He pinkened and looked up guiltily at the security monitor.
“Please?” I stared at him helplessly. “You’d totally be my hero, and I sure could use one tonight.”
“Okay, sure . . . just this once.” He quickly led me to a glass partition dividing the store from the pharmacy and unlocked the door with a key hanging around his belt loop.
I gave him my number, and he proceeded to botch it a couple of times before punching in the right number. He seemed so pleased with his effort, that I gave him a reward smile. It was ringing. I swallowed nervously. This was it, the moment of truth or untruth, as it were. My heart was hammering, and my palms were sweaty. Even if I could pull off the story, I knew I’dstill be in a lot of trouble.
The intervals of buzzing stopped, and the machine clicked on. Was it possible Daddy had fallen asleep and wasn’t even aware I was still out? Maybe, I thought bolstered by the idea. I was certainly due for the pendulum to swing back the other way—for something to go right for me tonight.
After the beep, I relayed my rehearsed message, explaining my situation just in case he was out looking for me and came back to check if I called. I sincerely hoped that was not the case. I actually shuttered at the thought of how mad that would make him.
Mr. Helpful was watching how my little drama would play out. “No answer, huh?”
I shook my head and faced the other way only to find Pete watching me. He gave me a wave and pointed to the exit. He still looked like an absurdly hot star trying to go incognito. I don’t know what I thought: he’d suddenly sprout horns and a tail? I watched him glide out the door, handed over the receiver with a dismissive “thanks” and turned to leave.
“I could give you a ride home, if you could wait an hour,” he offered desperately.
I smiled thinly at him. “As tempting an offer as that is . . .” I didn’t finish my sentence, a plan hatching in my mind. Pete didn’t know my father didn’t pick up. For all he knew, I was still in a heated debate and would be for the next few minutes. There was a door next to me marked For Employees Only that led outside. If I could get employee-of-the-month to break one rule, maybe I could get him to break one more?
Thirty seconds of bad flirting was rewarded, and I slipped through the side door. Stepping into the dark shadows, I instantly felt like a secret spy and suppressed a nervous giggle. What am I doing? I must have a death wish tonight, because if I was caught sneaking up on those two, they would probably kill me. Or worse—torture me by leaving me in the parking lot to walk home. (I resolved to buy some new sneakers, even if I had to starve to do it.) But I badly needed some answers, and my gut was telling me I was heading in the right direction to get them.
Things weren’t adding up. Or maybe I was adding all wrong. So far I had the sum of two handsome strangers, hanging around a small town, to chase one lone girl, in the middle of the night. Then I added in the fact that they belonged to that Elite Academy that was after my brother. There was an unknown quotient here—an X-factor—that revolved around us Connelly kids. I knew this in a way that I couldn’t articulate. Right now it was a mindboggling equation, but one I was determined to solve. I also suspected the two suspects were busy talking things over right now. So I crouched into my fly-on-the-wall position and started crawling along with that icky feeling creeping up my spine.
Bad things happen when secrets are kept from me.
At the edge of where brick wall and parking lot meet, I poked my head around the corner. Bingo. They were both sitting in their ridiculous ride, looking like they were in the midst of an argument—again. Pete bit back something he was going to say to peer into the front of the store, obviously waiting for my reemergence. Ranger continued talking heatedly at him, his bicep flexing as he pointed. A cold sweat broke out at the thought of getting busted. These were not ones to cross . . . especially Ranger; he really had it in for me.
My stomach lurched as an opportunity presented itself to me—a mini van pulled in two spaces away. It was now or never. When their attention diverted to the couple walking in, I ducked and scooted around to the back of the minivan. Pausing there to regulate my erratic heartbeat, I drew in a deep breath and ended up choking on the exhaust still leaking from the muffler.
Crap! I muffled a cough, trying not to breathe while peeking around the back fender. Double crap! Ranger just glanced in his rearview mirror. I whipped my head back around. A heart-pounding beat later, I dared another peek. It looked like the non-natives were getting restless. Ranger was tapping impatiently on the steering wheel with his thumbs, and Pete was leaning out the open window to get a better view.
Pete’s window was down! This was my chance. Quickly crossing myself, I leaped from the relative safety of my current position and landed in a puddle of murky car waste behind them, praying their fancy motion detector wouldn’t beep. I didn’t come this far to get busted now! The low rumbles of male voices could be heard, but I couldn’t quite make out their words.
Muscles tightening with apprehension, I slipped around the humongous back right tire, flattening myself against the pebbly asphalt. A whimper almost escaped me as I scraped my already-scraped knee in the process. (I’d lost count of all the scratches, bumps, and bruises I’d accumulated tonight.)
The murmurs began to translate into actual words I could make out here and there. I belly-snaked closer. It was Pete talking.
“I still don’t think she knows anything,” he insisted.
Uh . . . wrong-o!
“That’s because you’re still naïve, rookie.”
I couldn’t quite make out Pete’s reply.
“Then why did she take off like she was running for her life?” Ranger burst out.
“Because she’s smarter than the average civilian.” Pete’s words swelled my chest. After a disagreeing snort from Ranger, he continued, “Plus, if a scary monster like you was chasing me, I’d run for my life, too.”
Ha! Funny.
“Not funny, dude.” Ranger began fiddling with the stereo until he landed on a country station. “You’re blind when it comes to that bimbo.”
Pete didn’t bother arguing on my behalf, and a dart of disappointment jabbed me, leaking out my earlier smug satisfaction. What did I expect? Birds of a feather . . .
A twangy sad song began playing. Ranger impatiently punched it off. “What the hell is taking her so long?”
“She’s probably just waiting in line,” Pete said serenely. But then he stuck his head out the window, craning to see inside.
I sucked in my breath.
“I hope she’s adding some Ms. Clairol to her basket,” Ranger sneered.
Ms. Clairol? What did he mean by—? I fingered my hair. Oh. What an ass! My face burned with indignation.
Pete returned his head to its original lookout post. “I don’t see her.”
Ranger guffawed. “She can’t be that hard to track down . . . just follow the trail of hillbilly eyes!”
I noted that Pete didn’t bother responding again. Another moment ticked by in silence, broken by the hum and scrape of a car exiting the parking lot. My ears strained from their eavesdropping effort.
“I’d better go check.” Pete sounded resolved all of a sudden.
Shoot! What should I . . . ?
I was still rolling under the tractor-sized truck when I heard the bing! bing! bing! of the door opening. Navy sneakers stepped out followed by the dull thwunk of the door closing shut. Whew! That was close.