“Thank you.”
“You know what I’m saying. I’m about to turn eighteen and I’m afraid I’m going to die from this stupid plague.”
Sudden tears distorted Jimmy’s vision making it difficult for him to think clearly. He shuddered from the fear surging inside his whole being, fighting its way to the surface. Ginger reached out and caressed his shoulder.
“I think you have the power to save me the way you saved Vanessa and healed Hunter’s arm. I’ve been hoping for a miracle, Catherine, and I believe you’re it.”
He stopped and lowered his head, rubbing his eyes free of tears with his open palms. Ginger gathered him into her arms and as he felt her softness and strength, something new replaced his ever-present fear. He was overcome by grief because Ginger loved him, and he’d waited so long to tell her that he loved her.
Two little hands lifted his face. Jimmy stared into Catherine’s shining blue eyes and was once again reminded of a sunny day.
She nodded slowly at him, “Why do you think I’m here, silly?”
NINETEEN
“Oh crap!” Scout squeezed the brakes and a screen of dust billowed from his skidding stop. A truck roared out of the gulch to his right with two kids standing in the bed. Three kids on motorbikes swooped out from his left.
Behind him, Hunter cursed and slid past, losing control and toppled his bike over. Hunter rolled to his feet and within seconds, he raced to his fallen motorbike and started it again. The dirt on the back of his leather jacket was the only evidence of his crash.
The group from the gulch closed in. From the looks on their faces, Scout knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant exchange.
“What do you want to do?” Hunter asked. His eyes were wide and his chest heaved from an adrenaline surge. Scout wasn’t worried about him; that was the least interesting accident of Hunter’s so far this year.
“They don’t have any guns pointed at us,” Scout said over the rumble of the approaching trouble.
“Yet.” Hunter swiveled his head, first right, then left. “If we have to split, I’ll go north. You go south. We’ll do a quick circle west and meet up back at town. First one to Jimmy wins.”
Scout nodded just as the truck stopped and the two boys in the bed hopped out. The three motorbikes circled behind Scout and Hunter and rolled to a halt. Scout calculated openings and distances, but the group was organized. If he and Hunter decided to bolt someone would be on their tails before they found a path out of the canyon.
“They picked a great place to set up an ambush,” Scout said.
“Yeah, and you led us right into it.”
Scout caught the edge of Hunter’s smirk. Before he could think of a blazing retort, the driver of the truck slipped out and slammed the door shut. The driver was the only black kid in the bunch as he sauntered toward them, twirling a key chain on his finger. He wore a puffy jacket and mirrored sunglasses that reflected the setting sun and momentarily blinded Scout. When the kid got closer, Scout rubbed his eyes. The jacket wasn’t puffy at all. The he was a she, and she was damn fine looking.
The other two were definitely males, flanking her like bodyguards. Everyone appeared in their early teens, acting sullen and tough like they weren’t going to die at eighteen the same as everyone else.
The girl regarded Hunter for a second but then the mirrored lenses focused on Scout. She smiled. Scout smiled back.
“Sparkle,” Hunter said.
Scout scowled at him, realizing he was right, but man, her smile was beautiful. Scout wished he could see her eyes.
She unzipped her jacket like the late afternoon was suddenly warm. “What’s up, guys? Out taking a little cruise, huh?”
“Something like that,” Hunter said. “Just passing through, really. Are you all from that town nearby?”
“No. Is there a town nearby?”
“So we’ve heard,” Scout said. “But we’re not sure where it is. Where’re you guys from?”
She hesitated. “Iowa.”
“Iowa, huh,” Hunter said. “Go Hawkeyes, right?”
She smirked in response, probably because she was way ahead of Hunter’s little trap. “So they tell me, but I’m originally from St. Louis.”
“So am I,” Scout said with genuine surprise. “Where was your hood?”
She removed her sunglasses and Scout’s pace quickened. He recognized her. He actually knew her from somewhere else at another time.
“JVL,” she said.
“What’s JVL?” Hunter asked.
“Jeff-Vander-Lou,” Scout replied. “It’s where I lived, too.”
The girl stepped up with her attention grafted to Scout. “What school did you go to?”
“Dunbar.”
“Me, too. What grade would you be in?”
“Ninth. You?”
“Same. What’s your name?”
“Scout,” he said and shook his head. “I mean David Thompson.”
“Davey! Little Davey Thompson!” She smiled real wide and Scout was captivated, until he heard Hunter laughing beside him.
“What? I hit a growth spurt when I turned twelve.”
“I’ll say,” the girl replied.
Scout smiled back at her with appreciation as her name popped into his head. “Jolanda Lewis, I can’t believe it!”
“Could you turn off those bikes so we can talk without screaming at each other?” she asked.
Scout cut his engine, put the kickstand down, hopped off and walked over to her. He spread his arms and she did the same. He gave her a big hug. “Damn, Jolanda, I’m not the only one that hit a growth spurt.”
She patted his cheek when he let her go. The boys behind her were tapping each other’s shoulders and laughing. “Call me Raven, please.” She turned her head around and spoke to her friends through clenched teeth. “My name is Raven.”
The boys straightened up and muffled their laughter by covering their mouths with their hands, but their bodies convulsed as they fought back the chuckles.
She sighed when she turned back. “There goes one of my best-kept secrets.”
Hunter sat on his bike with the engine off. “Don’t worry, Raven, I’ll make sure Little Davey pays for it.”
“Shut it,” Scout said. Hunter smiled and motioned for Scout to continue.
Scout nodded. “So what’s really up? And don’t tell me you’re out here picking flowers. Nebraska isn’t the best choice for a picnic.”
One of the bodyguards stepped up. “Uh, Raven?”
“It’s all right,” she said over her shoulder. “I got it.” She stared at Scout before giving her answer. “Okay, David. You’re from that town west of here, right?”
“Yeah, we call it Independents.”
“Cute. So I guess you’ve already met Chase?”
“He thinks Hunter and I are farmers.”
“Sure he does. Chase isn’t stupid.”
“So what do you want?” Hunter asked.
“All your valuables. This is a robbery, your money or your life.”
