They exited the interstate at Queen Creek Road and turned right. There was a sign telling them they were entering the Gila River Indian Community, and the landscape changed from suburbs to desert. Mark said they were on the John Wayne Parkway, which made Jonathan smile. The reason he was there was to avoid the John Wayne Airport.
When they got to Maricopa, Mark made a right, then a few miles down made a left and drove across some railroad tracks onto a narrow two-lane. “Almost there,” he said.
It seemed to Jonathan they were going deep into the desert. They had only seen a few cars since leaving the interstate, and every road they turned on seemed more remote than the last. At one point, he thought he smelled cows. They drove through some rolling hills, and when they cleared the last one, an oasis of brightly lighted buildings rose in the east.
Mark said, “That’s the Ak Chin Casino.”
Jonathan nodded.
Mark downshifted and they slowed to a crawl. He pointed off into the desert. “That’s where we go shooting. The road we need to turn on is up ahead, not too far.
