“That’s the last one here,” Vince said, stepping back from the Maxwell. “Peter, you help Jacko put the seat back in place. Then you two help out Fritzy and Bugs. We gotta get going.”
Minnie slipped into the woods before Fritzy and Bugs got to the Pierce-Arrow. Since they were going to load that case on the side closest to her, she skirted around to the scraggly pine and hoped the man with the flashlight wouldn’t shine it in her direction.
Next she had to get into the car Peter was going to drive. To her dismay Jacko slammed shut the rear door of the Maxwell that faced the woods. To get in, she’d have to open it, which would alert everyone to her presence. Peter, meanwhile, had grabbed his pillowcase to put it in the back.
Jacko grabbed Peter’s arm. “Forget it. We got more important stuff ta do.”
Thankfully, neither man closed the other rear door. But to get to it, Minnie would have to cross the clearing in full view. Even though the moon had sunk a little lower in the sky, it still lit the open area. There was no way she could get into the car without being seen.
The three thugs and Peter hauled the last two crates to the Pierce-Arrow while Vince supervised. If everyone’s attention stayed focused on the Pierce-Arrow, she could chance making a run for the Maxwell, but Vince kept sweeping his flashlight around the clearing. She couldn’t risk it.
As the men replaced the seat cushion, hope slipped away. In seconds, they’d all get into the cars. Peter would drive away, but the men in the Pierce-Arrow wouldn’t. They would still be there, and they’d be mad. Hopefully, they’d blame it on the starting problem they’d mentioned, but Vince might think she had something to do with it. If so, she’d be in deep trouble.
She glanced at the Maxwell with its open door. She had to get into that car. Somehow. If only she could distract the men. She shifted to ease her stiff knees and knelt on something hard and round.
Ouch! Her first instinct was to cry out, but then she realized what that small round object was. Acorns. They would do the job nicely. She ran her hands over the ground and scooped up two handfuls. If she moved a little to her right, she would have a clear shot at the Pierce-Arrow. All five men stood together in a huddle near the henhouse as they got their marching orders from Vince. All the flashlights had been extinguished. No one would notice her.
She slipped into the open and threw the acorns with all her might.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The rattle of nuts against metal sounded like gunshots.
Every man whipped around toward the Pierce-Arrow. The thugs drew their guns.
Minnie darted across the clearing behind them and scrambled into the backseat of the Maxwell. The toolbox sat on the floorboards behind the driver’s seat, but she had enough room to squeeze between it and the backseat. Then she curled into a ball, Peter’s coat covering all but her head and feet. Soon enough she’d know if they’d heard her. Through the open car door she could see the men looking around the Pierce-Arrow. Flashlights bobbed around and scanned the clearing and woods.
“Nothin’,” one of the thugs said.
“Those nuts didn’t come from nowhere,” Vince growled.
Peter pointed up. “We’re under an oak tree.”
Yes! What a wonderful guy to think of such an explanation. Minnie held her breath and hoped the men didn’t realize all the acorns would have fallen by now.
“Must be it,” Vince said. “Let’s get outta here. Jacko, you and the boys take that car. Me and the kid’ll take the Maxwell. We’ll head out first. You follow.”
Minnie’s heart sank. She’d planned to tell Peter she was in the car once he drove away from the clearing. Now he’d have Vince with him, and from what she’d heard, he wasn’t about to let Peter walk away.
The men broke up, with Peter and Vince heading straight for her. Oh, no! Peter’s pillowcase of clothing sat just outside the open doorway. If Peter put it in the backseat, she’d be all right, but if Vince did, they were sunk.
Chapter Twenty-One
Peter desperately scanned for headlamps. If Fallston had gotten the news that the drop-off location had changed, he should have been here by now. Peter had been listening for a car motor or the crunching of tires on gravel the entire time they loaded the cases of liquor, but he’d heard nothing. This place was plumb deserted. Not one lawman would find them.
He was on his own.
