Wanted

by Ho, Jo

  The man smiled at us cheerfully causing my stomach to twist in knots. It didn’t feel right for us to be standing there while they spoke about something so personal, so I led Bandit off the bus and we waited outside.

  I couldn’t hear the words Sully spoke, but I had a clear line of sight to the driver’s face. He went through a whole gamut of emotions. Sunny, then questioning, which changed to concern, and finally fear. His dark eyes roamed the sidewalk for Bandit. When he found him, there was a gratefulness I didn’t expect to see. News delivered, Sully reached across and shook his hand. The driver, though shell-shocked, remained calm and resolute as he took it. Sully climbed down the stairs and joined us outside.

  “Did he believe you?” I asked him.

  “Yeah.”

  “Did he know already?”

  “No, but he suspected something was wrong. Been feeling a lump in that same region for a while. Didn’t get it checked out in case it was nothing. Said he couldn’t afford to waste the examination fee since his company doesn’t provide insurance.” He fell silent, his thoughts with the jovial driver whose day he had just crushed. “I told him the best cure is to take preventative measures.”

  We both fell silent; anything we might have said felt redundant. Suddenly, Bandit walked back onto the bus, and very deliberately, laid his bone down by the driver’s feet. Licking the man’s hand, he nudged him with his nose — guess that was his way of saying “take care of yourself” — then returned to us. The driver stared at Bandit, open-mouthed. I was feeling pretty awed myself.

  Sully looked down at Bandit. “You may have just saved a man’s life there.”

  For once Bandit looked solemn.

  CHAPTER 48

  CHASE

  We headed down the boardwalk, following the blinking lights of Caeser’s Palace along the horizon. We’d been going a while when Sully stopped us outside a dive of a motel. I took in his choice of establishment, frowning. Of all the places on this street to choose…There was a much nicer bed and breakfast across the way, but Sully shook his head and pointed.

  Of all the places here, this was the only one without CCTV cameras.

  Rifling through his backpack, he fished out some items bought from the dollar store and handed a pair of scissors and hair dye to me. “Not sure how attached you are to being a blonde, but I think it’s best if we alter our appearance.”

  I glanced at the box of dye and shrugged. “Brunette would make a nice change.”

  We headed to the reception desk, which was manned by a twenty-something guy with punk hair. Heavy metal blasted from his iPhone, which he didn’t bother pausing to serve us. Just pointed at a sign, “$50 per night”, got Sully to fill in a check-in form (he lied on just about everything), then handed us a key.

  Sully took the key, and we moved past the reception desk and down the dark corridor. The decor was Icksville. Without thinking, I reached out and touched the raised wallpaper. It was a wine red color with an old fashioned design, like something you’d see in an old Western movie. Made of some kind of brushed material, it felt greasy to touch, and I immediately regretted my decision to examine it without a pair of hazmat gloves. Yellow with age, wrought iron lamps flickered at us as dust collected on the rims. The floral carpet, which couldn’t have seen a clean this side of the century, stuck to my sneakers as I walked over it. I waited until we were out of earshot before asking Sully the obvious question.

  “How are we affording the room?”

  Sully gave me a look that I think was meant to be confident, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. “With our winnings.”

  I shot him a look. “You know that’s the kind of thing a gamblerholic says, right?”

  He shrugged. “I have every faith in Bandit.”

  Hearing his name, Bandit chuffed at us, though he still seemed a little down. I think he was feeling guilty about the driver. I made up my mind to cheer him up once we had some privacy.

  Several identical doors passed by with faded brass numbers. When Sully reached twenty-eight, he stopped in front of it. “This is it.”

  He unlocked the door and we stepped inside. Thankfully, the walls here were a lighter shade than the murder red in the hall. This was a pale green: I think the designers amongst you would consider it “mint”. The carpet was the same as outside, but didn’t look as sick-inducing with these walls. Two narrow single beds were separated by a dark wooden side table. On it lay a phone and a bible. Seeing the book, Bandit gave it an exploratory sniff.

