“Did you find a blowtorch?” Juan a
sks when we return.
I stare down at the manhole cover; its edges are barely any more chipped than when I left. “No,” I mumble. “But we did bring fire.”
Catalina lets go of her dress and a flurry of lighters fall onto the pavement below. Juan immediately seems to understand. The three of us grab a lighter each and start fanning the edges of our unflinching manhole cover.
Before we can make much progress, that deafening roar we heard inside the shop passes over top of us again. It shoots by like a missile and I immediately know what it is.
“Fuck,” I growl.
“Was that a helicopter!?” Catalina shouts, as the roar passes.
“Dante’s got the whole police force under his grip,” Juan shouts. “I didn’t order a helicopter, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of my overzealous underlings did. Everybody who words directly for Dante knows that an important package was being transported today, and now they all know that it has been stolen. Dante’s not in town right now, but it’s no secret that there will be hell to pay if he comes back and his prized hostage is missing.”
“We’re running out of time,” I growl, splitting open my lighter and tracing the fluid inside around the edge of the hatch. Catalina and Juan follow my lead. We soak the stubborn metal in flammable fuel until we only have a few lighters left.
Before I can set the fire myself, Catalina has flicked open her own blue flame. Juan dips the tip of a nearby stick into the puddle of fuel and then presents the torch to Cat. The fire takes hold quickly, and when Juan tips it down to the manhole cover, a huge blue explosion shoots up through the darkness.
“Fuck!” All three of us shout at the same time.
If the cops didn’t know where we were before, they sure as hell do now.
But...
“It’s working!” Catalina shouts.
“Fucking hell,” Juan grumbles.
The steel around the edges of the manhole cover are curling up under the intense flames. We don’t have much time to revel in our little victory, though, because the roar of our stalking helicopter quickly returns with a vengeance, and this time, it’s brought along a spotlight.
The blinding circle cuts through the trees and slips down the facades of buildings that surround us. Sirens follow closely behind it. Trouble is closing in all around us. I look down at the melting steel, it’s working too slow—but there is already enough room for me to slip my hands under.
“I don’t have time for this,” I grumble, grabbing a towel and throwing it over the section of the flames where the small opening has appeared. I wrap my hands in another towel and bend down.
“What are you doing, Angel!?” Catalina cries as I approach the flames.
“Getting us out of here.”
The towels hardly help protect me from the raging fire, but I manage to get my fingers under the melting metal anyways. Fiery pain engulfs my hands as I pull upwards with all my might.
At first, it doesn’t budge, then, slowly, it starts to shake free from its reams. The heat that scorches my skin is almost unbearable, but I’m not letting us get caught, not again. This time, I’m not running from the fire, I’m using it.
The manhole cover finally comes off in a burst, and I’m flung backwards from the effort. Catalina immediately pulls the burning rag from around my hands and covers my charred fingers in a fresh one. The coolness offers little relief, but the pain is worth it. We have a way out of here now.
“Let’s go,” I say, climbing back onto my feet. Catalina is immediately by my side, her tiny arms wrap around my waist like she’s trying to help me walk, but I’m too heavy. Instead, I have to help her.
Just as Juan smothers what’s left of our parking lot fire, the helicopter that’s been hovering above pulls up, taking the searchlight with it. Through the newfound silence, we hear a more disturbing sound.
The police sirens are so close that they might as well be on top of us... and they’re accompanied by a booming voice shouting orders through a megaphone.
“We have you surrounded! Return the hostage immediately or we will open fire!” And with that, the helicopter returns, closer than ever now. It’s blinding spotlight approaches us at the speed of light as its rotors encase us in a veritable hurricane. Wind whips up Cat’s hair and tugs at her dress. Before I can formulate our next plan of action, I feel a strong hand on my collar.
Juan pulls me towards the hole we just opened up and tries to force me down it. “Go!” he orders.
I sneer back at him. “Not without you two!”
Catalina scrambles up to me, as leaves and dust swirl all around us. Her hands reach for mine and I lunge for her, but Juan quickly steps between us. “No. You have to go alone.”