Richard guided the SUV onto an older two-lane highway. Morning traffic faded into open countryside where abandoned grain silos, forgotten gas stations, and weathered farmhouses dotted the landscape.
Inside the vehicle, no one spoke for several miles.
Each person was occupied with different thoughts.
Samuel reviewed copies of county maps.
Richard compared old survey records with modern satellite photographs.
Ryan kept glancing behind them through the rear window.
Daniel simply watched the road ahead.
The farther they traveled, the more familiar the scenery became.
"I've been here before," he said quietly.
Richard looked over.
"When?"
Daniel frowned, trying to organize memories buried beneath decades of hardship.
"I was maybe fifteen."
"You came with your father?"
Daniel nodded slowly.
"It was raining."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"I remember him telling me not to ask questions."
Samuel listened carefully.
"He brought you to the warehouse?"
"I'm not certain."
Daniel pointed toward a line of trees in the distance.
"But I remember crossing an old iron bridge."
Richard immediately compared the memory with the hand-drawn map.
"It matches."
Ryan leaned forward.
"So we're getting close?"
"Closer than we were an hour ago."
Another few miles passed before Daniel spoke again.
"My father wasn't nervous that day."
"No?"
"He was...careful."
Samuel understood the difference immediately.
"A careful man expects problems."
"A nervous man expects fear."
Daniel nodded.
"My father wasn't afraid."
"He simply believed someone might be watching."
Those words settled heavily inside the SUV.
Because now...
Someone almost certainly was.
Far behind them, the dark gray sedan maintained its distance without attracting attention.
The driver never attempted to overtake them.
The passenger occasionally raised binoculars.
Neither man spoke much.
They didn't need to.
Their instructions were simple.
Stay unseen.
Follow Daniel Cross.
May you like
Nothing else.
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