Dad was so calm. How can he be so calm? This is MY school! Dear God, Bree is there. And Penny. And Mark, probably. If something happens to them … can we just GET there already?!
As if on cue, Dad pulled the car in through the entrance gate of JMMS. The main parking lot was pretty full, so the closest space was a fair distance from the cafeteria.
Dad reached over to my side of the car, opened his glove box and pulled out his service revolver. He checked that it was loaded, and then stuck the gun in the holster on his belt. “Kelsey, you stay here.”
Dad, I love you, but you're freakin' kidding, right? “The hell I will,” I said defiantly.
“Kelsey, don't argue with me! This is a world-class bad guy we're dealing with!”
I squared up my shoulders and faced him, matching my volume to his. “This is MY school! These are MY friends! MY classmates! I am NOT waiting in the car!”
“This is dangerous, sweetheart. Very dangerous. You might get hurt.”
“You don't think I know that? I don't care how dangerous it is! I'm going with you, and that's final!”
We stared at each other for a few seconds as he thought it over.
Leaping on the moment of silence, I added. “Dad, you don't know this school. Neither does he. I've been coming here for three years. No one knows it better than me. No one.”
Slowly, Dad nodded, and when he spoke again, there was a hard edge to his voice that I'd rarely heard before. “Okay, here's the plan … you go in there, you get Mark, and you find the best hiding place you can. And then you text me your location. That's it. Understand?”
“I got it, Dad,” I said, putting my hand on the door-handle.
“You see Sosa, you do not approach him, confront him, or let him know that you recognize him. Backup will be here shortly. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” I said, and then I exited the car.
With Dad right behind me, I walked down the sidewalk to the cafeteria. From the sound of things, the dance was in full swing, and I could hear Baz's band playing. Only one door was open, and Janine Macklin, the leader of the dance committee, was there, greeting every new arrival. Great. I hated dealing with her. If you looked up 'snotty rich girl' in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of her. Just being around her made me want to punch her in the face.
“Callahan? Is that you? You've never come to a dance before!” Her trademark smug grin never changed expression.
With as much urgency as I could, I said, “Janine, I'm only gonna ask this once: is Ethan here?”
She stared at me. “Ethan Zimmer? That's who your date is? Damn, you got really bizarre taste in boys, don't you?” Just one punch. It'll feel so good …
I tried desperately to calm my nerves. “Is … he … here?” I said through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, he's here, chill out,” she said. “He came in with Sebastian.”
I exhaled in relief. So far, so good. “Have you seen any adults that you don't recognize?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Just parents and faculty.”
Without another word, I turned around and walked over to my Dad, who was standing a few yards away. “Mark's here. And she hasn't seen Sosa.”
Dad nodded. “He'll probably try to get in through another entrance. I'm going to go check.”
I felt my gut tightening. “Dad, be careful. Please.”
“I'll be all right, sweetheart,” he said. “Remember, text me when you get Mark to safety.” And then he walked around the corner, drawing his gun and holding it at his side.
I was suddenly terrified for him. My dad was a great cop, but against an international criminal?
Snap out of it, Kelsey. You've got your own job to do.
I walked past Janine and into the cafeteria, which looked so different from lunch period the day before that I could hardly believe it was the same building. The lunch tables were folded up and moved against the far wall, and the whole room had been decked out in some really cool tropical decorations. Fake palm trees, murals of ocean vistas, and even a Styrofoam statue of a dolphin. Despite the direness of the situation, I took a moment to mentally congratulate Janine. She may be a snob, but she sure can decorate.
About ten feet to my right, I was ecstatic to see Bree, standing close to the wall, looking uncomfortably out of place. I made my way over to her. “Bree!”
She smiled and exhaled. “Oh, Kelse, thank God you came! I was beginning to worry.”
“Bree,” I said, and then my brain locked up. How do I explain this to her without sounding like a lunatic? “We have a problem. A big one. We need to find Ethan.”
“What's up?” Bree asked with concern.
