He faced the truck, looking at the opened window on the passenger side. A man sat in the front seat. I could only see a small portion of his body, but his arm was draped out of the window. He rapped his palm against the door, then pointed at the back seat of the truck.
The foot soldier turned to the side, lowered his rifle, then pointed at the buildings behind me. He stood there a moment longer, then retreated to the back seat of the truck.
The passenger window rolled up.
The foot soldier hammered the door twice with his gloved fist. He slung the door open, then climbed inside the cab. He slammed it shut behind him.
The truck drove past the sedan and down the street. It plowed through the empty intersection and kept going, leaving the area.
I stood and watched the red glow of the truck’s taillights fade away within the falling ash. The cold air nipped at my exposed flesh. I rubbed my hands together, then blew on them.
I peered through the windshield of the sedan, then moved toward the passenger side door. I tested the handle. The door didn’t budge. I ran my hand over the window and looked inside the vehicle for any keys, but spotted nothing in the seats or the ignition.
A subtle cough sounded from behind me. I froze. My hand reached inside the pocket of my coat, grabbing the dagger.
I turned around, ready to strike, but stopped when I spotted a young girl standing before me, staring at me with wide, blue eyes.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CORY
Cindy looked over the various guns laid out on the mattress of the bed. Her forearm wiped under her nose. She folded her arms across her chest, looked to Anna, then me.
“A plan?” she asked, staring at both of us with a raised brow.
Anna remained silent, then turned toward me.
“Yeah,” I replied. “You two will stay here, and I’ll head over to Jessie’s place to see what I can find out. It’ll be safer that way.”
“He doesn’t know you. What makes you think he’ll even speak to you?” Cindy shot back. “I’m not even sure he’d speak to me about this, all things considered.”
“Don’t worry about that. I have a way of making people talk, even if they don’t want to,” I said. “But, hopefully it won’t come to that.”
“What does that mean?” Cindy asked, perplexed.
“It just means that he’s persuasive,” Anna answered without providing any additional details.
Cindy shook her head, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “I don’t know. If he skips town, the odds of me finding out what they took is going to be slim to none, and this will never go away.”
“If I get a hold of him, he won’t get away.” I scratched at the stubble on my chin. “To be honest, this is the best laid plan of action you have. If those men show up by chance or he’s on edge, you’ll be in more danger than you are right now. If he isn’t there, doesn’t know anything about what’s happening, or they’ve already shaken him down, your best bet will be to get your son and disappear. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I think that’s going to be the smartest move. You said yourself that they have people inside the police department, so you can’t go that route.”
Cindy nodded, then ran her fingers through her matted hair. “You’re right. I know this is a long shot and if it doesn’t work, I’ll have to go from there.”
“I know how you feel and it’s a tough spot to be in, but being alive and on the run is better than being dead,” I replied.
Shadow poked her head above the end of the bed, then placed her jaw on the mattress. She glanced up to Anna who rubbed her head.
I pointed at the pistols. “Hand me one of those, will ya?”
“You want the Smith and Wesson M&P 9 or the Beretta 92X?” Anna asked, pointing at the guns. “They have two extra magazines for each.”
“Give me the Beretta,” I answered.
Anna handed me the Beretta along with two extra magazines. I placed them into the pocket of my coat and secured the piece between my waistband.
“Why are you doing this for me?” Cindy asked, lines forming between her eyebrows. “I mean, we don’t even know each other and you’re willing to risk your life for me, a total stranger. What’s in this for you?”
I lowered the coat over the Beretta, then glanced at Anna. Again, she remained silent and diverted her gaze to Shadow, allowing me to field the question. “Doing the right thing, I guess. I couldn’t just leave in good conscience knowing that I could’ve tried to help you in some way.”
“Well, it’s appreciated,” Cindy replied. “I’m not sure how or why our paths crossed when they did, but I am grateful for any help. From both of you.”
I offered a warm smile, then nodded. Anna did the same.
“Where downtown is Jessie’s place?” I asked, grabbing my mask from the bed.
Cindy turned and walked toward the small desk against the wall. She grabbed a pen and paper, her hand shaking as she scribbled down the address.
“Keep your eyes peeled for any movement outside,” I said to Anna. “We don’t know who’s lurking about out there.”
“We’ll be fine, Cage,” Anna shot back, cutting her eyes up to me. “Watch your back out there and stay frosty. Get done what needs to be done and head back. Remember, you’re the one with our ride, and I’d like to not have