  “That’s one book you probably won’t want to read. Nothing but doom, gloom, and hellfire,” I said.

  He shot me a questioning look but took my word for it, as he padded off to investigate the adjoining bathroom. Sully had taken a seat on a battered armchair by the window. We had a nice view of a back alley, but at least there were no bars across the window. You get that a lot more in urban places like New York or Chicago. Guess Atlantic City didn’t see too much excitement. I was relieved by this since my claustrophobic self didn’t like to feel locked in. A flash of memory darted across my mind.

  I was younger and locked in a small closet, punishment for one of the many crimes Tubs regularly decided I was guilty of. The darkness was suffocating. I lay down on my stomach and pressed my face to the thin crack at the base of the door, desperate for a hit of air. I could hear the radio blasting in the next room, while Tubs and Ma argued. From experience, I knew they would be some time. Fighting to remain calm, I chanted the alphabet backwards in my head until eventually, I fell into an exhausted sleep.

  I shook myself from the unwanted trip down memory lane. See how much fun life was before now? Made running away from mercenaries with shotguns a picnic. Almost.

  I turned my attention to a small TV that was fixed to a bracket on the wall. It looked as ancient as the carpet. If I turned it on, would the whole thing explode? Feeling brave, I plucked the remote from one of the beds and hit “on”.

  The monitor flickered to life. Despite appearances, it was working fine. A woman with glowing skin was extolling the virtues of a 12 step detox system which looked exactly like green puke in a bottle. You too could have a complexion like hers if you drank a puke drink three times a day! Seriously, is this what people get up to when they have money?

  I pushed the channel button, flicking through until Jeopardy came on. This wasn’t my type of show, but at least it wasn’t inane infomercial chatter either. I left the TV on and moved into the bathroom to inspect Sully’s recent purchases. The hair dye looked strong; I hoped it wouldn’t sting. I’d read somewhere that some people had these crazy allergic reactions to the dye where their scalps literally burned off. I seriously hoped that wouldn’t be the case with me. I was kinda attached to my hair. Grease and all.

  Bandit, who had found nothing of interest in here, wandered back into the main area. Seeing the television, he jumped onto a bed, before he settled down with his head on his paws, and proceeded to quietly watch the quiz show.

  I almost slapped my head when I realized. Quiz show.

  “Boy, you are gonna love this.”

  CHAPTER 49

  SULLY

  The sound of television babble drowned out the ache that was intermittently attacking my heart. Seeing Chase’s joy on the boardwalk, I had had to turn my face away so she wouldn’t see my pain. Emma had loved the wildness of the ocean. Their first trip away had been to a seaside similar to this. The colorful balloons and sweet smell of the cotton candy brought on another onslaught of bittersweet memories. Emma would never experience this again.

  A woman laughed close by, her voice clear and jubilant. Full of life, and so like Emma’s. I felt a tightness in my chest when I realized that as time passed, I would forget what her laughter sounded like, how she smelled like freshly washed cotton. I squeezed my eyes together and pictured her now, laughing with her arms outstretched, twirling in circles in our bedroom. I made a mental note: twirling. I must never forget how she was.

  But then the bedroom burst into flames.


  I flinched, rapidly crashing back to the present. Emma’s things, the items I had been saving, evidence of our life together — it was all gone in a puff of smoke. I swallowed and turned my attention to the dog who hadn’t taken his eyes from the television set since he had first discovered it. As the presenter asked a question, Bandit fidgeted, making a low whining sound. He knew the answer. As the contestant answered correctly, Bandit chuffed, pleased with himself, tongue lolling out goofily.

  Despite my mood, I smiled.

  CHAPTER 50

  CHASE

  It took close to two hours, but when I emerged from the bathroom, I looked like a whole new person.

