“Come on, come on, pick up,” she muttered. It was a risk, calling her instead of just running.
“Hi, this is Eden. Leave a message. I’ll get back to you. Maybe.”
Tears entered her eyes at the sound of the other woman’s voice. Would this be the last time she’d hear it? Most likely. Stupid to feel so sentimental. She didn’t have time for this.
“Eden? Eden, it’s me, Keira.” Shit. There was so much static, she had no idea whether her message would even get through.
Shitty phone with shitty reception.
“Eden, I need help. Please. I’m near Beaver in Utah, but we’ll be leaving soon. I just . . . if you can’t help me I get it. And I’m sorry. For taking money from you. For not being a decent friend.”
The call ended suddenly, and she looked down at the phone, seeing that it was dead. Fuck. Holding back a sob, she moved to the door. She had to get out of here. Just as she reached for the door handle, it swung open and Carl raced in.
She braced herself for him to ask her what she was doing, but he didn’t say anything, just peeked out the window.
“They’ve found us.”
“Who? What?” She dropped the phone onto a desk, behind a plastic plant. She didn’t want him to see her with it.
“No time.” He shoved his stuff in his bag, not seeming to notice that she’d messed it up. “Get your stuff, let’s go.”
Luckily, she hadn’t unpacked. Grabbing her backpack, she followed him toward the bathroom. It had a surprisingly large window. He opened it, then grasped hold of her.
“What are we doing?” she asked after they’d climbed out of the window.
“Running.”
He grabbed her wrist and raced down the stairs towards the back parking lot.
“What about our car?” she asked.
“We have to leave it. I’ll steal another one.”
Steal it? Great. She was just racking up the sins.
“Who’s after us?”
She was starting to think he was just being paranoid. She’d never seen anyone following them.
“Bartolli’s guys. I recognized one of them. They were asking around about us in the convenience store.”
Bartolli’s men?
Why would they be searching for them? Panic seized her, making it hard for her to breathe. Why would Bartolli be chasing her? Did he know what she was trying to do?
Oh God. She was going to vomit.
“What are you doing? Hurry the fuck up. Now is not the time for your stupid sensibilities, Keira.”
Stupid sensibilities? What the fuck did that mean? They raced along a street, then he glanced around and pulled them down an alleyway.
“We’ve got to find a car to steal,” he said. This was the most panicked she’d ever seen him.
“Why would Bartolli’s men be looking for us?”
“Because we stole his money. And his blackmail material.”
“W-what blackmail material? What do you mean,hismoney? You told me that it was money that the Iron Shadows guys had made selling drugs.”