by Sheri Landry
“Let’s get back to our base and check in. We’re done here.” Jack stands, pulling his phone out of his pocket, and snaps a photo of our deceased body, then turns and takes a couple more of the room for reference.
Grey’s eyes are still on the front door as we exit the cabin and take our spots in the vehicle. Jack fills Grey in as the truck reverses out of the driveway and pulls onto the dirt road.
Just as Jack finishes updating Grey, the radio crackles to life. We’re in range, and the first sign of life is Logan shouting through the radio, “DO YOU COPY?”
I pick up the receiver and respond, “We’re here. Reception is sh—”
“Your little bird is getting ready to fly away. She was here. She saw me and ran. Are you near me?” My stomach knots at Logan’s words. He’s been left without a car.
“We’re on our way now, five minutes out.” Jack nods to Grey as he speaks, telling him to pick up speed.
“I’m hiking to the main road. I’ll meet you there.”
“Boss? Um—” Charlie’s voice joins our call, and everyone goes silent.
None of us were expecting she would find us first, and we’re on a potentially open line. His hesitation tells me he’s trying to consider his words so he doesn’t give anything away.
“You need to come to me. I have eyes. She just pulled up. Fuck, I thought she was still inside.”
“Grey, I’ll meet you on the main road. Charlie, don’t let her leave. Radio silence unless urgent. Out.” The sharp squeal of radio feedback causes everyone to wince.
We speed along the winding mountain road in silence for a few minutes, until we hit the junction leading to our cabin. Logan comes into sight as the car stops before he joins Jack in the back seat.
Wasting no time, I nod to Jack to create the plan. He knows where my head is at. He’s been there, and he starts placing the team.
“Grey, if you can, box her vehicle in. If not, just stay close. Jekyll, hang back with Grey for now. Give us a few minutes with her. I’ll go through the back in case she tries to bolt; the last thing we want is a scene on the street drawing attention. Grizz, you’re up. You go in through the front. No mention of Penny. Am I understood?” It’s clear Jack will do anything to protect Jessa, and I nod once.
A few buildings flank the main dirt road through town. Pulling up in front of the coffee shop, Logan points out the old Jeep Dana was driving, and Grey pulls alongside it and parks. This is it. We have no plan, but I’m about to come face-to-face with Dana after a year of searching, and she’s probably going to tear everyone a new one.
Jack jumps out of the passenger seat and moves quickly around the side of the building. I glance up to Charlie, who waves from a two-story building across the street before moving back into place.
With each step closer to the front door, my heart rate rises, knowing she’s in there, just out of my reach.
A bell rings above my head as I step into the empty shop a moment before footsteps thump from down a side hall, and my world slows as she comes into view.
Her eyes widen as she steps into the room before moving to the side and pushing herself up against the wall behind her, trying to put as much space between us as she can. This tries my patience. I feel the need to shorten the distance, but I stay still.
She’s done a good job of hiding her identity. Her hair is dark, she’s dyed it, but there is no mistaking the rest of her.
Before I get the chance to speak, she makes a run for the kitchen. I’m a couple steps behind when the door swings open, and she instantly stops and backs up as Jack walks out, caging her in the room with us. Unless there is an exit behind her we don’t know about, she has no way out.
Raising her hands as she steps back, she’s asking for some space, and I follow Jack’s lead and stop walking toward her. Her eyes flit between Jack and me. She seems unsure if we are friendly or hostile. It bothers me that she thinks I would ever be the latter, but I’ve given her every reason not to trust me now.
An awkward minute passes before she straightens and slowly drops her arms.
“Jack.” Her voice cuts through me as it bounces off the cement walls. Any small amount of rapport I built with her last year is completely gone.
“Dana. We aren’t here to hurt you. We need to talk,” Jack starts, and she huffs a dissident breath at the offer. We all know she thinks her best friend is dead. We all know we are on the long list of people she blames for it.
Her lips part to speak, but the bell on the door rings as Logan walks in.
This couldn’t be going worse.
