AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re a big kid, right?”
“Yes.” She rubs her eyes and glances at her mother and back.
“Good. I need you to be a big kid. And a brave one.”
Now her lids fly all the way open and I can tell she’s scared. “Why?”
“Get on.” I turn my back to her.
Quickly, and with more trust than I’ve ever had, she climbs on me. Her small arms cling to my neck as her legs wrap around my waist.
“Got it,” Andie says. There’s a pop as the bars open and she releases the emergency ladder at the same time that the front door explodes.
Lola screams and her hold on me tightens.
“Go!” I hiss at Andie. She complies, but her movements are clumsy and shaky.
I’m no better as I throw my leg out the window and begin to descend the ladder. Andie reaches the ground and I’m halfway down when a shot rings from above.
“There escaping!” a man yells. “First floor, now!”
Without a second thought, I drop the rest of the way, landing hard on my foot. Pain lances up my leg, but I don’t pause. I grab Lola, bringing her forward as shove her mother toward the building.
“Don’t stop. Go. Go!” I push her to run harder, faster, moving between cars.
We don’t stop. Don’t wait for the men to leave her apartment and catch up.
It’s not until we reach the darkened loading area of a closed restaurant, that we pause to catch our breaths. Lola is crying softly into my neck, her body shaking uncontrollably.
“You’re okay, baby.” Andie tries to take her from me, but Lola is latched on.
Only then do I realize that my hold on her is just as tight. “I got her.”
Andie nods and takes a breath. She looks around. “We didn’t get far enough.”
“Agreed.” I try to take a step, but the shooting pain has me crying out, “Fuck!” and Lola is so scared she doesn’t even call me out on it.
“What’s the matter?” Andie asks, scanning me for injuries.
“I think I sprained my ankle.” Or broke it.
“Crap.”
“I can’t go any farther.” Now I do try to disengage Lola from me. “You guys go. It’s me they want.”
“No. We’ll find another way. Hang on.” Keeping close to the wall and in a low crouch, Andie moves to the edge of the building. She peeks around for a moment before returning to us. “There’s a Honda. Must belong to one of the employees.”
“You’re going to steal it,” I state.
She tugs her hair back and ties it in a knot. “Are you going to condemn me for it?”
“No.” I shake my head vehemently. “I’m for it.”
“Okay. God, I hate doing this.” She shoves her long sleeves up her arms. “Promise me that if we get out alive, you’ll make it up to whoever we’re taking this from.”
“Me? What about you?”
“I don’t have money,” she says.
