He reaches back, pulls the pistol from his jeans, and shakes it in front of my face. “Easily.” His eyes darken. “Especially with a hot little diversion.”
I lift one of my eyebrows and cock my head at his statement.
“You’d be bait, little rabbit.”
“They’d see our faces.”
“We leave the truck, go on foot, and avoid that gas station from now on. There’s plenty of others.”
“Seems really fucking dumb, Lex.”
“Then don’t go. I don’t need bait to get the job done.” He tucks the pistol into his jeans again. “I’ll be back later.”
The moment he turns to walk away, I feel the tug at my heart. “No, I’ll go.”
* * *
“What’s the plan?”I ask as we pull onto a dead-end road about a quarter of a mile from the rustic gas station.
Lex chambers his pistol. “We separate as we get closer to the building. You draw out the clerk. I’ll sneak in and take the money in the till and the safe, if there is one.”
My mouth gapes. “How the hell am I going to lure the guy away from the register?”
Lex’s hungry eyes rove down my body, and my cheeks flush. “You’ll figure it out. You’re resourceful, remember?”
We abandon the truck, and Lex pockets the keys. The sun has set, and we are ghosts walking along the dark road. Lex wraps his arm around me and drags me to the inside so he’s closest to the road. What a gentleman.
The small gas station comes into view ahead. A tall black lamp post illuminates the front door. Bugs swarm around it. There’s only a single pump for gas, with nozzles on both sides and enough room for two cars at any given time. This is a small and local community.
People here are way too trusting, and Lex will prey on that trusting nature. I doubt they have much more than a few dollars in the till, let alone anything worth protecting with cameras, so at least he was right about that.
Lex pushes me toward the door and walks ahead of me, looping around the building. I brush my sweaty palms on my jeans and take a deep breath before gripping the door’s grimy handle. A bell rings overhead when I enter. The racks inside mostly house essentials and snacks—toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant alongside a variety of chips, beef jerky, and pretzels.
A door closes somewhere inside a back hallway, and footsteps draw closer. My heart races, and my eyes fall on the old desk with the even older cash register sitting on top of it. Cigarettes line the wall behind the register, waiting to be chosen beneath a worn age-restriction sign.
A balding man appears in the doorway, and he smiles when he sees me. He looks behind me. “Can I help you?”
I struggle to get out the words I need to say as guilt chokes me. I feel absolutely awful about robbing this man. He hasn’t done anything to deserve a visit from us. This is where Lex and I differ. He doesn’t see people as human beings. Collateral damage doesn’t exist to him. There are no innocents.
“H-Hi, yes.” I point toward the darkened road. “My car ran out of gas down the road.”
“You walked here all by yourself?” His eyes scan me. There’s a hint of suspicion in his words, and I try to pull my shit together for Lex.
“Yeah, it’s not far. I’m wondering if I could buy a gallon off you.” I pull some bills from my pocket and show him the money.
The man steps from behind the counter, his eyes never leaving mine. “You need a can?” he asks as he guides me toward the door.
I nod.
I follow him outside and trail behind him until we reach the circle of light from the lamp above us. I’m not going back into the darkness with him. He unlocks a door, and I can’t see anything until he closes it and appears beneath the light. He’s carrying an old metal gas can. “Just drop it off when you come back for more gas,” he says as he hands it to me and keeps his hand outstretched for the money.
I hand him four dollars, but I catch a glimpse of Lex’s shadow inside. I need to keep the man out here with me for his safety. I don’t want any more death on our hands, and I’ll do what I can to keep this robbery from becoming a murder. I lift the heavy jerrycan and futz with the top. As he starts to walk away, I increase the sounds of frustration leaving my lips. He finally turns back to me.
“Do you need help, miss?” he asks.
I smile and hand it back to him. He works off the cap and puts the nozzle into it. “There you go,” he says, and turns to leave once more.
Fighting through panic, I reach out and graze his arm. My eyelashes flutter as I lean back against the pump. “Ireallyappreciate your help, mister.”