“Well, if it isn’t the jackass.” She sneers in Logan’s direction. He is no doubt the one sitting at the top of her shit list, along with Maxwell.
“I’ve told you before; it’s Jekyll,” he answers coolly as he slowly walks into the shop, stopping just behind me.
“I wasn’t referring to your nickname,” she counters, crossing her arms. At first glance, she looks defiant, but as I look closer I notice she’s hugging herself. She’s scared.
“Fair enough,” Logan answers, then looks to me and speaks under his breath. “There’s an issue on the street.”
I nod, then turn back to Dana. My first words come out a little weaker than I’d hoped. “Dana, Jack’s right. We really need to—” My sentence is cut short when the bell rings again, startling everyone. Dana freezes, her eyes going wide as a line of kids file into the coffee shop.
“B-boys. What are you doing here?” Dana stutters, concern written all over her face. Her worry isn’t for herself anymore. I think it’s for the group of six teenagers who are piling into the coffee shop and taking seats all around us.
Glancing at each boy, I examine their faces. Their eyes are scanning our little group, and they are moving cautiously around us as I realize we’ve become surrounded by adolescence.
“Hey, Ms. J.” The kid nearest to me speaks up and tension coils its way through my muscles as the rest of the group stays awkwardly silent. “Kaley told us she saw you and you were—open late—and we thought we’d all drop by. You know how we all love to show our support for—local business.” He carefully finishes his sentence, and everyone stays quiet as he looks between Jack, Logan, and me.
I have to hand it to the kid; standing up for Dana like this is pretty impressive. He must know he’s out of his league.
“Thanks, T-Tyler.” She answers him with a soft smile that doesn’t reach her eyes before turning and finally looking directly at me, her eyes pleading. “You should go.”
My laughter comes out in an indignant cough. I’m not leaving without her, and if she thinks some juveniles are going to get in my way, I can’t wait to show her how wrong she is. I’ll drag her sorry ass out to the car myself.
“We’re not going anywhere, Kim,” I bite back. A few of the kids stand at my words. “We came to talk to you, and we’re not leaving until we have that talk.” My patience is paper thin. She’s treating us like the problem here, and I won’t have it. I cross my arms, mimicking her as we stare each other down.
“You heard her. I think you guys should go.” Tyler’s voice isn’t as assertive as it was just a moment ago, and he takes a step back to let us pass as the remaining kids stand to urge us to leave.
This has become borderline adorable, but my tolerance for bullshit is almost completely gone.
I take a step further into the shop, toward Dana. Everyone shifts at the same time, and I brace for a fight as Dana’s voice startles the room and everyone freezes.
“STOP! Just—Tyler. Thank you.” Then, looking at each boy, she continues, “All of you, for coming here so late at night to—support me. These guys aren’t here to hurt me, right?” She looks between Jack and me for confirmation and I nod, a little put off that she thinks harming her is a possibility for any of us.
“You two!” The Dana I remember has composed herself, and she points her finger at Jack and me. “I’ll give you five minutes to talk. Everyone else waits outside. That means you too,�
� she finishes, jabbing a finger at Logan.
“But, Kim—” Tyler starts and Dana raises her hand, asking for quiet.
“No, Tyler. You have no idea how much I appreciate this, but you are all Second Chance Kids. You know what’ll happen. Please. Five minutes,” she pleads with him, and he nods in some secret understanding and turns to leave. Logan follows them out into the street, and I watch as the boys cross the street to meet up with a few girls who were waiting outside.
As the door jingles shut, Dana pulls out a chair at the closest table and sits down, placing her backpack on her lap.
That’s what she came for. If she had gotten to it sooner, she’d be in the wind again. This whole situation is unstable.
I scramble to find the words to start. I want to tell her we were looking for her and she wasn’t alone, but judging by the crowd here tonight, she hasn’t been alone. I also want to tell her about Jessa. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I won’t.
“Second Chance Kids?” Jack breaks the ice, and Dana softens at the mention of the boys waiting outside.
