Turning around, she said, "Let Travis go. He's a child. You can take me in there and I'll do whatever you want."
Imagining the worst, she wanted to protect Travis. She held on to Travis's shirt, ready to push him away and help him escape.
"Both of you go inside." Greasy hair hung in wet strands down Dean's face. He pulled the pistol out of his pocket and pointed it at Travis's face.
She yanked Travis behind her, putting her body in front of his, though Wyatt's son was four inches taller than her. "Please, you don't want to do this. Let us go, and we won't tell anyone."
"I'm not going anywhere, bitch. It's been months of trying to get what belongs to me. I'm not leaving without it." Dean stepped toward her.
She backed up, going inside the apartment. Her stomach rolled at the musty, toxic smell permeated in the walls, the carpet, on every surface.
Dean shut the door, put the gun behind his belt, and grabbed her, tossing her to the floor. She cried out. Pain ricocheting through her hand into her wrist.
Travis fell beside her, blood running down his nose. She reached out for him, and Dean rolled her to her stomach before she could get to Travis. She kicked out, knowing if she couldn't get to her feet, she'd have no chance of stopping him.
He yanked her hands behind her back, binding them with tape. She struggled, receiving a jab of his knee to her lower back. With her arms confined at the wrist, she struggled to breathe. The edges of her vision darkened.
The heavy weight of Dean's body lifted off her. Lying on her stomach with her arms trapped behind her, she choked, coughing harshly.
Travis landed beside her. She grunted, trying to roll her body back and forth to get to him. With Dean distracted with Duct taping Travis's arms behind his back, she swung her leg, kicking him in the side.
Dean caught her ankle and squeezed. Rage erupted, and she kicked out harder, getting loose. He couldn't keep them here. Nobody would find them. In the last four years, she'd only entered Unit C twice. Once to assess the damage after her grandpa died and once when she brought Wyatt up to give her an estimate.
Dean stood. "Last chance, kid. If you ever want to see tomorrow, you'll tell me where I can find what belongs to me."
"Will you let us go if I tell you?" snapped Travis.
Dean pointed the pistol at the back of Travis's head and pulled back the hammer. The click echoed in the vacant apartment. "What do you think?"
"Okay. Okay." Travis sniffed. "There's a rock by the power station. By the...the trees that are white. There're three trees. All the other ones are pine. I dug a hole. The bag is there under the rock."
"Which power station?" said Dean.
"The one on Moon Gulch." Travis groaned, trying to move.
"You better hope you're telling me the truth or I'm going to come back here and kill you both." Dean's voice changed directions.
Weight fell on Joey's legs, and Dean taped her ankles. "I should kill you for the trouble you've put me through but I need that bag. I swear, kid. If you are fucking lying, I'll do the same thing to you as I did to your mom."
He moved off Joey and taped Travis's ankles. She stared in Travis's eyes and recognized defeat at the mention of his mom.
Several seconds later, the door shut. Afraid to say anything in case Dean hadn't gone out, she mouthed, "Are you okay?"
Travis nodded, his bloody cheek rubbing against the stank carpet. "We need to get out of here."
"I can't move."
Travis grunted, contorting his bound body and rolled onto his back. After several attempts, he was able to sit up. From there, he couldn't get up without the use of his arms and legs.
"He'll be back." Travis gasped for breath. "He'll kill us. He will."
"You told him where he could find what he was looking for. Maybe he'll leave and not come back."
Travis looked at her, his gaze filled with anguish. "I lied. What he wants isn't there."
Her head spun, and her pulse throbbed in her throat. Oh, Travis, what have you done?
Chapter 34Wyatt
THE RAIN POURED DOWN. Jess walked beside Wyatt, talking about Volleyball tryouts while moaning about her tired legs and running lines and doing burpees. Despite how tired she was, her excitement never stopped her mouth from moving. He grinned at his girl, proud that she'd given it her all.
"Do you think you'll get picked for the Varsity team?" He looped his arm around her shoulders, trying to keep the rain off her.
"I hope so. I'd hate to play on the junior varsity team as a junior with all the sophomores."
He stopped in front of Joey's apartment. The door was open.
Letting go of Jess, he said, "Stay here."
He walked inside, looked in each room, and came back outside. "She's not here. Neither is Travis."
"Maybe she went to the rec center." Jess dropped her bag. "I'll run over and see if they're there."
"No, we'll both go," he said.
"Wait up." Jess jogged beside him, groaning as she had to use her exhausted muscles. "Are you worried about Travis?"
"I always worry about you both. That's my job." He opened the door to the rec center and went inside. "Check the laundry room."
"Has anyone seen Joey?" he asked the people playing cards.
"She was here earlier, shining the windows." Mr. Baste held his hand close to his chest.
"Did she say where she was going next?"
Mr. Baste studied him. "Did you lose her?"
"Just looking for her and my son." He turned when Jess came out of the laundry room.
"She's not there." Jess grabbed his hand. "Travis probably talked her into going to our apartment. He can't take his hacky sack to school, so maybe he wanted to go get it."
"Yeah." He walked outside, looking toward his place. The door was closed.