“I can't explain right now,” I said. But we have to get him out of here. It's a matter of life and death.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
I nodded.
“I … haven't seen him, Kelse.”
I took her by the arm. “Janine said he came here with Baz, so he's probably near the band.” Baz was at the far end of the room, his band rocking out in front of a mostly-empty space that was probably the designated dance floor. A lot of kids were listening to the music, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. “Follow me,” I said, leading Bree down the side of the room. As my eyes scanned the crowd for Mark, I also looked around to see if I could see Sosa, but he was nowhere to be found either.
And then the last thing I ever expected to happen, happened.
Baz and his band finished their rendition of the theme from Hawaii Five-O, and no sooner had the last note played when Baz stepped up to the microphone, guitar in hand. He looked directly at me, smiling broadly. “And now, joining us on our next song, I want to introduce to you, making his epic debut, the one, the only, Ethan Zimmer!”
Mark appeared out of nowhere, practically jumping into the space right next to Baz. He had a microphone in his hand, and he, too, was looking directly at me.
He's not.
The band then broke into The Ramones' “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and Mark pointed his finger directly at me, smiling.
He is. Oh my God, he is. He's gonna sing. For me.
Any other day, I would be flattered, weak in the knees, and screaming my head off in admiration that a guy would do that for me. But now, at the absolute worst possible time in the history of ever, a time when he needed to be hiding, every head in the building had turned to watch him.
And then, on the other side of the cafeteria, in the doorway leading to the kitchen and the food-line, I saw a shadow move.
He's here. Sosa's inside. With us.
Bree was still standing beside me. “This is his surprise? That's so awesome!” she said over the noise.
Mark's having his moment. And I can't even enjoy it. “Bree, you need to listen to me. We have to get him out of here!”
“How?”
“As soon as he's done singing, run up to him, grab his hand and pull him over to where we are now. Drag him if you have to. You understand?”
She nodded, puzzled but ready to help. “What'll you be doing?”
“I have to text my Dad. I'll go through there,” I gestured at the nearby double doors on the north side of the room, “and when you get Ethan off the stage, bring him outside. You got it?”
“Okay,” she said.
“As fast as you can,” I admonished her.
She nodded, and then we turned our heads to watch Mark and Baz doing their thing. I had to smile at the look on Mark's face. As crazy as the situation was, he was having the time of his life right now. This was what he'd risked it all for. To show me this side of him. A final gift to me before he left me forever. And in that moment, my heart swelled. And then sank. And then swelled again. And then sank again. In those moments, I pictured a lifetime of memories with him. Memories we'd never have.
I watched as Mark and Baz stuck their fists high in the air, pumping them up and down, screaming “Ai! Oh! Let's go! Ai! Oh! Let's go!” The two other guys in the band played their final notes, and
all that was left was the clapping and cheering of my classmates. I couldn't help but join in. And then I slipped quietly out the side door and into the quiet night.
Outside, I dug out my phone, dialed my dad's number and texted “Sosa in kitchen” as fast as I could. I looked up and all around, wondering where the best place to run and hide might be. I thought about taking him back to Dad's car, but this thought was interrupted by Bree and Mark exiting the cafeteria right behind me.
As soon as I saw him, I ran up and hugged him as hard as I could. “I can't believe you did that for me.”
He held me tightly, so tightly I could feel his body shaking with visible joy, something he hadn't done since our first kiss. “I'm glad you got to see it,” he said breathily. “I was so afraid you weren't coming.”
I released him, and then stood face-to-face with him. “I'm not talking about the song,” I said. “I'm talking about you running away from the cops.”
Bree gasped. “He did what?”
The smile faded from Mark's face. “How'd you know about that?”
“Cop's daughter, remember?” I said. “My God, Mark … I just want to punch you right now.”
He suddenly looked scared. “What for?”
“Doesn't matter,” I said, shaking my head. “We have to get you out of here before Sosa finds you.”
