“It’s going to be okay, Phoenix. We are all safe. Everything inside is replaceable. And I’m going to make every person who had anything to do with this suffer.”
Liesel’s eyes meet mine when I say those words, intending her to know that whatever has happened between us doesn’t matter. I don’t care that we survived hell together. I don’t care that she’s Atlas’ birth mother. If she had anything to do with this, if she hid this from me, then I’ll make her pay.
I watch as her eyes drop to where my fingers are intertwined with Phoenix’s. She doesn’t react, at least not on the outside, but I suspect Liesel is raging with jealousy.
For the next few minutes, the only sounds that fill the car are Phoenix’s quiet sobs and hiccups.
“We’re being followed,” Liesel says carefully.
I glance in the rearview mirror and force myself to look beyond Liesel to the road. A blacked out sedan creeps after us.
I make a last-minute right turn onto a side street, and sure enough, the car turns as well.
“Shit,” I say.
“Oh my god! We are going to die. I should have gone with the kids. The kids are going to grow up without parents,” Phoenix howls.
I let go of Phoenix’s hand and grip the wheel. I don’t have time to deal with her hysteria. I have to get the car behind us off our tail.
I make another sharp turn, and Phoenix screams at my sudden speed.
“Slow down!” she shouts.
I don’t.
I take my gun out, preparing to shoot the tires of the trailing car behind me.
“Langston! Don’t shoot them! I—”
Slap.
Liesel has unbuckled herself, climbed in between us, and slapped Phoenix in the face.
“Stop it. Now isn’t the time to freak out. It’s not helpful. If you want to be helpful, shut up and do whatever Langston tells you to do. If you do that, your kids will grow up with a loving mother and father. If you don’t, then I’m going to throw you out of this car to ensure that your kids at least grow up with a father,” Liesel says, getting into Phoenix’s face.
I raise an eyebrow, not sure that’s the best technique to get Phoenix to stop.
Phoenix sniffles then nods.
Then both women turn toward me.
“At the next intersection, I’m going to spin us. Then, I’ll fire some shots out my window that will stop the car from pursuing us. I need you both to duck down. The car is bulletproof, but the windows are the most vulnerable.”
Phoenix sucks in her snot and then ducks down, flinging her arms over her head.
“Seatbelt, then duck,” I say slowly to Liesel.
Liesel rolls her eyes, then digs under my seat before coming back up with a gun in her hand.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Stepping up.”
“You could get killed.”
“Then I’ll die doing something good for Atlas.”
My heart swells. Maybe I was wrong about Liesel.