The obstacles kept mounting. Minnie was back in the woods, bleeding to death from a blow to the head or freezing in the icy night air. Not only wasn’t he alone in the Maxwell, but Vince had also gotten more and more tense by the minute. With the faster Pierce-Arrow following and three armed thugs inside, he’d have no chance of escape.
Please help me, Lord. Keep Minnie safe. Bring someone to help her.
He had no choice but to trust her to God.
As he picked up the pillowcase and slung it into the backseat, he eyed Vince. The stocky man was shorter than him but solid. He’d boxed back in New York. Won a lot of bouts, too. Peter could never take him down. Moreover, Vince kept his hand close to his holster. He could draw the weapon in a split second. Presumably, he’d fire just as fast.
Nope, Peter couldn’t do this on his own. He had to rely on God giving him an opening and play along in the meantime.
He rounded the car and opened the driver’s door. “Thanks for lettin’ me drive.”
Vince got in the passenger’s side. “Sure thing, kid. I’ll get a good idea of your skills.”
As Peter got in, the hair prickled on the back of his neck. Instinct told him something was wrong. He’d seen newspaper stories out of Chicago about guys found dead in a cornfield with a bullet in the head and no idea how they’d gotten there. He’d figured the poor souls had taken a ride—willingly or unwillingly.
Peter started the engine and put the car in gear. At least with him driving, Vince wouldn’t put a bullet in his head. He hoped that’d hold once they stopped. Or if the federal agents showed up. He gripped the wheel.
“Nervous, kid?”
Peter let out his breath. “A little.”
Vince laughed, but it wasn’t friendly. “Drive like normal. If ya see someone tailin’ us, let me know.”
“You mean, other than the Pierce-Arrow?”
Vince guffawed, and Peter hoped the joke eased the man’s wariness. He also noticed there weren’t any headlamps behind him, but then maybe the thugs had decided to go without. Peter almost asked if he should douse the headlamps, too, but since Vince said to drive like normal and didn’t say anything about them, he decided not to say anything. Besides, he wanted Fallston to spot him, if the agent was waiting on the main road.
With a final scrape and bump, he pulled to a stop at the end of the overgrown road. “Which way?”
“Left.”
So they were headed away from the route Peter had taken to get there. If Fallston was waiting for him, he’d better be close to this intersection or he’d never find them. As Peter turned onto the road, he scanned for any sign of an automobile parked alongside the road. To his dismay, he saw nothing.
He was truly alone.
Please, Lord. Show me what to do.
At least Vince didn’t say anything. He must not have noticed the lack of headlamps.
Peter glanced at his friend and saw the man scowling. Was he thinking at all about what Peter had said earlier, that he’d changed since leaving New York? Maybe that was the way to get to him.
“You sure used to be able to do wonders with wood. Do you still make things?”
Vince’s jaw tensed. “Too busy.”
“It was fun, wasn’t it?”
Vince paused long enough that Peter knew he’d gotten to him.
Peter pushed harder. “Remember that little car you made for Luke?”
“Yeah,” Vince grunted.
>
“He loved that. Wore the wheels off. Did you know that Pastor Gabe took him in and he’s talking and everything now?”
“Pastor Gabe?”
“Yeah, Gabriel Meeks. You remember him. The whole family volunteered at the orphanage. He’s a pastor now. At my church in Pearlman.”
“Do-gooders.” Vince snorted. “Society folks like them like ta throw themselves around places like the orphanage for publicity.”
“Not Pastor Gabe or Mariah. They’re like family to me. Mariah opened an orphanage in Pearlman. That’s where I live.” Peter was no longer ashamed to admit that.
“In an orphanage? Then nothing’s changed.”
“Yeah, it has. Now I help kids the way you used to help me. I want to make enough to set up a wood shop so I can teach the older boys to work with their hands so they can get a good job after they finish school.”
Vince must have sensed his passion, because he didn’t make a snide remark this time. “You think I’m some kinda hero, kid?”
“I used to.” Peter heard Vince snap back in the seat. “Then I learned that we all make mistakes.”