He blinked. “Who's Sosa?”
Bree stared at me. “Who's Mark?!”
Chapter 42
~ DAY 41 (Sat., 7:05 p.m.) ~
ETHAN
I stood there, in shock. Only a few minutes ago, I had totally killed it on the mike in front of dozens of kids. And now, all I could do was accept the fact that the worst-case scenario had just become a reality.
When I snuck away from the safe-house, I figured the worst thing that could happen was that I'd get picked up again, shoved into the back of yet another government car, taken to a new house and locked in my room for the rest of my life. And if that had been the case, I would have accepted it. That had been the deal I'd made with the Man Upstairs. All I'd asked for was the chance to sing in front of Kelsey, and it had happened.
I'd never considered that the bad guys would actually find me.
But now that I thought about it … of course they had. Our safety had been compromised, which meant that the bad guys, somehow, knew where we lived. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to make the leap that they knew where I went to school, too.
Oh, balls.
“What do we do?” I asked Kelsey.
“We hide. I think Sosa's still in the kitchen, but he may have seen us leaving. We need to get moving. Now.”
“I have an idea!” Bryanna said, and then she ran forward about ten yards to get a better look at the playground that was wide open in front of us. She peeked around the corner, and then gestured with her hand that the coast was clear.
“What is it, Bree?” Kelsey asked.
“We can hide in the gym,” she said. “There's a back door where the lock hasn't been put in yet.”
Kelsey's brow furrowed. “How do you know that?”
Bryanna stared back at her. “Where do you think I spent my recess periods last week?”
“In the gym? Didn't the construction guys mind you being there?” I asked.
“Not in the building, behind it. It was noisy, but at least nobody bothered me there. I wanted to be left alone, remember?”
Kelsey exhaled. “Are you sure it's safe?”
She nodded. “If we can get there.” She looked around the corner again. “I'll go first. If it's okay to go, I'll wave to you.”
I looked at the gym in the distance, about a hundred yards away. It was almost pitch dark. The only light at all was a street light that illuminated the street just outside the parking lot. “We won't be able to see you!”
“Yes you will,” she said, showing us her wristwatch. She pushed a button on the side, and the front of it glowed brightly.
Kelsey nodded. “I forgot you had that thing. Just be careful, Bree. If you see a tall Hispanic man with very little hair, run as fast as you can away from him, okay?”
“Got it,” she said. Then, looking both ways, she ran toward the gym. Nothing jumped out at her, and within seconds the darkness swallowed her up.
I looked at Kelsey, who reached over and grabbed my hand. She met my gaze. “You were awesome, Mark.”
I squeezed her hand. “Thanks.”
We stared at each other for a few moments, not speaking. There were like a million things that I wanted to say to her, but there didn't seem to be any point in saying them. We both knew the situation.
Abruptly, she took out her cell and texted her father's number. I watched as she typed, “I have him. Where r u?”
“Your dad is here?”
“Yeah. I told him Sosa was in the kitchen, but I don't know where he is now.” She caught her breath. “I hope he's okay …”
“Kelsey?” said a voice behind us. “What are you doing out here?”
We both turned to see Penny, who had come out of the cafeteria and was staring down at our crouched forms.
Kelsey stood up and walked over to her. “Penny, you need to get back inside. Now.”
“Why? What's going on?” she asked.
Kelsey grabbed her by the arm and tried to force her back to the cafeteria door. “I can't explain right now, Penny, and I promise I will later, but you need to get inside! Please!” She looked in her friend's eyes with near-desperation.
I looked around the corner, and I saw the faint glow from Bryanna's watch emanating from just behind the gym. “There's the signal,” I whispered.
Kelsey nodded, then turned back to Penny. “Please, Penny … just go.”
Completely baffled by our behavior, she just nodded. “Okay.”
Kelsey squeezed Penny's shoulder and then walked back over to me. She peeked around the corner and took my hand. “Let's go.”
