Olympus Device 2: The Olympus Device Book Two by Joe Nobody Read Free Book Online Page A

away from the main traffic flows. He sat with his back to the door.
    Grace had been working with her new phone, speaking with the bus company’s representative and pretending to be a tourist dying to see the Las Vegas strip. She had dialed Hank’s home number, hanging up when he’d answered. She didn’t know if FBI ears would be listening, the call serving to confirm her neighbors had returned home.
    “I don’t see why it won’t work,” she finally announced. “There’s a tour leaving this afternoon. You board the bus at their office, which is a short cab ride away. They do indeed stop at that same exit you mentioned. Hank is home, so I wouldn’t be stranded.”
    Dusty merely nodded as her tone indicated she still wasn’t convinced the plan would work. Finally, after a sip of his coffee he ventured with a question, “So what’s troubling you?”
    Her eyes were moist when she looked up. “I want us to stay together.”
    He wasn’t sure how to reply, fifty different responses flashing through his mind. Eventually, he chose the words. “I don’t want to be away from you either, but we both know it’s best in the long run.”
    Merely nodding, Grace didn’t answer for a bit. “And what about you? Where are you going? How are you going to travel?”
    “One problem at a time,” he answered, “I can concentrate on my itinerary now that we’ve got you settled.”
    Their meal was served, a light brunch that both diners toyed with more than consumed. After a few bites of his sandwich, Dusty offered, “I think being close to Mexico is probably my best option. There are lots of towns down there that accommodate everything from transients to immigrants. If I get a sense that the cops are honing in on me, maybe I can scoot across the border and buy some time.”
    Conjuring up images of outlaws from old cowboy movies, Grace frowned. “I don’t think you can just ride a horse across the Rio Grande anymore, Dusty. Have you ever been down there?”
    He nodded, “When I was refurbishing my airplane, I drove down that way and bought some parts. It’s actually very industrialized in some areas… the NAFTA agreement prompted the construction of big plants that otherwise would not be there. It seems like a good place for a bandit to remain anonymous.”
    The restaurant grew more crowded as the hour approached lunch. They were on their third refill of coffee when the manager stopped by, clearly wanted to recycle the table in the now full dining room. “Is everything okay?” he inquired, the third employee to ask the same question in the last four minutes.
    “Everything has been wonderful,” Dusty replied, “We were just leaving.”
    The couple sauntered outside after paying their bill, the bright sunlight and excitement of the growing crowd not helping their mood. “We need new luggage,” Dusty announced. “You can’t get on a tour bus with shopping bags without drawing attention, and I ne ed to get rid of this duffle. The security guys at the store have no doubt filed a police report by now, including a description of my bag. The cops will be looking for a guy carrying such an unusual item around.”
    Grace nodded her agreement, a melancholy expression brought on by the task that advanced her departure.
    “Let’s get our luggage situat ion taken care of, and then I’ll use one of these pre-loaded cards and my fake ID to rent a car. I’ll take a separate cab to the agency, and turn it in after I find a spot to settle,” he said gently.
    They spent the next 30 minutes rushing into a shop, dividing the money and coordinating how they would communicate. The time flew by, both so intent on their last few moments together that there wasn’t any opportunity for emotions to work their way in. Dusty spied his chauffeur pulling up along the access lane and announced, “Time to go.” He took Grace by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes, “I love you. We’ll be together soon.”
    “Oh, Durham. I hate