The door cracked open just as I reached for the brass doorknob. Anna poked her head around the edge of the door. Shadow growled from the dim interior.
“You okay?” she asked, backing away from the door. “I thought I heard gunfire.”
I walked inside the motel room, then stepped to the side. She closed the door behind me. I dropped the duffle bags to the floor.
Shadow sniffed the bags, then glanced up to me. I pulled the hood back, removed the gas mask, then slipped the pack from my shoulders. “Yeah. Not sure where the gunfire came from. I came across a car at the backside of the motel that sped away. Then, some guy tried to jump me and take the keys to the SUV. He said he spotted us rolling into the parking lot. There could be others in the area looking to do the same thing, so we’ll need to keep an eye out for that.”
Anna walked past me toward the window facing the parking lot. She stood to the side with the Glock clutched in her hand, peeking around the thick curtains that hung over the window.
“I don’t see anyone out there, now.” Her head moved closer to the window. “Did you take care of him?”
“Yeah. Not sure where he ran off to, though.” I peered over the motel room, taking in the single king-sized bed, small round table and chairs, and the wide dresser against the wall that filled the space. I tossed my pack to the floor. “Where’s Cindy?”
Anna let go of the curtain, severing what little bit of light shone into the room. “The bathroom in the back.”
“Is there power?” I asked, checking the light switch on the wall.
“Nope. Not working here. She went back there and closed the door. Sitting in the dark for all I know,” Anna answered.
I grabbed the duffle bags and hauled them over to the bed. I unzipped both and felt around in each, hunting for a flashlight, lantern, or anything else to give us some light.
Shadow’s silhouette moved in front of the bed, then vanished as she lay down on the floor.
“Is there anything of use in those bags?” Anna asked, stepping alongside me.
“There is.” I pointed at the bag in front of her. “That one has weapons and some ammo in it. This one has some gas masks and hopefully a damn lantern or something to give us some light in here.”
“Oh, nice. Lucky score, then.” Anna moved in the low light, rummaging through the rucksack.
My hand brushed over something that felt like a handle. I took hold of the black object and pulled it from the bag. I held it up in front of me, then turned to the side where a scant bit of light bled through the narrow opening between the curtains. It looked and felt like a lantern with a hand crank on it.
“I think I’ve got something, here.” I cranked the handle, turning it over and over again. Light flickered from within the clear-plastic casing. I continued turning for a bit longer. The light grew brighter, illuminating the dark space. “There. That’s better.” I sat the lantern on the bed to the side of the duffle bags.
Anna pulled various pistols and a sawed-off shotgun from the rucksack in front of her. She sat them to the side of the bag. “So, what’s going on here?”
“What do you mean?” I replied, removing the masks from the bag.
“The woman in there. This situation we seem to have ourselves wrapped up in. What are you thinking? I know you’re plotting something.” She ejected the magazine from one of the handguns.
I set the masks on the bed, then turned to face her. “I’m thinking we can’t just leave her alone. You know as well as I do those people who killed her husband aren’t going to just let her and her son walk away from whatever it is they’re wrapped up in.”
Anna slapped the magazine back into the well, then set it down. “And how is that our problem? If I do recall, you have your own shit you need to be concerned with.”
“Believe me, I haven’t forgotten about it.” I nodded toward the restroom. “But I’m not sure I could live with myself after handing her off to the wolves. Us ditching her and bouncing would be just that. With the way things are, the police have bigger issues to contend with and will be no help. The rule of law has already slipped. We saw that back in LA with the gangs running rampant through the streets. Who knows if it’ll be that way across the country.”
“Okay. You still haven’t answered the question, though,” Anna shot back. “What do you plan on doing? What’s the endgame here?”
I scratched at the coarse stubble on my chin. “I figured I’d go over to that Jessie’s place and see what he knows while you stay here with Cindy and Shadow. Shouldn’t take too long. If he doesn’t know anything or nothing comes of it, then, we’ll leave and take her to her husband’s friend’s place.”
Anna nodded and continued to sift through the firearms stowed in the duffle bag. “You know, guilt’s a dangerous thing. It can put you in a bind and before you know it, you’re screwed. Don’t let it swallow you, Lawson. We’ve got to play things smart now, more so than ever before.”
“I haven’t forgotten what’s at stake,” I replied. “Getting to my family is job one, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help those in need along the way. Besides, I’m not the only one chasing after something, am I?”
Anna racked one of the pistols clutched in her hand, then glanced my way.