I keep forgetting those two had a history as friends, and I sense she trusts him—to an extent. She thinks they share Jessa’s loss, and my stomach twists at our lie.
“Some of the boys are in foster care, and they’ve gotten into trouble in the past. Lots of people here live paycheck to paycheck, when they get one, but the community is tight-knit. They aren’t bad kids, there’s just not a lot to keep them busy out here. The sheriff a couple of towns over is always looking for a reason to put them further into the system. He’s big city, and no crime is bad for business—it makes him look like he isn’t doing his job. No one around these parts trusts him much. I don’t want to give him a reason to bust any of these kids. They don’t deserve it,” she finishes as her fingers play with the zipper on her backpack.
This whole town has become Dana’s weakness. She’s created a foster family of her own. The compassion she has for these kids is going to get someone hurt, and Jack looks over to me with a deep breath. He knows it too. We need to get her out of here.
Picking at a worn seam on her bag, she asks Jack, “Why are you here?” before glancing in my direction. I can’t manage a smile right now; I’m preoccupied with concern for her. She continues, “What’s going to happen to me, Jack?”
He considers her question with an uncomfortable pause before answering.
“Dana, you’re in trouble. There’s a hit out on you.”
6
Dana
“A hit? Like someone wants to kill me?” The idea sounds absurd when I say it out loud, and I chuckle weakly in response. I wait for Michael or Jack to break a smile, but they are serious.
“We don’t know who initiated the contract. Link tried to get in, but it’s been closed. It’s most likely Maxwell or Matteo Sparr.” Michael’s tone is solemn, and my face heats up under his scrutiny.
Michael’s gaze keeps shifting to Jack, and he is careful with his words. I’m hit with a sudden familiarity. They are keeping information from me—again. This is how I felt when they spoke to Jessa and me last year.
I was sure Maxwell would have been caught already. Jessa’s betrayal all but ensured he was on borrowed time. If he’s still out there, he could want revenge on Jessa for what she did to him. Jack has a built-in security team; I’m the only other connection she had in this world, but I’m not sure I buy this as a valid reason for a hit.
“How did you find me?” I covered my tracks like Jessa taught me. I should have been untraceable, and my mind races to my mom. She was never perfect, but she is my mother. I never made contact with her after I ran. She remarried and they moved out of state. They’d been looking for work for a year before everything went down with Jessa. “Is my mom okay?”
“As far as we know, she is well. That isn’t how we found you,” Jack reassures me, and I startle when a hand settles over my own.
My breath catches in my throat as Michael’s hand covers both of mine on top of my backpack. Meeting his inquisitive stare, I furrow my brows at his concern. I told him a lot about my relationship with my parents; I talked about school and my time with Jessa. I probably should have held back more of my history, but it felt cathartic to talk to someone.
Disappointment sinks into my gut at how much I wanted to trust these men who held us captive. I paid for my misplaced trust with Jessa’s life. I nod at Michael meekly as I pull my hands out of his grasp to adjust my pack. I shift in my seat, and he studies me for a long second before leaning back, placing some distance between us.
Michael clears his throat and finishes Jack’s story. “You sent flowers to Jessa’s grave. We tracked you through the purchase. It was the same day the hit was ordered.” My head bobbles as he speaks. Slowly, I put the pieces together.
I wanted to do something for her, but I didn’t know where she was. I sent them to her parents’ gravesite hoping no one would pay any attention.
“Was Jessa buried with her parents?” Jack’s nod is terse, and I imagine the reminder is difficult for him too. But knowing she is with her family grants me a little more peace. The day I ordered the flowers bounces into my thoughts.
“I didn’t use any of my information to buy the flowers. I used—a friend’s. Do you think he might be in trouble? I should warn him.” Before I’ve finished my sentence, they share that same look again. “What?”
My tolerance for their side-eye glances is wearing thin, and I decide the best way to move this along is to move this along.
