“We just read about it.” I glance over my shoulder at Riley. “What’s your point?”
“They interviewed Mr. Candella on the news and he said he’d pay good money to see her brought to justice. What if Ivan’s not connected with the Sorrentinos at all? What if he’s getting paid to deliver her to the Candella family?”
“But that doesn’t make sense.” Kade shakes his head. “Won’t they be after justice? They’ll want her to testify.”
“Not if they think she’s the killer.”
“That’s insane!” I whisper-bark. “She didn’t kill that guy.”
“But they might still want her dead,” Riley counters. “A life for a life. A child for a child. They might be after retribution. They don’t want the law getting involved with something they can do on their own.”
“It’s like a Hollywood movie,” Kade mutters. “This shit can’t be real.”
“Yeah, well, it is.” I smack his arm. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. We need to get to a car and find Chris…before they kill her.”
I close my eyes, battling off the wave of nausea. I don’t want to think about how she must be suffering right now, but I can’t help it. Images torture me as I stand up and start running for the dugout. I’m going to freaking kill Ivan…after I save Chris.
In spite of the evening chill, my hair is wet with sweat when we finally reach the fence. I check both ways are clear before pulling back the grass-covered canvas and scrambling through the hole. Standing on the other side, I brush the dirt off my clothes while the others crawl through. As soon as we’re clear, we start jogging for the gas station.
We’re still on high alert and even though no one’s saying it, this feels like a futile mission.
We have no idea how Ivan got Chris out of school, which direction they went, where they might be hiding. So what if we manage to steal a car? Where will we start driving?
But it’s all I’ve got. Pacing around our bedroom while we waited for news from the incompetent agents would have driven me insane. I have to act, to move, to do something that feels like it’s helping Chris.
Pumping my arms, I pick up the pace, hauling ass down the country road towards the distant glow of the gas station.
*****
Leaning against the darkest edge of the building, I peek my head around the corner to scan the station. Every pump is empty, but there is one car parked on the other side of the building. It’s a red pickup that looks bone-tired and ready to fall apart. But it’s all we’ve got.
Kade creeps back from the other corner and whispers, “Looks like we’re gonna have to go for the pickup.”
“Great,” I grumble.
Riley checks my view, then looks to Kade. “I doubt it’s locked, but we’ll still have to be careful. Let’s sneak around the back way. There’s no point walking across the lot and drawing attention to ourselves.”
Following Riley’s lead, we stick close to the wall and walk-run around the back of the station until we reach the windows on the other side. Ducking low, we shuffle beneath them.
Riley pops up to do one quick scan of the store. “There’s a guy behind the counter. He’s reading a magazine, but he’ll definitely look up if he hears the truck starting.”
“Fine, let’s push it out of the station and start it up down the road.”
“What if he looks up while we’re doing that?” Riley counters.
“We need a distraction.” I look around me for inspiration while Riley digs something out of his pocket.
Wriggling his phone in the air, he then turns to Kade and whispers, “You guys head to the truck and start pushing. I’ll distract the guy with a call and then make a break for the road. Have the vehicle running when I get there.”
We all nod, then get to work. I hear Riley dialing and then softly asking the operator for the number of the Miles To Go gas station.
Ducking behind Kade, I hold my breath while he eases the driver’s door open. It creaks and moans and we both freeze still. I bob my head above Kade’s crouched body and check out the counter. The attendant is still looking half asleep behind it, flicking through his magazine like a low-battery droid.
“Okay, go.” I pat Kade’s shoulder and he slithers inside, quickly looking for a set of keys. There are none so he immediately rips out the wiring beneath the steering column and gets to work.
“It’s ready to go when we are,” he whispers. “Let’s start pushing.”
Wriggling the stick shift, he puts the car in neutral and releases the brake while I put all my energy into reversing the truck. As soon as there’s enough room to turn, Kade spins the wheel and then jumps out, pushing from the driver’s door while I take the back.
We’ve got the advantage of a small hill, and the truck picks up momentum quickly. I glance behind me. Riley’s still crouched against the wall, chatting with the attendant. I look into the store. The attendant’s scratching his head and looking at the wall of cigarettes behind the counter.