Still holding hands, we broke cover from the cafeteria building and ran for the gym. We were about two-thirds of the way there when I saw a figure coming around the corner of the cafeteria. A tall Hispanic man.
Kelsey saw him too, and we broke into a dead run. We rounded the corner at the back of the gym, where Bryanna was holding a door open for us. We didn't need to look back to see if we were being chased.
“He's right behind us!” Kelsey cried. “Hurry!”
Kelsey ran through the open doorway. I was right behind her. Bryanna came in last, slamming the door shut behind her. “There's no lock! We need to hide, quick!”
There was barely any light inside the gym, only the moonlight peeking through the window near the ceiling. A lot of the floor-boards had yet to be installed, and there were piles of lumber and some heavy tools laying nearby. I couldn't see any good places to hide that wouldn't be obvious. Except one.
“Come on!” I said, and I ran toward the far wall, the girls right behind me. Thankfully, the retractable bleachers had already been installed, and even in the 'retracted' position, there was still just enough room for the three of us to fit behind them. I squeezed in first, followed by Kelsey and Bryanna. We all held our breath when we heard the back door open.
Through the tiniest gap in the bleachers, I was able to see this man, Sosa. He moved stealthily, measuring every footstep as he scoped out the room. He walked over to one of the construction lamps in the middle of the room and switched it on. A bright light swept into every corner of the gym.
My heart was racing as I felt Kelsey reach over and squeeze my hand again. Both girls were watching, just as I was, as Sosa methodically scanned the room for possible hiding places. Slowly, he drew a handgun from his waistband and held it in front of him. One by one, he checked behind the piles of lumber and machinery, confirming we weren't there. “Kids?” he called out. “Come out now. I promise I won't hurt you.” Yeah, right.
I leaned over to Kelsey, whispering as quietly as I could. “What do we do? If we run for it, we'll never make it to the door before he does.”
<
br /> She nodded. “Move quietly toward the other end. It comes out very close to the front entrance. We should be able to open those doors from the inside.”
“ 'Should be'?” I heard Bryanna whisper.
“It's our only chance,” Kelsey said. I just nodded. She was right.
Step by step, hugging the gym wall, we squeezed our way through the bleachers. They were about sixty feet in length, and to the girls' credit, they were able to move as quietly as mice. We kept our eyes on Sosa, who was trying out the doors that led to the locker rooms on the far side of the gym.
Sixty seconds later, I was only a few feet from open space. Sosa was now checking behind the bleachers on the far side of the room. There was no doubt in my mind where he'd check next.
“I'll head for the door,” I whispered. “Follow me as close as you can, and we'll make a run for the cafeteria.”
Kelsey and Bryanna nodded. I could see that their faces were as terrified as I was feeling. I looked through the crack in the bleachers one more time. Sosa had finished his inspection of the other set of bleachers and was making his way back to our side.
It was now or never.
“Go!” I shouted, squeezing through the last four feet. Sosa immediately broke into a sprint, heading directly for us. I slammed into the push-bar of the door, and thank God, it opened right up. I held the door open as Kelsey and then Bryanna emerged from our hiding-place and followed me.
The cool night air hit me in the face as I ran down the steps, Kelsey right behind me. The door closed behind us just as Bryanna squeezed through it, but the sleeve of her pink-and-purple Hawaiian shirt got caught in the door, which disrupted her forward momentum enough for her to lose her footing.
Kelsey and I had run about twenty yards when we realized Bryanna wasn't with us. Turning back, we heard her shuffling around on the ground, trying to stand up. Kelsey made a move to go back to help her friend, but only a second later, Sosa burst through the door. Bryanna had climbed to her feet, but she had no time to run away, and Sosa grabbed her arm.
Kelsey and I backed up as fast as we could, keeping our eyes on Sosa, who held Bryanna's arm with his left hand while he brandished his pistol in the other. The moonlight glinted faintly off of the cold metal of the gun, which he pointed in our direction.
Ethan's Secret (James Madison Series Book 2) Page 25
