I grabbed the cordless, giving the guy a look, making it clear I didn’t trust him. Dani and I went into a back bedroom with hockey flags on the wall, posters from bands, a couple of carvings on his desk. His bed was tidy, his clothes folded neatly, books stacked everywhere.
“We can get our truck back,” I whispered to Dani. “By the time Brian’s uncle checks the cameras, we could be in Vancouver.”
“We still have to get past the dog—and he’s right. For all we know, the cops are already looking for our truck. We should’ve left town a week ago.”
“What about our rifle?”
“We just have to hope if the guys find it, they get rid of it.”
“We don’t know anything about this guy’s friend.”
“We don’t know anything about him either. We don’t have any other options. Hitchhiking is too dangerous—they might find us.”
I tried to think of some other way we could get out of town on our own, but before I could say anything, Dani had grabbed the phone out of my hand and opened the door.
“He’s our only hope, Jess.”
Courtney was slumped in her chair, staring at the floor. The man reached across the table to set down a bag of crackers, and she flinched. He moved to the other side of the room.
“Like we said,” Dani said, giving me a look, “we’d appreciate if you called your friend.” She handed him the phone and sat down.
“I’d have to dig up his number,” he said. “Been a long time, but I can give it a try.” He carried two bowls of soup over to the table, handed the girls some spoons. Then he looked at me. “You want to sit down?”
Dani shot me another look.
I sat at the other side of the table, worried he’d sit beside me, but he just pushed a bowl in front of me, then stood at the counter. I dug in, slurping at the soup, digging my spoon in so fast some of it splashed out.
“Go easy,” he said. “Might upset your stomach.”
He’d said it kindly, and I tried to slow down. Courtney was spooning hers in pretty fast but methodically, spoonful after spoonful, like a robot. Dani was eating calmly, her hand steady as she dipped the spoon in and brought another mouthful to her lips. But I saw the look in her eyes, the relief.
Allen opened a drawer and rummaged around. He brought out an address book and flipped through it, muttering. Then stopped and turned around.
“Got the number. I’ll give him a call now.”
Dani nodded. “Thanks.”
He picked up the cordless phone at the end of the counter, turning toward us as though he sensed we needed to see his face. I kept my hand near the rifle I’d rested by my legs. If I got the feeling he was calling the cops, I didn’t know what I’d do, but I wanted to be ready.
The phone seemed to ring awhile. Then finally the man said, “Patrick, sorry for waking you. It’s Allen.…” He paused, listening. “Just fine. How you been…?” Another pause. “Listen, I got some girls here, they’ve run into some trouble.” He glanced at us. “Big trouble. We’re going to put them on the bus in the morning. Can you meet them? They need a place to stay.… Thanks, buddy. We’ll talk soon, go for a ride, hey?” He said good night and hung up.
“He’s going to help?” Dani said, her face hopeful.
“Yeah, he’ll pick you up, get you somewhere safe.”
Dani’s body relaxed in the chair. I felt mad at her, pissed that she was putting us at risk again. She gave me a look across the table.
“It’s better for Courtney,” she said.
I looked down, still mad. We could take care of Courtney ourselves. Allen seemed okay but we didn’t know anything about this Patrick guy. What if he was like Brian and Gavin? It didn’t matter, though. Dani had made up her mind.
“I’m going to call my son,” Allen said. Dani nodded. He dialed some numbers. “Owen, can you come upstairs?” He set the phone back down. “Owen works in the kitchen. Why don’t you girls go rest in the living room?” He cleared away our bowls.
We grabbed our packsacks and sat on the couch. It was warm in the apartment but Courtney couldn’t stop shivering, her arms wrapped tight around her chest. When Allen came back in, Dani was tucking a blanket around her.
“Your sister’s in a bad way,” he said.
“We never said we’re sisters,” Dani said.
“You’re sisters, all right.”
Steps coming up the stairs, then a boy walked into the living room, tall, with shaggy blond hair and ice-blue eyes. It was the boy I’d seen in the alley.
“You’re those girls,” he said, surprised. He stared at our clothes, his shoes on our feet. His eyes settled on the rifle in my lap, widened in alarm.
I remembered how he’d stared at us in the back of the truck. Did he think we liked Brian and Gavin? Did he think we wanted to be with them? My face was warm, my throat tight. I blinked back tears.
I held my breath when he passed by me to stand by his dad. I leaned back into the couch, tucked my legs up so he couldn’t touch them.
“These girls are going to need a ride tonight to Armstrong,” Allen said.
“Tonight?” He looked surprised again but didn’t ask any other questions.