Rules of Survival(15)

“It means he’s not picking up the phone?” Shaun slammed the receiver down. We’d been lucky to find a pay phone outside a small rural post office. The parking lot seemed to be the liveliest place in town. Things had been tense since we left the apartment building. He hadn’t cracked a smile or made a snide comment about my obvious, undeniable lust for him.

I rolled my eyes. “I mean, is that normal? Do you think he’s in trouble?”

His eyebrows rose slightly. “Trouble? Why would he be in trouble?”

I sighed. Like talking to a brick wall. “Never mind.”

Shaun still didn’t buy that he and Patrick were being outsourced by the bad guys, and I wasn’t sure what else I could say to convince him at this point. The guy needed cold, hard proof. But other than a bullet to the brain—which we’d almost gotten—I wasn’t sure what else would do it.

I had about twelve dollars in my back pocket—the bulk of my cash was sitting in my backpack at the hotel—and Shaun had a twenty. Even if we could keep the shackles hidden with the hoodie we’d “borrowed,” we didn’t have enough money for public transportation—and food. “Where are we, anyway?”

He hesitated.

“Oh, please. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re handcuffed together. It’s not like I can go anywhere without you!”

“Connecticut. Just outside of Danbury.”

“We’re not going to make it far on thirty-two dollars. But the good news is I know where we can score some more cash.”

Shaun narrowed his eyes. “I’ve got friends not far from here. We’ll get to them and lie low until I can get a hold of Patrick. Then we can figure out what to do.”

“No way,” I said, folding my arms. An elderly woman with an armful of mail eyed us suspiciously as she exited the post office. It was bad enough I was technically Shaun’s prisoner, but meet his friends? This was where I drew the line.

He folded his arms and the chain pulled taut, jarring my arm. “I’m not giving you a choice.”

“I don’t know who I can trust. Patrick drags me to a hotel and then leaves just in time for those guys to show? Pretty suspicious if you ask me.”

Shaun’s eyes widened, and for a minute, he was speechless. It was a nice minute. When his mouth wasn’t messing things up, he was serious eye candy. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. “You think he… He didn’t plan that. Those guys could have killed me.”

“So? Patrick is a bounty hunter. You guys are one for one and none for all. If you think your life means anything to him, you’re a bigger idiot than he is—and that’s saying something.”

“You couldn’t be further from the truth,” he snapped. “Pat is like a father to me. He’d never knowingly put me in a situation where I might get hurt.”

“No,” I repeated, and took a step to the left, pulling hard on the cuffs. The chain snapped and rattled and Shaun followed with an involuntary jerk. If he wanted to live in his little deluded fantasy world, that was fine, but I wasn’t interested in visiting. “We’re on our own.”

He stared down in shock at the chain connecting us, then yanked hard on his end. I stumbled to the right and managed to catch myself just before plowing into him. “Do you recall the part about me not giving you a choice? I’ll drag you if I have to.”

I pulled hard on the cuffs again, but he was ready for it. Fine. I couldn’t win in a brawn verses brawn fight—but brains against brawn? I had him beat. Slipping into my sweetest smile, I said, “Go ahead. I’m sure dragging me down the road, kicking and screaming, won’t attract too much attention. And I’m sure, ya know, since I’m wanted for murder and all, that the cops would be more than happy to take me off your hands.”

Our gazes locked, and for the longest moment, neither of us flinched. He was good. I was better.

“Fine,” he snarled after another minute passed. “Then what do you propose?”

“I told you, I know where we can score some fast cash. It’s not too far from here. We grab it, find an out-of-the-way dive, and wait this out. Once we’re tucked away, you can call Patrick.”

“I’m not going to be an accessory to robbery if that’s what you have in mind.”

I snorted. “Yeah. Because hunters have such high moral codes of conduct, right?”

“Just tell me where we’re heading,” he growled.

“The bank. Where else would someone keep their money?”

…

Shaun adjusted the hoodie over the chain, then absently moved the corner of his jacket so that it covered more of my shoulder. “I’m really surprised.”

We were a block away from Mayburn National Bank. At least, I hoped we were. I hadn’t been here since I was five. Maybe six. Years weren’t something we Morgan girls really kept track of. When you never put down roots, the days kind of blended together. After an hour of wandering around, lost, we’d stopped to ask directions. Mayburn was a small town, about twenty miles outside Danbury. Everyone seemed insanely friendly. The man at the gas station even offered to show us personally.

“Yeah? Why’s that?” I asked, watching a woman lift her small child onto her shoulders in front of the café. A pang of jealousy hit hard. They all looked so happy. So content. This was the kind of place I’d settle in if I were free. A small town, the kind where everyone knew one another and yard sales were a community event.