[If you've read the first three chapters you already know this story is about a man with a magic family and the family grows. Some of the magic allows them to have sex and all feel it. Some of the magic allows the females to listen to the thoughts around them, to aim mind-speak to others and to combine energy to touch others. They have given up the ideas society has about what should be normal. If you have enough magic maybe you already know where the story is headed. If you don't know, don't feel too badly. At the beginning of this chapter I wasn't sure where they were going either.]
Both trucks sat side by side in the lot in Denver. Both had new signs painted on the doors that read, "Peterson Family Trucking Co., Orin, WY". The signs listed the phone numbers for Kelly's cell, my cell and the office number on Dad's desk at home. They looked good. We loaded all our stuff into the trucks, started them and Sammi asked, 'Is there a man trucker in the whole United States so macho he could drive a pink Freightliner?'
I thought, 'I wonder if the truck stop in Beaver sells pink sweatshirts?'
Andrea rode with me in Kelly's pink truck. We laughed, joked and sang all day long. At ten in the morning we'd been on the road four hours. We pulled into a truck stop and when I jumped down the guy waiting to fill my tanks looked surprised. Then he read the new sign and said, "Wasn't this truck Kelly's?"
I said, "Still is. It says family business." I pointed to Andrea and said, "Meet Andrea Peterson." I pointed at my white Freightliner parked at pumps not too far away and said, "Over there are Sammi Peterson and Kelly Peterson. Fill them up too, would you please?"
He smiled and asked, "Them or the truck?"
"Fill the truck. The two of them would untangle your insides."
He went to work and the ladies and I conferenced. He didn't know about it, we stayed with our respective trucks. When I had paid the bill for fuel Andrea was sitting in the driver's seat and I climbed in shotgun. I heard Sammi, 'Andrea, you lead.' Then I heard Andrea, 'Yes, Boss.' I laughed out loud and we were on the road.
We got on I-70 headed west. I noticed Andrea checking her mirrors about every three miles. I asked, "Something odd behind you?"
"Kelly tells me there's a Dodge pick-up that has passed her twice. As it passed her this time Sammi noticed it has Nebraska plates." I heard Sammi and she said, 'They are thinking the bounty still exists for Andrea.'
I said, "Andrea, get up to about seventy. I'm going to step over your seat and start sliding into the driver's seat. When I'm ready you slide out of the seat and go back in the sleeper." She scooted forward and I straddled the seat. I used my left hand to get a grip on the wheel. I said, "Go!" She slid onto the floor and I slid into being the driver. My speed had dropped back down to sixty-five. Andrea was on the bed and the curtain was pulled.
I saw the Dodge pull out to pass me. I said, Honey, find something to write on and with. As he passes I'll call out his license number."
He pulled up along side me and honked. I looked at him and waved. Two men in the car. They sped up and pulled in front of me. I called out their license number.
Sammi said, 'They're both sure she's in the truck with you. They're armed!'
He matched my speed and stayed about a quarter mile in front of me. I saw the passenger look back with binoculars. I thought, 'Must have seen us gas up in Grand Junction.'
Andrea started to apologize and Sammi cut her off. "Nick, start speeding up. A mile an hour every couple miles.'
'Ok, but why?'
'There's a state patrol about twenty miles ahead of us. If the Dodge goes by him at over eighty, they'll get pulled over. They have two loaded guns in the car and open beers.'
I said, 'I'll call the state police and tell them the Dodge passed me and waved a gun at me. That should spring the trap on them, too.'
I sped up a little. He sped up. I had Andrea dial the Utah state patrol and punch me onto speaker phone. I identified myself and told them my story. They had me verify where we were and which direction we were going. As we hung up I noticed I was doing seventy-three. I heard Sammi, 'Back off your speed. The state boys have a visual.'
Their car was up on a rise off to the north side of the interstate. I watched them merge onto I-70 with us and slide between me and the Dodge. My cell rang. Andrea punched me on and I said, "Nick Peterson."
"You can go around us. We have them. Thanks, trucker." We passed as the Dodge stopped on the shoulder and two minutes later when Sammi and Kelly passed they reported both men spread out on the ground. Ten minutes passed with us feeling like we had used up some adrenalin.
My phone rang again and Andrea punched me back on speaker. The voice on the phone said, "Mr. Peterson?"
"Yes."
"This is the Utah State Patrol. In a couple minutes you should see a helicopter just ahead of you and to the north of the highway. He's your escort. The men in that car had evidence that they were hunting your family. We don't know if they were acting alone, so we will escort you the rest of the way out of Utah. Can you drive that far without more fuel?"
"We can. We are two trucks together."
"Yes, Sir. We know. At Salinas a patrol car escort will join you. Drive safely, Sir and as fast as you deem safe."
"I time out when I get to Beaver and so does our other truck."
"At the Utah-Nevada border we will have papers for you clearing your extra time."
"Thank you."
"Thank you." The click ended the call. I asked, 'You got all that?'
Kelly and Sammi both said, 'Yes.' Andrea came back up front and sat on the floor between me and the shotgun seat. She put her hand on my leg and I could feel her shaking. The road was nearly empty. I pushed us up to about seventy-five and asked if they were Ok going that fast.
Kelly's voice said, 'I'm driving. Long as there's no traffic or a storm, we're fine at seventy-five.' I could see the helicopter off to my right. As we passed signs for Salinas a Mustang State Trooper car pulled onto the highway and led the way for us. Two minutes later Kelly said, 'There's another one about half a mile behind us.'
'Another one what?' Andrea asked, panic in her thoughts.
'State Patrol car. Sorry Honey. You're safe.' Sammi said.
When we made the transition from I-70 to I-15s there were four state troopers smoothing the way. Ten miles from the Utah border my phone rang and Andrea screamed. By the second ring she had me on speaker.
"Mr. Peterson, eight miles ahead there is a truck inspection station. Follow the patrol car in and stop. Do you have a way to communicate with the other truck?"
"She'll follow us in."
"Good. We haven't heard any radio traffic, so we wondered."
"We're family. We're fine."
"Ok. Start slowing."