“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“We’re okay. Who are they?” Jeff asked, angry and terrified.
“Listen, we have to get out of here. We don’t have much time.”
“You just killed them,” Mom said softly.
“They were going to kill us.”
“We need to call the police,” Jeff cut in.
“No police. If we call the cops, I’m going to prison and you’re all going to die.”
They gaped at me, clearly at a loss, as I ripped the tape from their wrists.
“What did you do?” Jeff asked.
“Cam, we need to leave,” Trip said, looking out a window. “Curious neighbors are gathering.”
“Mom, Jeff, I lied about what happened in Mexico,” I said, helping them up. “I got caught stealing and running scams, that part’s true, but I was caught by a drug cartel.”
More lies. Lies on top of lies.
“A drug cartel? Why?” Mom asked.
“They recruited me. They wanted me to work for them.”
“They’re Mexican drug dealers?” Jeff asked.
“Me and this guy,” I said, nodding at Trip, “were both members of the cartel. But something happened and now we’re wanted men.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Somebody tipped me off that the cartel planned on killing the two of us, and so we ran.”
I hated lying. But what else could I do? I wasn’t allowed to tell them the truth, and the off chance that my handlers could help one day was worth keeping their secrets.
“This is insane,” Mom whispered, her eyes wide.
“I know. I’m so sorry I brought this down on you.”
“We need the police,” Jeff said again.
“Jeff, forget the fucking police. We need to run, and we need to run now.”
“What about Lacey?”
“We’ll get her on the way.”
“Where are we going?”
“Alaska. We know some people there that can keep us safe for a while, at least until I can get in touch with my handlers and get this shit figured out.”
“We can’t leave here,” Mom said. “This is our home. This is insane.”
Trip walked over. “I’m sorry, folks. But what he’s saying is the gospel truth. We need to go right this second. There are two people out there on phones, and I’m guessing they’re calling the cops.”
I looked at my mom, pleading. “You have to believe me, Mom. I would never have done any of this if I had any other choice. You have to trust me.”
She stared at me quietly for a second, took a deep breath, and seemed to gather herself.
“Okay. I’ll go.”
“What?” Jeff said. “No, Lynn. We’re waiting for the police.”
I looked at Jeff. “My mom is coming. You can stay and get murdered if you want, but I’m also getting Lacey and getting the fuck out of here.”
He clenched his jaw. “I always knew you were a low-life piece of shit.”
“Yeah, maybe. But right now I’m your only ticket to a continued life.”
He didn’t respond, and so I nodded at Trip. I walked over to Juan’s body and grabbed the phone from his hands, careful not to step in blood, and then led my mom out the back door. I snapped the phone and tossed it away. We crossed through the back fence, cut through the neighbor’s yard, and were out on the opposite street.
Trip followed with Jeff, both moving right behind us. My mind was swirling with possibilities.
“Do you have cellphones?” I asked Mom.
“Yes.” She looked at Jeff and he shook his head.
“Smash it.”
“Smash my phone?”
“They can potentially track us.”
She pulled it out of her pocket and held it out to me. I ripped out the battery and threw it away.
“We need a car,” I said to Trip.
“Around here.”
I followed him down the street, made a right, and saw the black car up ahead.
“Good thinking.”
“Always be prepared,” he said, grinning.
He unlocked the doors and I helped my mom climb in. She was white as a ghost, probably still in shock, but she wasn’t hyperventilating or screaming. Actually, she seemed like she had her shit together, or at least as much as was reasonable.
Jeff, however, looked angry. I knew he was going to be a problem, and sooner rather than later. But I couldn’t deal with him, not yet. Trip climbed into the passenger’s seat and I got into the driver’s side.
“We need to get my stepsister,” I said.
Trip nodded. I started the car and pulled out.
It was silent for the first part of the trip. I could sense the terror rising in the back seat. I wanted to yell at Trip, scream at him, beat his face until it was a bloody pulp. I wanted him to spit blood and teeth into my hands.