“That’s five minutes.” My patience is gone. I grab my backpack and stand up. Michael’s face drops as Jack reaches over and places his hand over mine, just like Michael did, silently pleading with me to sit back down. I decide to give them one last chance.
Who am I kidding? We both know I’m not getting out of here on my own. They are only pacifying me by pretending I have any control over this situation. When it suits them, they’ll haul me out of here like they did at the farmhouse. The difference now is, those kids outside won’t let it happen, and someone will get hurt.
“Your friend Stan is dead. I’m sorry, Dana.” Jack’s words punch me in the stomach, and for a moment it feels like I’ve been tossed into some kind of pseudo reality.
Stan is dead.
“Because of me?” How could I have been so careless? Dropping the last few inches into my seat with a thud, I look at Jack, dumbfounded. I must look like I feel, because Jack continues, and his voice is soft.
“We just came from his place. It looks like it happened fast. He was shot about eight hours ago,” Jack answers as Michael continues to examine my reaction. My muscles tense with my growing anger.
Not again.
My face must be giving away my heart, because Jack quickly continues, “Dana, whether we are here or not, it doesn’t change the fact that you have a hit on you, and someone is cashing in on it. We’re here to help you. But there is something we need to know.”
“What?”
“When you left last year. You took your phone. Did you keep it, or the contents of it?” At Jack’s question, both men look at me, and it finally registers. They aren’t here for me, and Michael isn’t here because he was concerned. I’m holding information, and they need it.
“Why?” Both men pause long enough to tell me they don’t want to answer my question. Michael’s lips part slightly, but his words don’t follow as Jack takes a deep breath, shifting in his seat.
“We have reason to believe there were some files included with the transfer that Maxwell is trying to get his hands on.” Jack is only giving me enough to pacify me, and Michael looks almost relieved he isn’t the one answering my questions.
What would Jessa do?
It’s been months since I’ve needed to think like this. Although, if I had thought like her all along, I wouldn’t have made a mistake and gotten caught.
Jessa would keep her information to herself until she was sure she should part with it, and they aren’t giving me everyt
hing I need to know. I’m in the dark again. If I tell them I have it, they’ll take me in again, and I can’t go back to where I last saw Jessa. But if I don’t have it, if I have no idea where or what these files are, they can deal with this hit, and I might be able to disappear again. They have no reason to hold me. At least, I hope they don’t.
“No. Once I downloaded the identity I needed, I destroyed the phone and threw it off a bridge, into a lake.” I cross my arms to hide my lie and lean back in my chair, waiting for their next move.
Michael slowly crosses his own arms and leans back, mirroring me a second time. I maintain my expression, and Jack looks between us before he reaches his hand out, pointing to my backpack.
Relief floods icily through my veins at the choice I made not to take everything. Knowing the drive is hidden away, I hand him my bag without hesitation, and he rummages through it as he speaks.
“We need to get you out of here and somewhere safe tonight. You need to tell those kids out there to go home and you’ll see them tomorrow. This”—Jack waves his hand at the group standing on the street—“is going to draw attention, and we have someone looking for you who, we hope, doesn’t know your new identity yet.” He stops talking before he gets to the part where he tells me what will happen to me once this is over.
If I agree, I may be able to get back here and sort everything out in the morning. Or I can defy them and be dragged out of here, resulting in a big throwdown in the middle of the street. I decide not to push it. If I’m eager to know my fate, they may decide I’m a flight risk.
“Fine. I’ll talk to the kids. Just let me handle it, okay?” I stand, and both men rise with me as Jack nods. I walk toward the front of the shop.
Outside, Logan stands in the middle of the street, by the car. One of Michael’s team members is sitting in the driver’s seat. The sun has dropped behind the peak, casting shadow over the town. Tyler pushes off a wall and steps from the curb onto the road toward me, followed by his friends. I step forward to meet him. My nerves are shot, and a nervous energy runs from my heart to my extremities. With my next step, I miscalculate the distance from the sidewalk to the road. Lurching forward, I quickly adjust as a loud popping sound echoes in the distance and a gust of air flies past my ear.