“You think what I’m doing is a mistake? Is that it? Let me set you straight, Stringbean. This operation’s gonna get me places. Back in New York, I was a nobody. I’m important now. I got nice things for the first time in my life. Fancy clothes. Expensive watch. Nice place ta live. I even got a gorgeous dame. People respect me when I walk into a club.”
“I respected you back at the orphanage.”
Vince snorted. “What good is that? A bunch of lousy orphans and street urchins? Ain’t one newspaperman in the country that’ll write about an outta-work carpenter helpin’ out orphan kids. They’ll write about Vincent Galbini now, kid. You’ll see my name splashed across the headlines.”
Peter hoped it wouldn’t be because Vince was dead. “Maybe life’s not about getting noticed.”
Vince snorted derisively.
Peter pressed on. “Maybe it’s about doing the right thing. Helping people. Loving them and honoring God.”
“You been spendin’ too much time with them do-gooders. They’re twistin’ your head around, kid. Stick with me, and you’ll see the way the world really works. I’ll take ya places and show ya things ya never dreamed of. I’ve always had a soft spot for ya, kid. Together we’ll make one unbeatable team.”
Peter shivered. He knew without a doubt that this was not what he wanted, but he had to play along in order to find a way back to Minnie. “Is that why you came to me? You could have any carpenter make these compartments. You could have made them yourself. Why go to all the trouble of searching for me?”
Vince clapped his shoulder. “Because you’re like a son to me.”
Peter suppressed a shudder.
“You know who got me into the operation?” Vince asked.
“Mr. Capone?”
“Naw. He’d already left for Chicago by that time. The guy who got me into this is a little more personal to ya.”
The hairs rose on the back of Peter’s neck again, as if a gunman was seated directly behind him, ready to shoot. “Who?”
“Yer uncle Max. In fact, you two’ll get reacquainted when we reach our destination.”
Peter’s grip could have snapped the steering wheel in two. Uncle Max was ruthless. He spared no one, not even kin. Peter had worked so hard to get away from him. He’d run away after Aunt Ursula died and lived on the streets in a different part of the city. He’d changed his last name and refused to give his real name to the orphanage. He’d changed his age. He’d asked to go with the other orphans on that train and would’ve gone to anyone who’d take him, even that mean Mr. Coughlin who’d squeezed his biceps to see if he was strong enough. When he’d ended up with Mrs. Simmons, it had been an answer to prayer. Surely God had saved him.
Now Uncle Max had found him. Not only that, but he also knew where Peter lived and who his new family was. He’d enlisted Vince to find him. After all Peter had done to escape, Uncle Max was reeling him back in. Peter couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. How was he going to get out of this? Could he? He sure didn’t want Uncle Max to go to Pearlman. He would destroy decent folk like the Simmons family and the Foxes.
Minnie! His heart stopped. What if Uncle Max found Minnie?
No, no, no! Peter would risk his life before he let his uncle near her.
“What’s the matter, kid?” Vince laughed cruelly. “Nerves got ya?”
“N-no, sir.” Peter snapped back to attention and whipped the wheel to the left. He was shaking so badly that he’d nearly driven off the road.
* * *
Minnie could hear fear in Peter’s shaking voice. Something was really wrong. He’d been jumpy at first but seemed to calm down once he and Mr. Galbini started talking about old times. The two seemed like opposites. She had a hard time imagining Vince as a carpenter. She’d always thought of carpenters as quiet men, strong and solid. Vince was more interested in how he looked and who noticed him. What had she ever seen in him?
Peter, on the other hand, impressed her with his strong, quiet faith. He’d defended Pastor Gabe and Mariah. He’d shared his faith under the most dangerous circumstances.
Then Vince mentioned an Uncle Max, and Peter’s steely nerves frayed. Minnie vaguely recalled him mentioning that his aunt had a no-good brother. Peter clearly feared the man.