  Gone was my shoulder length blond hair. In its place was a choppy, shorter cut that barely covered my ears. And I was now a brunette. Surprisingly, this color and style made my eyes seem even bluer. As part of my new disguise, I had ringed them with heavy black kohl, but kept my cheeks and lips neutral (the goal was to look different and not like a clown). Although the dark dye was a little harsh on my skin and made me look paler than I actually am, I was still a total babe! And bonus, I looked several years older.

  Jeopardy had long finished and Bandit was now watching an early episode of The Simpsons. When I appeared, he leapt off the bed and pranced around me, whining. I looked at Sully, who hadn’t moved from his seat. He shook his head, no, he didn’t know what was eating at Bandit either.

  Bandit spun around and pawed at the alphabet book, opening it. His paw spun through the pages like lightening, so we could barely keep up with him.

  “He’s memorized them,” Sully’s said, awed.

  “What?”

  “He’s memorized them. See how he’s barely glancing at the pages?”

  I gave this some consideration. “Are you telling me, on top of being Einstein, he has super powers?”

  Bandit stopped pawing the book, looked up at us, and gave two strong barks.

  “Guess he’s just your run of the mill genius dog then,” Sully deadpanned. I think Bandit appreciated the joke as his tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth again.

  He found the page he was looking for and pawed it deliberately. We were at P. Bradley the Bumble Bee was hovering over a Princess who sang to him, causing the bee to swoon deliriously mid-flight. My brows furrowed into a frown. “You want me to sing?” I couldn’t hide the incredulous tone in my voice.

  Sully laughed. “I think he’s paying you a compliment, Chase.”

  I looked back at the picture before I finally got it. “I look like a princess? But I’m in jeans.”

  Sully and the dog both rolled their eyes like a comical duo. If I’d had a camera to record the moment, I guarantee it would’ve got a billion hits on YouTube.

  “He thinks you look pretty,” Sully spelled out. Bandit barked once, confirming the translation. With horror, I felt the beginnings of a blush on my cheeks.

  “Whatever,” was my gracious reply, but neither of them seemed bothered by it. Sully looked away, allowing me some time to recover, but the dog just grinned at me. Needing to change the subject, I fixed critical eyes on Sully. “Well that’s one down. One to go.”

  His confused brown eyes met mine.

  “Time for your quick change.”

  Sully glanced nervously at the scissors in my hand. “You do know how to use those, right?”

  I nodded. “Course. Don’t be such a baby.”

  CHAPTER 51

  SULLY

  The wind whistled through my newly shorn hair. It was a pleasant, if unfamiliar, feeling. Chase, it turned out, wasn’t bad with the scissors. She’d mumbled something about cutting her mom’s hair, before she realized what she was saying and clammed up. One day, I was going to have to talk to her about where she came from. Holding onto bad things wasn’t good for the soul. This was something I knew very well.

  We’d left the motel and headed down the sunny promenade with only one goal in mind — to make money. The kids were revelling in the sights and sounds of the holiday town, forgetting for a moment the predicament we were in. They marvelled at the colorful, toy-like buildings, played hide and seek inside a lifesize model of a Monopoly board, and splurged on a bag of cotton candy. I, however, had tuned everything out.

  An idea was milling around inside my head, an end goal of sorts, but for me, it would be a last resort. I knew we couldn’t keep running forever. We needed a safe location, somewhere remote, where they could blend into the countryside and wait until the heat died down. I knew the perfect place, but I needed time to get used to the idea. There was a reason the past stayed buried, but if we chose to go down that road, old wounds would be opened up.

  The kids were now gaping at the flashy lights and tacky decor of the Taj Mahal Casino. Gold-etched domes battled against gaudy red lettering. I didn’t need to look into my pockets to know how much money we had left. It was such a pittance, it wouldn’t see us through another day. When we had first decided to come here, Chase had explained how Bandit had learned to play poker — and how they could use his special abilities to bend the rules. She was a resourceful and creative kid, and the idea certainly had merit, but since arriving here and doing a little reconnaissance, I knew it would never work. They wouldn’t be able to cheat the system — not with all the guards and cameras in place, something we hadn’t bargained on, prior to hatching our plan. So now, it was onto plan b… Despite how any attention drawn to us would be a bad thing, I knew we had to risk it. We would do this just once to see where it would get us.

