Something she never would have asked for.
She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and felt a figure charge past her, crashing into Miles with unbidden rage.
At first Lucy was frozen, until she saw Marlin raise his first and pummel it into Miles’ face. Miles swung back, catching Marlin in the jaw. As he rolled over his grey eyes caught Lucy’s bulging stare. His look told her to get the hell out of there. She couldn’t leave him. How could she run when the guy who killed her parents was now hustling through the crowd towards him? He’d take Marlin for sure.
“Help! Help! Police!” Someone in the crowd started yelling.
The tall, pale-eyed guy was nearly at them now, his gaze locked onto her face, his eyes flashing with something she feared.
Recognition.
She didn’t know how or why he’d been able to recall Sorrentos, but it was enough to make her stumble back. His look was murderous and felt like a blow to the stomach.
She tore her eyes away from him and looked back to Marlin, wanting to step in and rescue him, but she couldn’t even yell the word, “Stop.” She was locked in a silent storm of panic and it wasn’t until she was bumped by mall security that her brain found the ability to function.
The second her parents’ killer looked from her to the boys tussling on the floor, her legs took off. She rushed down the escalator, bolting across the mall to the exit. She wasn’t sure if the guy had noticed her, she was too afraid to turn back and look. As soon as she hit the open air, she fled down the street, back towards their place. Shorty would be waiting there. He’d have to help. He’d figure out a way to get Marlin free.
Marlin.
Agony rounded over her like a crashing wave. She slowed her frantic pace and doubled over, wondering if she’d ever be able to breathe again.
Marlin.
What would that man do to him?
Would he shoot out his kneecaps? Would he watch Lucy’s only friend writhe on the floor as he tortured him for information?
The images came in rolling waves, each more sickening than the next. Panicked breaths shot through Lucy’s system as she scrambled across the road.
Shorty would get him out. He had to.
Lucy couldn’t cope without Marlin. She needed him.
Tears threatened to devour her as she puffed her way up the next hill, the sickening knowledge that she’d already lost him making her want to crumble into a heap.
Chapter 22
ZACH
May 2014
We found a few teenagers loitering near George Washington High, but none of them recognized Dani’s picture.
“Maybe she didn’t go there.”
“Maybe.” Uncle Alex shrugged, pulling me into a nearby diner. “We need a break. You look ready to pummel something.”
I slumped into the booth with a heavy sigh and rested my head in my hands. “I don’t want to believe it, but I know it’s true. It’s so obviously true.” I wrenched the picture from my pocket. It was getting tatty having been handed around so much. Seeing Dani’s sad face looking out into the distance made my heart crumple. How could she be this girl?
It felt like she was real around me, totally genuine, but maybe it was all an act. The idea made me sick, my stomach coiling into a tight knot.
“What can I get you guys today?” A pretty Latino girl stopped at our booth, a pad in her hand.
I reached for the menu and quickly scanned it while Uncle Alex ordered a club sandwich and fries. I wasn’t hungry. “I’ll just take a Coke with a ton of ice.”
“Sure.” She grinned, reaching for my menu. As her hand passed over the picture, she stilled, her dark brown eyes narrowing as she gazed at the image. “I’m sorry if this sounds intrusive, but who is that?”
Uncle Alex leaned forward in his seat, collecting up the photo and showing it to her. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
The waitress took the picture and studied it. “She looks familiar, but different.” She shook her head with a chuckle. “I don’t know. Sorry. I’ll go get that food sorted for you.”
She left the picture on the table and walked away. I collected the photo up again. “For someone so secretive, she’s sure recognized by a lot of people.”
“She knows how to leave an impression, I suppose.”
I threw the photo down and sat back hard. She certainly left an impression on me. I was such a sucker. My emotions were battling rage and pure disappointment. I hadn’t been able to disprove squat!
I wished I didn’t want Dani. I wished the day I saw her, she hadn’t wriggled her way inside of me.
“I don’t think she went to Washington.” Uncle Alex picked up his fork and twirled it in his fingers. “If Luke saw it on her records, then it’s most probably a lie. She would have been trying to hide her tracks, not leave a trail for us to follow. We’ve just been lucky today. That kid from Balboa High just happened to be playing soccer with the Lowell crew and his brother happened to be there. It’s almost like fate was giving us a hand.”