ENCOUNTER by Hep Aldridge (bill gates books recommendations .txt) 📕

turned to follow when Uncle Harold spoke again, “I got no intel on your new friends, so be careful. You’ve got my number.”

“Thanks, will do,” I said, and we left the building. Dimitri put the bag in the back seat and climbed behind the wheel. I sat there and looked at him as he started the Beast.

“You want to tell me what that was all about?”

He looked at me with a slight smile and said, “There might be zombies.”

Oh, brother, I thought, not zombies again, but said nothing more.

We finished our packing and decided to head to Diego’s for dinner and told Reggie to meet us there. I hoped to talk with Paco and find out if he had any new information for us. The table that we usually sat at was available, so we settled in and ordered drinks. I didn’t see Doug, Paco, or Theresa. Lots of new faces were working, and the place was over half full. Reggie joined us, and we brought her up to speed on our evening at Mendez’s.

“Wow, it sounds like he bought your whole story. Wonder where it goes from here?” she said.

“I’m not sure, but I think we were convincing. I’m hoping this doesn’t snowball into something we can’t handle,” I said. I saw Paco come out of the back room and head to the bar, carrying a case of liquor. Once he deposited it, the barback started putting it on the shelves. I waited until Paco looked in our direction and raised my hand. He saw me, gave me a nod, and then, with a head gesture to the back, headed that way. I met him in the back hallway and was greeted with a handshake and a concerned look.

“Looks like you may have some bad news for me, my friend.”

“No, Senor Burnett, not bad, just concerning. I am sorry for the delay; I was about to call you. The men I was telling you about came in yesterday, except this time there were six or seven of them. They came in in two separate groups and sat apart from each other. Two Latinos that I had not seen before had joined the group.”

“So, maybe some additional local help?”

“Possibly, but I do not recall ever having seen them in here before. I think they may be from out of town. I’m not sure.”

“Were they asking questions again?”

“Yes, but very cautiously. It was obvious they knew you were going back into the mountains because they were asking if anyone knew what route you took. I do not believe they got an answer.”

“Okay, we’re heading out in a day or so. If anything comes up that I should know about, give me a call, and thanks for the information.”

“No problem, Senor Burnett. I will keep you informed.”

With that, we went our separate ways. When I got back to the table, I filled everyone in on what Paco had told me.

“Cripes,” Reggie said, “they got more guys now. What the hell?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be a party without guests,” Dimitri quipped, grinning from ear to ear.

“We’ll deal with it,” I said, “we have no choice. Just be glad we know about it; that gives us an edge. So, nothing to lose sleep over,” wishful thinking, I unconvincingly hoped.

“Well, I’ve got something we do need to worry about,” Joe said. “What are we going to do about Eduardo?”

Crap, I hadn’t even thought about that. So much had been happening these last few days, and I said as much.

“I know,” Joe said, “but we need to make a decision. You know he’s chomping at the bit to go with us.”

“Yeah, I know, but now I’m afraid it’s too dangerous—what with all these new developments.”

Dimitri chimed in, “You try and tell him that.”

“I know; I know, he’s been with us through some dicey moments and done well, but this could be a whole different story.”

“I kind of agree with you, Colt, but how are we going to explain that to him?”

“You won’t be able to,” O’Reilly said very evenly, “he’s been right there with us from the beginning, and he’s older now, so I don’t think he’ll buy the danger thing. At his age, that will just make it more exciting.”

I looked around the table and said, “So, what are we going to do…?”

There was a prolonged silence as everyone sought an answer to the problem. It was one hell of a problem, and I didn’t like the way I was leaning. Finally, Joe said, “I say he goes. He’s a sharp kid who has grown up on the streets and has proven himself in practically every situation he’s been in with us. He’s smart, handles himself well under pressure, and can think on his feet. We need to brief him and then let him decide to go or not.”

Damn it; I couldn’t argue with anything Joe said. I ran numerous objections through my head, and none of them stuck.

“You know, Joe’s right, he’s a resourceful kid; well, I guess he’s not really a kid anymore, but you know what I mean. So, I say he goes,” Doc said.

Dimitri said, “I agree.”

O’Reilly, grinning, nodded in assent.

“Well, I guess that’s it then; he goes,” I said, somehow feeling better about it but still concerned.

Joe said, “Don’t worry, Colt; I’ll take care of him. It’ll be fine.”

And with that, the deal was sealed; Eduardo was back on the team.

“We’ll go by Sean’s in the morning and talk with him and see what he says. So, let’s plan on getting out of here on Thursday. An extra day won’t matter one way or another.”

With that settled, we ordered our meal and proceeded to enjoy the rest of the evening. Reggie left early and said she would meet us at the farm where we parked the Beast on our last trip. I agreed and told her to stay in touch via the SAT phone.

The next morning, Joe, Dimitri, and I were to drive to Sean’s and talk with both him