“Look, I really need to…do something.”
Summer appeared in the doorway behind Abel.
“Rylie? Can I talk to you?” she asked, her voice a little higher pitched than usual. She was stressing about something.
Abel took her backpack. “I’ll meet you outside.”
Summer was grinning like a maniac, her face fixed into a mask. “No, don’t go outside. Why don’t you wait in here with Jessica? We’ll be right back.”
Worst idea ever? Worst idea ever.
Rylie pushed her into the hall without waiting to see what Abel would do.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What are you doing, Summer? Are you crazy?”
“There are three black SUVs outside,” Summer whispered back.
“ Here? Right now?”
“No, in an hour from now. Yes, right now, Rylie. You need to sneak out the back. I’ll have Abel circle the pickup around. We only have the green one now, so it’s going to be a tight fit.”
“But Jessica—”
“Go,” Summer urged.
Rylie slammed through the kitchen and out the back door. The tomatoes really were getting nice and ripe; their fragrance mingled with the wet, earthy odor of soil and herbs. Her mom’s perfume hung over it all. Oh God . What if the Union arrested her mom?
No time to worry about that. She stretched onto her toes to peer over the fence.
Three black SUVs. One more coming around the corner. None of them were marked, but they didn’t need to be. Even mundane humans had come to recognize the Union on patrol these days.
It took zero effort for Rylie to jump over the back fence into the neighbor’s yard. She could have cleared a fence twice its height.
“Whoa!” An old woman stood from the picnic table in the middle of her lawn, chihuahua clutched to her chest. “Are you all right, dear?”
“Sorry!” Rylie whispered.
She didn’t have time to stop. She threw herself over the neighbor’s fence and landed on the opposite sidewalk. A quick scan of the street showed no SUVs—yet. But she heard engines rumbling, and knew they wouldn’t be far behind.
Rylie sprinted across the street and crouched behind a bush just in time for one of the Union SUVs to pass. She barely breathed until they were gone. Through the haze of exhaust, she smelled silver bullets and gun oil. They definitely weren’t there for a congenial visit.
Another inhale, and she scented Abel.
“Thank God,” she whispered, getting out from behind the bush as the pickup skidded to a stop beside her.
The passenger door opened.
Jessica stepped out. “Do you want to sit in the middle?” she asked brightly, cheerfully oblivious to Rylie’s tension.
Rylie shot a Look of Death at Abel over her shoulder. They communicated silently with their eyes. She said, What the heck are you doing, crazy person? And he replied with something like, Don’t look at me like that, woman, I had no choice in the matter. She’s your mother.
Rylie climbed in. “Really?” she whispered as her mother got in behind her.
He shrugged stiffly.
“What sounds good for lunch?” Jessica asked, scrolling down the screen of her smart phone. “I’m not too familiar with the area… Hmm.” Abel slammed on the gas, peeling around the corner. One of the SUVs appeared behind them. Jessica, absorbed in her phone, didn’t notice. “How does Thai sound?”
“I like Thai,” Rylie said faintly, watching the Union accelerate in the rearview mirror.
Abel sped up, too. He punched the radio on.
“I know somewhere,” he rumbled, surprising Rylie. “It’s out of town. You’ll like it.”
“Out of town? But I just got here,” Jessica said.
Rylie gave him another Look. You aren’t seriously thinking about taking my mother to buy the land in the mountains, are you? That’s a five hour drive!
Abel didn’t return her look. He took two quick lefts, then one-eightied to head onto the freeway and out of town. There was no sign of the Union, but Rylie knew they didn’t dare stop. They wouldn’t be far behind.
Looked like they were
Summer appeared in the doorway behind Abel.
“Rylie? Can I talk to you?” she asked, her voice a little higher pitched than usual. She was stressing about something.
Abel took her backpack. “I’ll meet you outside.”
Summer was grinning like a maniac, her face fixed into a mask. “No, don’t go outside. Why don’t you wait in here with Jessica? We’ll be right back.”
Worst idea ever? Worst idea ever.
Rylie pushed her into the hall without waiting to see what Abel would do.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What are you doing, Summer? Are you crazy?”
“There are three black SUVs outside,” Summer whispered back.
“ Here? Right now?”
“No, in an hour from now. Yes, right now, Rylie. You need to sneak out the back. I’ll have Abel circle the pickup around. We only have the green one now, so it’s going to be a tight fit.”
“But Jessica—”
“Go,” Summer urged.
Rylie slammed through the kitchen and out the back door. The tomatoes really were getting nice and ripe; their fragrance mingled with the wet, earthy odor of soil and herbs. Her mom’s perfume hung over it all. Oh God . What if the Union arrested her mom?
No time to worry about that. She stretched onto her toes to peer over the fence.
Three black SUVs. One more coming around the corner. None of them were marked, but they didn’t need to be. Even mundane humans had come to recognize the Union on patrol these days.
It took zero effort for Rylie to jump over the back fence into the neighbor’s yard. She could have cleared a fence twice its height.
“Whoa!” An old woman stood from the picnic table in the middle of her lawn, chihuahua clutched to her chest. “Are you all right, dear?”
“Sorry!” Rylie whispered.
She didn’t have time to stop. She threw herself over the neighbor’s fence and landed on the opposite sidewalk. A quick scan of the street showed no SUVs—yet. But she heard engines rumbling, and knew they wouldn’t be far behind.
Rylie sprinted across the street and crouched behind a bush just in time for one of the Union SUVs to pass. She barely breathed until they were gone. Through the haze of exhaust, she smelled silver bullets and gun oil. They definitely weren’t there for a congenial visit.
Another inhale, and she scented Abel.
“Thank God,” she whispered, getting out from behind the bush as the pickup skidded to a stop beside her.
The passenger door opened.
Jessica stepped out. “Do you want to sit in the middle?” she asked brightly, cheerfully oblivious to Rylie’s tension.
Rylie shot a Look of Death at Abel over her shoulder. They communicated silently with their eyes. She said, What the heck are you doing, crazy person? And he replied with something like, Don’t look at me like that, woman, I had no choice in the matter. She’s your mother.
Rylie climbed in. “Really?” she whispered as her mother got in behind her.
He shrugged stiffly.
“What sounds good for lunch?” Jessica asked, scrolling down the screen of her smart phone. “I’m not too familiar with the area… Hmm.” Abel slammed on the gas, peeling around the corner. One of the SUVs appeared behind them. Jessica, absorbed in her phone, didn’t notice. “How does Thai sound?”
“I like Thai,” Rylie said faintly, watching the Union accelerate in the rearview mirror.
Abel sped up, too. He punched the radio on.
“I know somewhere,” he rumbled, surprising Rylie. “It’s out of town. You’ll like it.”
“Out of town? But I just got here,” Jessica said.
Rylie gave him another Look. You aren’t seriously thinking about taking my mother to buy the land in the mountains, are you? That’s a five hour drive!
Abel didn’t return her look. He took two quick lefts, then one-eightied to head onto the freeway and out of town. There was no sign of the Union, but Rylie knew they didn’t dare stop. They wouldn’t be far behind.
Looked like they were
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