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That’s what I got for underestimating a cop’s daughter.
“I’ve got your face on video,” she yelled.
Maybe that was true, but she was no match for my speed. And it didn’t matter if she had me on video, as long as no one caught me. I lengthened my stride, the cramp finally working its way out of my calf, and easily began to put space between us. It wasn’t until I’d reached the end of the block did I look back to find her no longer following me.
Cassidy had stopped in the middle of the road. She was reaching down and tugging at her foot. I squinted in the pale streetlight to see what was going on and realized she must’ve broken her sandal. She pulled it off her foot, held it up to her face, and used the flashlight on her phone to illuminate it.
So much for the chase. I dropped my backpack to the ground and leaned against the brick wall of the office building, grinning like a fool at her frustration. Apparently, sandals weren’t the best footwear for hunting down criminals. She needed a pair of cowboy boots like the ones on my feet. Good for mucking out stalls, riding western saddles, and running away from the law. Still, I couldn’t let myself get too caught up in all of this. If I hurried, I could hitch a ride and be in KC within the next couple hours.
For once, it was my lucky star shining up above.
But that satisfaction quickly drained away when I spotted a small car headed in our direction. The headlights had been dimmed down to fog lights and it was weaving back and forth, unsteady like a ship in a storm. Cassidy was still fidgeting with her sandal, totally oblivious to the incoming threat. I stood up a little straighter, waiting for the car to slow down. It didn’t. Instead, it started edging into the opposite lane of traffic and directly toward Cassidy.
“Look out,” I shouted, cupping my mouth.
Cassidy’s head snapped up and she glared accusingly at me. “Don’t look so smug. They’ll still catch you.”
I shook my head, my heart starting to thunder loudly. The car was getting closer and it didn’t seem like it was going to stop. Fifty feet. Forty. Thirty.
All I gave myself was one brief moment of hesitation. One tiny second where I imagined not giving a crap about anyone but myself. And then...it was over and I was sprinting back toward Cassidy, every muscle in my body screaming out in protest.
Her eyes grew wide and fearful as she watched me come up fast on her, like she thought I was going to attack. I wrapped my arms around her, crushing her against my chest as we flew toward the opposite side of the street. Someone inside the car must’ve finally woken up, because they laid on their horn, a terrible shrieking noise that cut right through the fear and made my teeth grind. Cassidy squealed in my arms, surprise causing her to stiffen.
My boot caught a rut in the road and we both went down. Hard. I turned my body the best I could to shield her from the impact, causing us to roll several feet before we stopped with her lying on top of me. Somewhere between the tackle and the fall, I’d rapped my head hard against something. I blinked rapidly, my skull smarting and my lungs screaming out in pain as I tried and failed to gasp for air. The sound of tire squeals down the block was the only sign that the car had made their quick getaway.
“Are-are you okay?” Cassidy asked, pushing up enough to stare down at me.
My lungs still weren’t working. It was as if I’d taken a direct punch to the diaphragm. I gasped for breath and pressed my hands to my gut. Concern was growing in Cassidy’s eyes. Little strands of straw-yellow hair fell down into her face, a smear of dirt marring her left cheek. Still, despite the utter lack of oxygen, my body didn’t fail to register the fact that Cassidy’s warm body was pressed up entirely against mine.
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
“What’s going on here?” a deep voice called. It was followed by the scuffle of footsteps coming closer.
Cassidy scrambled to get off of me. She wrapped her arms around her torso and nodded down in the direction of where the car had disappeared. “Trip! Thank goodness you’re here. Someone nearly ran us over.”
Finally, I managed to drag in a breath of sweet, sweet air. Gasping, I pushed myself up into a sitting position and stared in alarm at the man standing in a dark blue uniform before me. He had a black utility belt around his waist, complete with a taser on one side and a gun on the other. Dread filled my gut. It was a cop.
So muc
h for my luck.
“Did you catch a look at the vehicle make and plate?” the cop asked, his head swiveling to catch a sign of the car, but it had long disappeared.
“It was dark...and compact?” Cassidy chewed on her thumbnail uncertainly. “I think the headlights were out. I honestly didn’t even see them coming until they were right on me.”
“They were driving with their fog lights on,” I said, my voice coming out gruffer than I’d meant it. Both of them looked down at me as I sat on the pavement. I rubbed a hand over my elbow, checking for scrapes and bruises from that epic fall. “And if you ask me, it looked like a Honda.”
The cop didn’t look totally convinced as he arched his brow and then pulled his little notebook out of his chest pocket. Scribbling something down on the pad, he put it back and then slowly looked me over.
“You one of them Oakie boys?” he asked.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course, he knew I was an Oakie. Most everyone else in this town had grown up here, so the kids at Sweet Oak stuck out like a sore thumb. Did he even have to ask?
“Yes, sir.” I pressed my lips into a thin frown, daring him to make a big deal out of it.
“Right.” His eyes flashed, as if he knew what I was thinking. “Well, since it seems to have disappeared, we’ll just have to keep our eye out for the Honda tonight. In the meantime, Charlie sent me out here to look at some vandalism. Did you call that in, Cass?”
“Oh, yeah.” The slight shock Cassidy had been wearing since the incident faded away. She turned to glare at the park, which wasn’t far behind us. “Someone tagged the gazebo with red spray paint. I called it in to Dad. It looked fresh to me. I waited around the corner to see if anyone was around and then he popped up out of the rose bushes.” She turned to point at me.