“It’ll be a grand reunion,” Vince was saying with that nasty laugh of his that she’d come to despise. “He’s been lookin’ forward ta seein’ his nephew again.”
Peter didn’t answer for a while. “All right.” His voice still wavered. He cleared his throat. “I’ll join up with you, if you promise never to set foot in Pearlman again. Not you or Uncle Max or anyone in your operation.”
What? Minnie clapped a hand over her mouth before the exclamation snuck out. What was Peter doing? He’d kissed her before Vince led her away. She’d seen love in his eyes. Then why ask Vince never to go to Pearlman? If Peter joined him, he wouldn’t return home, either.
“Sure, kid. You got my word.”
“And Minnie has to get home safely.”
He was abandoning her. She could have wept.
“Do you promise?” Peter demanded. “I won’t do a thing until you promise that Minnie will get home safely.”
Her throat swelled as the truth hit her. He wasn’t abandoning her. He was giving up his freedom and possibly his life to save her. All along he’d acted unselfishly. She was the one who’d thought only of herself, of her wants and desires. How foolish she’d been!
Vince snorted. “I’ll personally bring her back.”
Minnie shivered at the thought of him touching her again.
“No.” Peter was firm now. “I do it or no deal.”
“You expect me to let you go back to Pearlman alone with your gal? What kinda idiot do you think I am?”
“One with a heart. I don’t think the old Vince is dead. I think he’s still inside you. It’s just that Uncle Max has twisted things around until you forgot who you are.”
“Shut up,” Vince growled in a low voice.
Minnie heard the threatening edge to his words, but Peter didn’t seem to notice it. If anything, he got bolder.
“You’re a child of God. He loves you and wants you to come back to Him—just like the prodigal son.”
“Shut up, kid! I ain’t no prodigal son.”
“We all are. I made my share of mistakes, too. Thought I was too far gone to ever get back in God’s good graces. Then a lot of good folks showed me how God forgives all the bad things we’ve done, washes us clean.”
This time Vince didn’t say anything, but Minnie could see his posture stiffen. He was either struggling over whether to take this to heart or coiling up like a snake waiting to strike.
Peter didn’t notice. “All you gotta do is admit you did wrong and ask God to forgive you.”
“That all?” Vince said derisively. “Maybe I’m waitin’ until I get all my sinning done.”
“Don’t wait,” Peter urged. “Do it now before it’s too late. Confess and turn yourself in to the police. I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“Forget it!” Vince yelled.
In a flash his hand shot up. Minnie nearly yelped when she saw the silhouette of a gun in the moonlight.
Vince pressed it to Peter’s head. “Drive faster, kid. I better not learn you’ve called in the law or your dear uncle will be saying hello to his nephew’s corpse.”
* * *
The cold muzzle of the gun made Vince’s point. Peter had run out of options. He’d pushed too hard thinking God had given him the opportunity, but it had backfired. Now his life was in danger, and Vince might retract his promise to save Minnie.
The whole thing was spiraling out of control.
Help me, Lord. That was all he could think to pray. Over and over and over.
Finally, Vince lowered the gun, though he didn’t put it back in the holster. “Turn left at the next intersection.”
Peter glanced in the rearview mirror. Still no headlamps. If the Pierce-Arrow was following, he couldn’t see it. Neither could he see anyone else, such as the federal agents. If the Lord was sending help, it hadn’t appeared yet.
Trust in the Lord.
Hadn’t he faced that same stumbling block over and over the past couple months? Well, now he had no choice. He could do nothing to save those he loved.
“It’s all in Your hands, Lord,” he whispered.
* * *
Minnie had to do something. With Vince holding a gun on Peter, he couldn’t get them out of this mess. That left her. Neither man knew she was in the back. She was the only one who stood a chance of stopping this car, but how?
All her life she’d messed up at the big moments. Misjudging Reggie. Losing the envelope of receipts from the dress shop. Running away from the auditions. Whining about her petty problems when Daddy’s health was slipping away. What made her think she could succeed now, when the stakes were even higher?
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