He gulped and stayed glued to his daughter’s side. She looked at me, tapped his shoulder, then whispered in his ear.
“Does she not talk out loud or something?” I asked, puzzled.
“Yeah. Hold on for one minute, okay?” he said to her. He looked my way. “She hasn’t for a number of years. Not since her mother died. She talks to me at times, but no one else.”
I looked at her, thinking of my little girl. The way the girl stared made me miss my baby that much more. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She whispered in her dad’s ear again, pointed at him, herself, then me.
He nodded, then rolled his eyes where she couldn’t see. “I’m Jake. This is Abby. She likes for people to know our names. Feels it’s more personable. She’s a bit too trusting and likes to help people in need, or that she feels that needs help. I’m not as inclined to be that way.”
I pointed at the sidewalk. “Is that why she was outside earlier?”
“Yeah. I told her to stay put and keep away from the window, but she didn’t listen, obviously,” Jake answered.
I looked at Abby, then bowed. “I do appreciate your help.”
Abby whispered to her dad again.
“She wants to know your name,” Jake said.
“Haze.”
“Interesting name you have there,” Jake replied. Abby tapped his shoulder, then pointed past me. “Yes. That’s fine.”
Abby left his side and walked past me, disappearing into the low light of the grocery store.
Jake peered out of the window, checked the door, then moved away from the glass. The handle of the buck knife poked out from the top of the sheath attached to his waistband. His coat wedged between the blade and his body, keeping it visible. He grabbed the bottom portion of his coat, then pulled it over the knife.
“How’s it looking out there?” I asked, glancing to the street.
“Fine for now,” Jake turned to face me, “but they come through town at different times. Pop up out of nowhere. When I see or hear a car, I just assume the worst and lay low. Better to be safe than sorry. You never know what someone will try and do.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t have the luxury of sitting on my hands and waiting for things to blow over,” I replied with my hands on my hip. “I’ve got to find my partner, however I can, and we have to get back on the move.”
Abby walked toward me with a bottle of water in one hand and something else I couldn’t make out in her other balled fist.
“What happened to your car?” Jake asked, glancing at his daughter.
“My associate has the keys and my knowledge of hot-wiring a car is null,” I answered.
Abby handed the water bottle to me.
I looked at the bottle, then her. The scarf had been pulled down to around her neck, revealing more of her young face.
“Thanks.” I popped the cap off the top and took a hearty swig of the chilled water.
“Yeah. I’m not sure where else you could find a car on short notice that would have the keys just laying inside of it,” Jake said. He looked in the direction of the road. “There aren’t many cars out there and the ones close by, I’ve already checked. No dice.”
Abby opened her fist, showing me the pack of gum she had in her hand. I looked the pink wrapper over, then back up to her. She pulled a piece of the strawberry flavored gum from the package, then offered it to me.
“She loves that stuff. Always has,” Jake said, pointing at her hand. “I’m not a fan of strawberry flavored gum, or any other for that matter. You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to.”
“No. It’s all right.” I took the piece of gum from her hand, unwrapped it, then popped it into my mouth. “Is there any more of this strawberry bubblegum in here by chance?”
Abby nodded, turned, and walked away, heading for one of the racks near the registers.
“Can’t say I’ve ever seen a grown man enjoy that flavor of gum before,” Jake said, looking at me with a raised brow.
“It was my daughter’s favorite gum,” I replied, thinking of her sweet face and bright smile. “She always offered me a piece and I couldn’t say no to that.”
Abby came back with two more packages of the strawberry gum stuffed in her hands and offered them to me.
I took the packages from her palm, gave a warm smile, then stowed them in the pockets of my trousers. “Thank you. I appreciate—”
A ruckus sounded from the back of the store, like metal being bent. Jake looked to the darkness, face stern and focused. His body tensed, his neck craned as he skimmed over the area.
Abby turned away from me, glanced at the murk, then retreated back to her father’s side. He grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him.
I looked down the open aisle toward the back of the store, then over to Jake. “You two are the only ones in here, right?”
He reached around his back, and retrieved the buck knife. “We were.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
SCARFACE
The crunching of metal grew louder. My nerves tightened with each sound coming from the rear of the store. I grabbed the push dagger and slipped it between my fingers.
“What’s back there?” I asked, glancing at Jake.
“The receiving area for the store.” He pointed with the blade. “It’s a small stock room with an office and
