Wanted Read Online Free PDF

and tried not to cry in agony.
    “ We keep north, then over east,” Jessie said. “There’s a dry washout we can get in for cover and follow it up towards the mountains.”
    “ Mexicali’s south of here!” Tanya hissed. “Where are you taking us?”
    “ I know where the fucking city is, okay?” Jessie said, her tone and words harsher than she meant. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with her free hand.
    “ Look, I’m sorry,” she said, afraid that she might scare them off. Seeing the look in their eyes she wondered how she could keep them.
    Then it occurred to her, eyes widening briefly at her revelation, she almost laughed. She was an actress! Sure, by old world standards she might be a ‘B’ movie star at best, and maybe most of her screen time involved screaming or screwing, but she was still an actress. She could play a role, get herself into it, and they’d never know the difference!
    “ You see this?” She held up her pistol.
    Tanya nodded while Dustin focused on controlling his breathing and his pain, more or less oblivious to them.
    “ I had more guns in my trunk. I’m a courier. I make the run from Mexicali up into the Colorado Wilds and even Texas, Nevada, and northern California once. I’ve run into worse than this, we can make it,” she said, making up a story just as fast as she told it.
    “ A courier?” Tanya asked, unsure.
    “ Yeah, the guys who take news or emergency supplies between the cities?”
    “ You don’t look much like a courier,” she said, still doubtful.
    “ Jesus kid, what do you want me to look like? I’d show you my ID and guns if we could get to the car. You want me wearing a full combat uniform or something? It gets fucking hot out here, even with the sun hazed out by the dust clouds. Besides, you’re a girl, you know how the right clothing can make a man change his mind when you’re in a pinch.”
    Tanya blushed at her last point, then looked away.
    “ So, you coming with me or not? I’ll keep you guys safe, I promise.”
    “ Why? What’s in it for you?” the gymnast asked.
    Jessie blinked at her. “What’s in it for me?” she returned, trying to come up with an answer.
    “ Yeah.”
    Jessie shrugged. “Ain’t there been enough death the last few years? Between the Fever and the bombs and the radiation, do we need any more?”
    “ You know who I am, don’t you?” Tanya said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
    Jessie shrugged. “Don’t make a difference, I’d do this for anyone that needed help. Out here you got to help people, there’s too much death otherwise.”
    “ But you know.”
    “ Yeah, I know. So what?” Jessie pushed back.
    “ Fine. Get us back, there’ll be a reward,” Tanya said, eyes glaring coldly at her.
    “ Is that right?” Jessie asked, hiding her excitement and playing the part of being surprised at the concept.
    Tanya just glared at her. Jessie was spared the awkwardness a moment later when Dustin coughed and gasped in pain. A few more weak coughs and gasps and he picked his head up to look at them, blood speckling his lips.
    “ Dusty,” Tanya whispered in alarm.
    He tried to smile, but his eyes told a different story.
    “ We’ve got to get help!” Tanya said, turning back to the would-be rescuer.
    Jessie nodded, but secretly she was thinking if the kid just died all their lives would be a lot less complicated. “Alright, let’s get going. The gully isn’t far and we can move faster once we’re in it. No more crawling either,” she added.
    “ Let’s go,” Dustin wheezed.
    Tanya stared at him for an anxious moment, then nodded. Jessie led the way, angling back towards the east. She motioned for them to follow her once she reached the edge of the gully and was keeping an eye out for any signs of movement further down it. They heard nothing now, but she knew better than to think she was safe.
    “ You all right?” Tanya asked when she and Dustin reached her.
    Jessie glanced at her and saw she was not