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“I mean, yes. I would say?—”
“I’m telling you to take these people, Rose included, and do what you can to move them somewhere safer. I’ll take the phone and once it’s back on, lead them away from here.”
“Can’t we just stick it on a truck heading out of here?” Harry pleaded.
“Only if you want the unsuspecting truck driver to end up dead. I’ll lead them away, somewhere no one can get hurt. No one but them.”
Harry knew that every second counted, their enemies were like hydra heads—cut one down, and more would come.
“Come on,” Harry said, taking Rose by the hand and gesturing for everyone to follow. “Gio, we need to get everyone somewhere safer than this. Any ideas?”
“The basement of the bookstore,” Gio said. “It’s small but safe. Can we make it there?”
Harry held up his weapon and gestured for everyone to follow him. “I’ll make sure we get there. Just stay low and quiet. Anyone we pass along the way, any locals, tell them to go inside and stay inside. I’m sure they heard the gunshots and are taking cover. Let’s spread the word to anyone who might be out on the streets.”
Gio nodded and translated the message for everyone else who started moving tentatively behind Harry out the door. They moved down the street toward the bookstore. Gio called out to the few people still milling around and told them to go inside. Take shelter. Their trusted relationship with Gio, or the disheveled look of Harry, had them all complying quickly.
Rose clung to his back with one hand and steadied the bookstore owner with the other. There didn’t seem to be any other threats. There was no way to know if Mick’s plan would work. Would turning the phone back on and heading away from that area be enough to convince them to follow? One of the dead men in the house was Thomas. He was the one holding a grudge against Harry. Maybe with him dead, that would die too.
“Mick,” Rose said quietly. “He shouldn’t be doing this alone. Charlize needs him. She’ll be devastated if something happens to him.”
“I need to make sure everyone here is safe first. Mick knows what he’s doing. I’m sure he has a plan.”
“And your plan?” Rose looked down the stairs of the basement where everyone had filed in. “Just quietly wait down there for them to come for you?”
He grinned. “I said I needed to get everyone to safety. Including you. Then I’ve got to get away from here. It’s me they are looking for. I don’t want a gun battle right here. I’d never forgive myself if...”
“Don’t die again. The first time was hard enough. Don’t put me through it again. Please.” He leaned down and kissed her again.
Harry smiled his promise back to her. “Keep everyone calm in there. United. You know exactly how quickly people can spiral into panic. You were always the best at that when things got really tough in the apartments with all the women and kids. No one kept their shit together better than you.”
“I got it,” Rose said, tipping her chin up.
CHAPTER 20
Harry caught up with Mick just as he was about to climb into an old truck, its engine rumbling. It sounded like it had seen better days. Likely something Mick had just bought for cash from a farmer who had been happy to see it go.
Mick turned, his expression tight with frustration. "You shouldn't have come, Harry," he said. Harry had expected this reaction, but he was already prepared to ignore him.
Harry shook his head, his jaw set. "I'm here to make sure you get back to Charlize. You need to be there for her, especially now," he insisted, the urgency of his words cutting through the tension.
Mick paused, his gaze softening for a moment at hearing Charlize’s name. "And what about you? It seemed like you have plenty to live for at this point too. Rose was willing to give up her safety just to be able to look you in the eye and know you were alive.”
Harry leaned against the truck, the metal cool against his skin. "I know," he acknowledged. "And I’m going to get back to her, just like you’ll get back to Charlize.”
Mick nodded, the weight of his responsibility and his need to return to Charlize evident in his eyes. He glanced down at thephone in his hand, the screen alight with the confirmation that it was back on, a beacon for those hunting for Topeka.
As Mick opened the driver's side door, Harry posed the question that hung between them. "What's your plan, Mick? When those men come looking for Topeka and find us, they’re going to be more than a little pissed.”
Mick flashed a wry, confident grin, the kind that hinted at countless narrow escapes and audacious plans. "Right now, I'm building the plan on the way down." He chuckled. "I've always been good at improvising. It's worked for me... most of the time."
Harry couldn't help but return the smile, albeit with a grim twist. "Just make sure this isn't the time it doesn't," he said, clapping Mick on the shoulder.
Mick gave a firm nod, the humor fading as he settled into the driver's seat. "I'll make it work," he assured Harry, his voice carrying the weight of a promise. "We need to head away from town and Verde Lago. Draw them out. I’ve checked the map. There are some remote options, some hills. We can get to the high ground.”
Mick shifted the truck into gear and pulled away, leaving a trail of dust behind them. As much as Harry would prefer a quiet life with Rose, he knew this had to come first, and if there was shit to be done, Mick was the guy to do it with.
They drove in silence. It would have been near impossible to talk over the sound of the laboring engine anyway. The smell of burning oil and the sound of grinding gears was overstimulating the shit out of Harry’s senses. But they had a ride. An old untraceable heap that was perfect for the job.