  Across the way was a convenience store, where a teenage boy exited, carrying a supersized Big Gulp. Seeing him, I turned to the kids.

  “Wait here.”

  I jogged over into the store, casually sauntered over to the soda fountain, and grabbed several paper cups. As I made his way to the exit, the store clerk yelled across to me.

  “You can’t take those unless you’re buying a drink”.

  I waved and smiled. “My kid just bought one, but if I let him have the whole thing, we’ll be stopping for restroom breaks every half hour. Better I share it with him.”

  The clerk stared at me, not buying the story. I pointed out the window, at the back of supersized Big Gulp boy, who was now helpfully sitting outside on a bench, sipping his drink. Without waiting for another response, I left the store quickly and returned to Chase and Bandit, both watching me the whole time, full of questions.

  My eyes searched the street, until they landed on a corner that seemed perfect. No cameras, just a blocked off alley behind them. If we got into trouble, there would be plenty of time to see and get a head start. I gestured to the kids. “I have an idea how we can make some quick money, but it’s risky.”

  Chase frowned at me, immediately concerned, while Bandit just looked at me, head tilted at an angle.

  “Got the idea from you actually, Chase.”

  Her frown intensified. “OK, now I’m really worried,” she said.

  CHAPTER 52

  CHASE

  Sully laid out his plan for us, but I was freaking out. We’d spent all this time keeping out of sight, and now he wanted us to solicit attention? How did that make sense?

  “I’m not exactly comfortable with the idea myself, but we need cash and we need it now. What’s the harm in trying?” He looked at me not unreasonably, I hated to admit.

  “Fine.” It was anything but, however, he had a point. We sat on the ground, Bandit before us, as Sully handed me over two plastic cups that he’d lifted from the convenience store. He left one upturned on the ground before us, then took the remaining two cups for himself. I watched as he turned them upside down then began hitting them on the ground in a catchy rhythm. His head nodded to the beat as he encouraged me to do the same. Seemed simple enough to do.

  I fumbled a bit initially, but soon got the hang of it. When I had it down, Sully changed his own cupping to a beat that complemented my own. By this point, we had already caught the attention of a few passers-by. Sully cleared his throat, then star
ted singing a well-known country song in a deep baritone. To my surprise, he was good — really good. The whole thing sounded great. Then, our icing on the cake, our secret weapon, Bandit, began to sing. He had impeccable timing and only howled when Sully nodded. The gathering audience who at first simply enjoyed the performance, was now charmed by Bandit’s antics. One by one, they dropped first coins, then bills into our cup. Thrilled by our success, Bandit decided to crank it up a notch by adding dancing moves to his repertoire, lifting opposite paws and prancing around. By now, folk were clapping and singing along. At the end of the performance, they gave us a huge round of applause. I was amazed! Some people moved on, but quite a few stayed for another track, until the crowd grew even bigger.

  Based on my reaction in the hotel room, you’ve probably gathered by now that singing isn’t really a thing I do well, so hearing how naturally it came to Sully, I was a little jealous. I’d love to have a skill or talent that didn’t involve just trying to stay alive. Following Sully’s lead, we blew through some twenty or so numbers. By the late afternoon, his voice was getting a little hoarse. Bandit too, needed a break. He’d long stopped dancing, choosing to just howl along.

  “I think that’s a wrap,” Sully said.

  We crowded around the cup, which had been emptied a few times already, and counted out the day’s earnings. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  “Two hundred bucks? All we did was sing?!”

  Sully smiled, though he didn’t seem quite as excited as I was.

  “We’re going to need more than that to get to where we need to go.” He pocketed the cash, then threw the cups into a trash cash. My mouth fell open.

  “What’re you doing? We need those for tomorrow! Why would you throw them away?” I went to retrieve them, but Sully stopped me.