“We’ll just say I called my old boss in Cali. He’s sending someone. Now, get outta here, and don’t forget about my note. You’ll understand later.”

I nodded then took Zeke into the vent.

As I predicted, we struggled. It took twice as long to get half the distance, and we still had farther to go, but Zeke was hanging in there. When the vent got smaller, that was when I had to reach back and pull him along by the jacket. The alarms began to sound, so I moved faster.

Finally, soaked with sweat, Zeke and I reached the warehouse. I grabbed two helmets, and he sat behind me as I drove one of the ATVs to the smaller door. I jumped off, opened the door, then climbed back on. We soared through the grass and over rocks, only slowing down when we reached the back gate. It was chained.

“What now?” Zeke yelled over the engine.

I got into my backpack, handed him a water, then pulled out wire cutters. I snapped the chain, opened it, and we burst into the night at full speed.

A pair of headlights shined into my eyes, and I gripped the brakes, sliding sideways to a stop just before we hit the small SUV in our way.

A puff of dust and dirt provided enough cover for me to grip the throttle. Just as the engine revved, a man jumped out, pointing a Glock at us.

I slammed on the brakes again.

“Who are you?” he yelled.

Zeke and I pulled off our helmets and I stood, shielding Zeke.

“Your code name!” the man barked. “I’m not fuckin’ around, lady. You have five seconds to tell me what I wanna hear.”

“I don’t…” I began, remembering what Trex said before I left.

“Desert Flower,” I said. “I’m Desert Flower.”

Zeke looked at me, confused.

The man jogged back to the SUV, opened the back door, and flashed his FBI badge. “Get in.”

I turned off the ATV and grabbed Zeke’s hand and my pack, leaving everything else behind.

Zeke got in first, and I scooted in behind him.

“Trex said Sasabe, right?” the man said, slamming on the gas toward the highway.

“My father is in Sasabe. We can hide there.”

“Hope you’ve got an army,” the man said, glancing at me in the rearview.

“I do, actually. They’d be stupid to come for us there.

“I’m guessing your name isn’t really Desert Flower?”

“My name is Naomi, and this is Zeke.”

“You look familiar,” Zeke said, exhausted.

“You okay?” I asked as he lay in my lap.

“Yeah. The water helped. I just need to rest.”

“Don’t die on me,” I said.

“I swore I’d never leave you again. I meant it. I’m feeling better. Plus, my girlfriend’s like … a motherfucking superhero, so there’s that.”

“What if I wasn’t your girlfriend anymore?”