“Everybody, take off your kuttes. I just thought about it. I don’t wanna spook her.”
“You think she’ll freak out as soon as she sees us?” Flash asked.
“I think she’ll figure it out pretty quickly. Rae’s a lot of things, but she’s not totally stupid. She has to know I’m looking for her.”
There were so many people walking around. That surprised me the most. I didn’t think a lot of people still took the bus. I would rather fly. It was cheaper, though, and you didn’t need ID to get on a bus. If she were running, that would work in her favor. She could hide easier that way.
I was glad for the crowds and annoyed with them at the same time. I didn’t want them getting in the way, and I didn’t wanna miss her. But they kept me out of sight, too. She might not be able to recognize me in the middle of all those people. I hoped that was the case.
“Let me know if you see her,” I said.
“Of course we will.” That was Slate.
“Sorry. I’m a little nervous right now.”
“We’ve got your back,” Jax murmured.
“Thanks.” I watched and waited. Every minute that passed felt more like a year. When would she get there? I checked the time. Ten minutes.
“Still nothing,” I muttered, getting pissed. “I swear, if she doesn’t fucking show up…”
“She will,” Flash said. “If she bought a ticket, she’ll show. She wants to get far away.”
“What if he found her, first?” I didn’t need to say who I meant. They knew. What if he had? Up to that point, I hadn’t thought about it. With only ten minutes until the bus left, it looked like a good possibility. Shit.
Just then, Flash cleared his throat. “She’s coming.”
Every sense went into overdrive. I was completely focused. I slid behind a pillar, watching as the door between the ticket area and the waiting area opened. There she was.
“Fuck, she looks like hell,” I muttered. I hadn’t seen her in almost eight years, but it could have been twenty. She looked that much older.
“I almost didn’t recognize her,” Flash admitted.
“Yeah, I’m not sure I would have. Good looking out.” I stared at her. It was hard to believe I ever thought she was cute. I did, though, and she was. Before the needle fucked everything up.
“Come out here, Flash. Slowly. I want you guarding that door.” I stayed where I was, watching as Rae looked for the bus. She was jumpy, fidgety. Looking around like she was afraid. “Stay back, though,” I added. “She’s jumpy as hell. She’s looking for somebody.”
“Probably afraid he followed her,” Flash muttered. I saw him come out, maybe twenty feet behind Rae. He stood off to the side, where a bus blocked some of him. She wouldn’t notice him if she ran by.
“Yeah, she’s on alert. I have to be cool about this.” Her clothes were clean looking, at least, but old. Faded. Like they had been washed a hundred, two hundred times. Holes in her jeans. Her hair was dirty, tangled. Circles under her eyes. She looked sick. I wondered when she shot up last.
“Okay. I’m going after her. Cover me, guys.” I stepped out from behind the pillar and walked toward the bus. She was standing in front of it with a backpack over her shoulders. It was almost as big as she was.
“Rae?” I was ten, maybe fifteen feet away from her.
She turned, eyes wide.
Chapter Eighteen
Jamie
“Where did Lance and everybody else go?”
The girls and I exchanged a look. The kid didn’t miss anything, that was for sure.
The four of us were in the kitchen, washing dishes. We did our best to keep Gigi occupied and happy, but it wasn’t enough. She was the sharpest kid I ever knew, definitely my smartest student in all the years I’d been teaching.
“They had to go take care of some things. You know how you asked me earlier whether they have jobs? This is something for their job.” Erica shrugged behind Gigi’s back, and I nodded. It was as good an excuse as any.
“What, though? What do they do?”
“Why do you ask, sweetie?” I watched her closely.
“I don’t know. You’re sad. I can tell.”
“I’m not sad,” I assured her.
“You have a sad face.”
“I’ll fix my face, then.” I grinned. She smiled, but she didn’t look any happier than I was.
“Your dad’s a pretty neat guy,” Traci said.
Gigi perked up. “Is he?”