“New job,” he said. “The phone store fired me after I was late one time. It's too hard to get downtown through traffic sometimes.”
“Oh,” I said. “Yeah.” Awkwardly, I paused and didn’t know what else to say. My mind rushed with what had just happened. The last time I'd run into him, he showed me how to break into lockers at school. I couldn't imagine what he thought of me wearing all black and soaked and holding a basket with bananas at this hour.
Suddenly, the phone I'd put in my bag rang. I jolted in front of him, too stunned that anyone would call me back on it. What did it mean that someone was?
I juggled the basket in my arm to be able to take the bookbag off. Wil reached out to help, taking the basket from me.
I hesitated but then let him do so. But then I realized it meant I couldn't really talk openly to the person on the other end. It didn't matter. I had to answer. It might be the guys trying to find me.
I dug out the cell phone, opened it and held it to my ear. “Yes?”
“I told you to get away from them,” a crackled, mechanical voice sounded on the other end.
I looked right at Wil's face, too stunned to hide my expression. I said nothing, fearing anything I said would lead me into a trap of Volto's making.
“Something wrong?” Wil whispered to me.
“They're on to you,” Volto said in my ear.
I slowly shook my head at Wil and then took back my basket after placing the bookbag on my shoulder again. I kept the phone to my ear and gave him a soft wave, indicating I had to go. Still, I said nothing to Volto. I debated hanging up on him.
“I wouldn't go to school tomorrow if I were you.”
I turned down a new aisle, and when I was sure no one was listening, I whispered into the phone. “Don't hurt anyone.”
“I've never hurt anyone.”
“You gave us strep throat,” I said. “And you rigged a football game to smoke out the stadium. That was reckless. Dangerous.” I turned, facing a wall of baby food but unable to stop myself rattling off to him. “You told me once the guys were dangerous. Yet you've done far more stupid things that could have killed someone.”
“You don't know what they're doing to you,” he said.
“I'm not listening to someone who would go that far to prove some point you haven't made yet. What is it? You want to smoke them out? They've never hid their faces. They've always been in plain sight. You're the one hiding. Because you know what you're doing is wrong.”
Silence on the other end. I wasn't totally being honest about the guys. There were times when they were doing dangerous things, and I didn't always know the end result, but it never involved harming other people. All the danger was on them, not others. Despite the couple of times that it seemed like Volto thought he was protecting me, and perhaps he was, it didn't excuse all the other things he did.
I'd once questioned the Academy and its purpose, but when I compared Volto to what the Academy did, the difference was very clear.
Eventually, Volto's voice returned. “I want to talk to you. In person.”
“I think you've done enough,” I said. “Return the Jeep.”
“I'll bring it back when you talk to me.”
I considered it for a moment, but Volto had a way of leading me down trails that ended up putting me or the others in more danger. I didn't want to do this now.
So instead of answering, I hung up, folding the flip. I kept it in my palm, looking at it.
When my heart had slowed a little, I opened it again, hoping that the act put me back in touch with the girl.
I put the phone to my ear and listened.
It was silent at first, but the mechanical voice came back.
“I'm coming to get you,” he said.
I hung up again, my heart in my throat. I couldn't reach out to the Academy. He'd cut off the one connection I had. If someone was coming to get me, Volto could interfere once they arrived.
What now?
How to Shake a Tail
Nathan
––––––––
Nathan continued to follow North's Jeep through neighborhoods. He sent word once about making a circle through a neighborhood but still being on Volto's tail to Mr. Blackbourne, but he didn't get word back.
If he didn't respond, it was more than likely because something else was going on, and he didn't want Nathan to alter his course.
With no other indication he should do otherwise, he remained not far behind the Jeep. He adjusted how he was sitting, the leather of the seat squeaking as his pants slid against the material. The air was a little cold, but it kept him aware and focused.
After a while of following, the clouds above finally broke. Rain came down in a drizzle, and eventually Nathan had to start the windshield wipers.
“Come on,” he said. “Park it somewhere. Do something.”
As if Volto had heard him, the car suddenly picked up speed, turning at the end of a cul-de-sac and heading out of the neighborhood. He took the main road, opposite the school.
It was a long lane with lights above them for about a half mile. The lights stopped, casting both vehicles into the dark, but then looked like they started again a few hundred feet later. There was a medium running down the center and the oncoming lane was empty. As far as Nathan could tell, if anything, there were more neighborhoods and eventually they'd hit a main road in an area that had shops and car dealerships.
“What are you doing?” he asked to his windshield and the back tire of North's Jeep. “Wherever you're going, I can follow.”
He imagined the others might intercept. Nathan was hoping this ended cleanly. Maybe Volto was looking for a place to ditch the Jeep after he threw his smoke bomb at Dr. Green and the others. Nathan considered letting Volto think he lost him if they got into traffic. Maybe someone could take over pursuit, someone in a car unconnected to them so Volto felt safe enough to ditch it.
The Jeep suddenly picked up speed. Nathan thought to let him get a distance ahead, but he decided to wait on that until he could get someone to take over. Since Volto knew Nathan was following now anyway, he may as well stay in view.
The Jeep took turns in the street at a couple dozen miles above the limit. The vehicle leaned to one side, and then the other as he made the turns too fast.
Nathan kept as close as he dared.
When he thought they were almost at the main intersecting road, the Jeep made a sharp left. There was a gap in the medium that gave access to an unmarked road.
Volto took that road, following a slope down.
Nathan made the turn, sitting up, ready. Volto wanted to have it out here? He was fine with it. He already knew he had smoke bombs, and Nathan was ready for one of those. Maybe he thought he could throw one at him and then lose him to turn around.
With Nathan following, the Jeep went down the slope and crossed a small parking lot. Then the lane continued into a dark area surrounded by trees so close that Nathan thought branches might be scraping the sides of their vehicles.
What was this place? A development that hadn't been built yet?
The Jeep bolted forward. Its lights went out. With rain splashing at the windshield, it became nearly impossible to see.
Nathan still had his lights off. He debated turning the brights on now, since they were alone.
He hesitated to turn them on, not wanting to kill Volto or hurt North's Jeep by blinding him. Wherever Volto was going, he couldn't turn around here.
The BMW rocked hard as the lane become more uneven. Nathan leaned forward, peering into the dark, sometimes losing sight of the Jeep simply because it was black and with all the lights off, it blended in. If he stopped, he could crash into him on accident.
When it looked like the Jeep was speeding up, Nathan punched the gas pedal. He didn’t want to lose him in the dark.
The Jeep veered off to the right ahead of him, too fast and stopped.
To not hit him, Nathan turned the car a hard left, and smashed his foot on the break.
Not fast enough.
The car careened down a narrow lane.
It splashed down into a body of water.
Shit.