“Yeah,” I said. “They knew. They’ve seen us with him before.”
“Then your friend is already dead. That is how Whitey find us. We run away from club. He go inside and get your friend.”
“Jesse wouldn’t drop dime on us.”
“What is drop dime?”
“Tell. He wouldn’t tell on us.”
“Da. Whitey have Otar and the others torture him in back room until he tell where you live. Then they torture him more till he dead.”
The pressure built inside of me. My jaw felt tight and my eyes felt like they might pop. My mouth went dry. Jesse. It made sense. Without speaking, I flipped open the cell phone and pressed the speed dial for Jesse’s cell phone. It rang and rang. Then his voice mail picked up.
“Yo, this is Jesse. Leave a message, and I’ll holla’ back at you. Peace out.”
I hung up without leaving a message.
“Jesus…” My lips felt swollen. “Darryl. Jesse.”
“I am sorry,” Sondra said.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Da, it is.”
“Right now, let’s just figure out what to do. Let me think for a bit, okay?”
Sondra pouted. “You are angry with me, no?”
“No. I just need to think. I promise. I’m not mad.”
She fell silent again. I focused on the road and tried to think. Once the cops arrived on the scene and figured out who I was, they’d be looking for us. The Cherokee was a big fucking target. Might as well drive around with a flashing light that said, HERE WE ARE. COME ARREST US, PLEASE. I had to get another vehicle, or at the very least get off the main road and stay low for a while. I took the Mount Zion Road exit and turned right, passing by the York County prison. Chances were good that I’d be seeing more of it soon.
I thought about Darryl and the way his head had remained face down when I flipped the rest of him over.
I turned the heat on high. Warmth blasted my feet.
It didn’t help.
“We’ll be okay,” I said. “You’ll see.”
Sondra didn’t respond.
eleven
We navigated down side roads and back roads, going deeper and deeper into Southern York County, heading towards the Maryland state line. We drove through East Prospect, Craley, and Wrightsville—all tiny rural towns without police departments or traffic lights. Even still, I made sure to do the speed limit and obey all traffic laws, just in case the State or Regional police were passing through. At one point, I got out of the Cherokee and slapped a few handfuls of mud over the license plate, obscuring some of the numbers. I followed a service road that ran along the banks of the Susquehanna River, and then turned off onto a hiking trail. It was wide enough for a four wheel drive vehicle, and delved deep into a State park. A brown National Forest Service sign told us that the park was closed from dusk to dawn. We parked, turned off the Jeep, and caught our breath.
“I’ve got to call Yul.”
“Who is Yul? Another friend?”
“Yeah. He’s my friend. Maybe he can help us.”
“Does he have guns? If so, then he can help.”
Despite all the tension, I laughed at the thought of Yul with a gun. It was absurd.
“What is funny?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Look, Yul doesn’t own guns, and I’m not sure what he could do up against Whitey and those guys. But he’s our friend, and I need to warn him. If Jesse gave up me and Darryl’s addresses, he may have told them Yul’s address, too.”
“Was this Yul at club with your friend Jesse?”
“No, but if Whitey wanted to know where we’d go after Darryl and I rescued you, then Jesse may have told him about Yul. I can’t take that chance. He needs to know what’s going on. And his girlfriend, too. They live together. If Otar and those guys are staking out Yul’s place, she could be in danger. I don’t want what happened to Darryl and maybe Jesse happening to them, too.”
“Not maybe.”
“What?”
“You say maybe about your friend Jesse. Is not maybe. Is dead.”
I pressed the speed dial for Yul’s cell phone. He wasn’t picking up, which meant he’d gone in to work. Or at least I hoped that was the case. It could also mean that he was currently being cut up by a bunch of sadistic Russian fucks, but I didn’t want to think about that. I left him a voice mail, asking him to call me right away. Then I dialed GPS and asked for Yul’s department. We had different supervisors, so I didn’t have to worry about my boss, Scott, picking up the phone. Yul’s supervisor picked up on the second ring. I asked for Yul and was told he was busy working right now. I explained this was a family emergency and it was urgent that I speak with him. Yul’s boss sighed and then grumbled at me to hold on. I waited almost two full minutes before Yul answered.
“Hello? Kim?”
“Hey man,” I said. “It’s me.”
“Larry? They said it was a family emergency.”
“It is.”
“You’re not family.”
“Okay,” I shouted, “so I lied to get you on the phone. Shut the fuck up and listen to me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“A lot…” I tried to say more, but there was a lump in my throat. I fought back tears.
“Larry, what’s going on, man? Are you okay?”
“Listen—what time are you getting off?”
“Eight. Maybe a little later. We’re getting killed with Total Gyms today. I hate those fucking things.”
I cringed at his word choice.
“Larry? You still there?”
“I’m here. Look, meet me in the parking lot when you get off work. Don’t go home and don’t talk to anybody. Just wait for me inside your car. Okay?”
“Larry, I’ve got to get back to work, dude. What’s going on?”
“I can’t tell you now. Just meet me after your shift and I’ll explain everything. Please? It’s really important.”
“Sure, brother. You got it.”
“Is Kim at home?”
“Kim? No, she’s visiting her parents in Williamsport. Why?”
I closed my eyes and mouthed silent thanks. At least Kim was out of harm’s way.
“No reason, man. Just didn’t want her waiting up for you and getting worried.”
“Who are you and what did you do with Larry? Did Jesse and Darryl put you up to something? You guys never show concern about Kim. The hell is going on?”
Again, I couldn’t speak. My throat clicked. Tears ran down my face.
“I’ll see you soon,” I rasped. “Get back to work before you get in trouble.”
I ended the call and stared at my cell phone, aimlessly scrolling through the address book. Darryl and Jesse’s names flashed by on the screen. I couldn’t believe this shit was happening. I felt so numb inside. Maybe it was shock, or maybe it was some sort of defense mechanism—my brain shutting down, refusing to think about all that had occurred in the last few hours. I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. If they had, maybe I would have
