Once rearmed and partially hidden by a nearby tree, he scanned the school. There was no one but Nate and Iris, so he gave his apprentice a single wave.
Quinn met them at the fence. Nate handed Iris over the top, and Quinn gently maneuvered her the rest of the way over. He then hugged the girl to his chest and turned to head for the cover of the trees. That’s when he heard the shot.
Nate, already pulling himself over the fence, grunted, then fell to the ground on Quinn’s side. Quinn darted behind the same tree as before, getting Iris out of any line of fire. He pulled his gun out, then peeked around the tree.
Nate was dragging himself along the ground toward the cover of the grove.
“Are you hit?” Quinn asked.
“I’m fine,” Nate said.
Quinn glanced through the fence back at the school. There were two men in police uniforms crouched near the corner of one of the buildings. Quinn aimed his pistol so that he would hit a spot in the grass off to their right, then pulled the trigger twice.
As he’d hoped, the sound of the shots sent the officers running for cover. It also caused Iris to yell out in surprise.
“Up. Quick, quick, quick,” Quinn said to Nate.
Nate got to his feet and lunged into the woods.
Quinn rubbed Iris on the back. “You’re going to be all right,” he said. “No need to cry.”
“Here,” Nate said, holding out his arms.
Quinn handed the girl to him, and instantly she went quiet.
“You’re just the one who made the big noise,” Nate said to Quinn. “Don’t take it personally.”
Quinn looked back at the school. The police officers were still out of sight, but he knew that wouldn’t last for long.
“We need to keep moving,” he said.
If he headed south and a bit to the east, he knew they would get to the road that led to the golf course clubhouse, but that would be the first place anyone looked for them. So he turned left.
As they ran, Quinn pulled out his phone and called Orlando.
It rang five times, then clicked over to voicemail.
The trees were thinning to the right. Beyond was the green fairway of one of the holes. Not surprisingly, there was no one out on the course. The facility had no doubt been shut down due to security concerns for the now- canceled event at the school. Quinn moved to the left, keeping more trees between them and the open space.
After several minutes, he saw a wooden fence ahead of them that separated the course from the backyards of several houses. Once again he had Nate wait as he approached alone. What he was hoping to find was a gate behind one of the houses. No luck on that front, but what he did find was an empty house waiting for a new owner.
“Over here,” he called.
As Nate hopped the fence, Quinn saw that the shoe and pant leg near Nate’s right ankle had been ripped apart.
“What the hell happened?” he asked.
Nate looked down at the damage. “I got hit,” he said. “But see? No blood. Bonus for missing a leg. I have to tell you, though, the vibration stung like a son of a bitch.”
Nate was going to do fine, Quinn knew. Just fine.
As they headed across the backyard, Quinn’s cell phone began to hum.
“Hold on,” he told Nate.
Orlando’s name was on the screen.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I don’t know where Nate is.”
“He’s with me.”
“And the girl?”
“We’ve got her.”
He could hear her sigh. “Thank God.”
“We could use a ride, though,” he said.
“That I can help with.”
He told her where they were. “I’m going to leave Nate here with the girl. Pick them up and get out of town.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“I need to find Tucker.”
