Mission complete.
Half an hour until the show ended. He peered around, wondering when Ben would head over to open the safe. “So are you doing check-out?”
“No,” she answered. “Mike’s husband, Ben, is.”
That explained the last name.
She glanced behind her. “He should be here any minute actually.”
“Okay. I think
I’ll go back and help in the food tent. They wanted some bigger guys to move the heavy stuff.”
“Thanks for returning the paper.” She smiled. “It’s a good thing you found it.”
“Yeah. No need for either of us to get in trouble.” He chuckled. “Okay, maybe I’ll see you around later.”
“That’d be great.” She gave him a small wave and he walked away, disappearing back into the dwindling crowd.
As he headed toward the far end of the park, he texted the group.
Luke, wait for my text. Not ready yet.
There was no point having Luke show up at the table until Ben was there with the key. Atlas took the neon shirt off again and moved with the crowd, pretending to be admiring the cars while he side-eyed the registration desk. Ten minutes later, he spotted a yellow-shirted man chatting with Jessica. She left and he sat down in her spot. It had to be Ben.
Atlas checked the time. Fifteen minutes until the show officially ended, but it’d take a while before everyone moved their cars off the lot.
He typed a quick message to the group.
Go.
Watching out of the corner of his eye, Atlas made his way up and down the aisle of cars. He avoided the Tesla to make sure there wasn’t a connection between him and Luke. Ben handed over the keys, and Luke headed toward their target. Calmly and confidently, Luke unlocked the car and slid inside. The attendees cleared a path for him to drive down the aisle and out of the park.
Atlas made a beeline for the hedges then Fox’s car and they drove to meet Luke at the drop-off warehouse where they’d strip the car. A Tesla had been on the list for a while but they were one of the hardest cars to find. Some lucky buyer would be very pleased.
His last task for the day was to find out what the hell was going on with Luke.
When they finished stripping the vehicle and returned home, Atlas tossed Luke a beer, and they both flopped down on their couches.
“What’s going on with you?” Atlas said, cracking open his can.
Luke followed suit then took a big swig. “What do you mean?”
“I can tell when something is off.” Atlas watched Fox stroll into the room, Addison at his side.
“What are we talking about?” Fox sat on the couch across from Atlas and pulled his wife down onto his lap. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and Atlas found himself wishing Mila were here with him. She fit so nicely on his lap.
“Why Luke’s been acting like a sullen teenager,” Atlas answered.
“His life is about to end, that’s why,” Fox said. “He’s gonna be a dad.”
Addison elbowed him. “Shut up! Don’t listen to him, Luke. Kids don’t ruin lives. You’re gonna love being a dad.”
Luke nodded in contemplative silence.
“They don’t ruin lives but they change them,” Atlas said, nudging the conversation forward.
“Yeah,” Luke agreed. “Things are gonna have to change.” He looked at each of them thoughtfully. “I can’t keep putting myself at risk. I can’t leave Ophelia with two babies while I’m in prison. I can’t leave my kids without a dad.”