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“How do we get the nuts off the tire?” I asked examining the tire.

Wally held up an X-shaped metal tool. “It’s called a lug wrench. Come on, we may need to use our combined strength to get them off.”

Wally positioned one end of the wrench on the lug nut and pushed. Nothing happened. I joined him, pushing with all my strength, and, still, nothing happened. Finally, in desperation, I stood on the lug wrench while Wally pushed, and finally the nut budged.

“Yes!” I shouted as Wally began to spin it off. We repeated the action four more times until we could remove the tire using just our hands on the wrench. Now came the easier part of putting the spare tire on, replacing the lug nuts, and tightening them.

We worked quickly and surprisingly efficiently once we got into a rhythm. Once the tire was on, we threw the jack, the ruined tire, and the wrench into the trunk and got back on the road. Wally stepped on the gas, and we screeched forward. I held my breath until it was clear the tire was holding.

“We’re ten minutes late,” I said, glancing at the clock in the car. “He might have already left.”

“Or he might still be there,” Wally countered. “We’re about to find out.”

About a half a mile from the station, the road turned to pavement. Wally floored it, and we rocketed into the station. The headlights trailed past the station to the tracks and the awaiting boxcar. I caught a fleeting glimpse of a hunched figure running along the tracks away from the railcar.

“Stop!” I shouted at Wally.

He slammed on the brakes, bringing the car into a sideways skid. I jumped out of the car before the vehicle had come to a full stop, leaving the door open behind me. I started running toward where I’d seen the runner.

“Hey!” Wally yelled as I sprinted away. “Where are you going?”

“Stop!” I shouted, running along the tracks where I’d seen the shadow figure. “I saw you! I’m here.” I stumbled several times, lucky I hadn’t face-planted in the darkness yet.

No one responded to my calls. I kept running, circling back toward the station, checking between old crates and boxes, my panicked breath coming in hitches. I didn’t see or hear anything. I finally had to assume whoever I was chasing was gone. I leaned on an old crate to catch my breath.

At that point, it hit me. I’d failed. My dad wasn’t here. Maybe the person I’d been chasing had been homeless or a teen hanging out, and I’d just scared the crap out of them. Or maybe I’d gotten the riddle all wrong.

I’m so sorry, Mom. I’m a failure.

I headed back to the station and Wally, despair sweeping over me. I hadn’t gone far when an arm snaked around my neck from behind, choking off my breath.

Chapter Twenty-Four

ANGEL SINCLAIR

I struggled to no avail. My assailant stood behind me, just out of reach, and had an iron grip around my neck. I dug my nails into the arms until the pressure around my neck eased.

I stumbled away, coughing. Turning around, I cautiously eyed the dark shadow who’d held me.

“Angel?”

“Who…are you?” I croaked.

The figure moved closer. “Oh my God. It’s you. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Air flooded back into my lungs. “Dad?” So many emotions raced through me that I couldn’t think. Exhilaration, relief, fear, anger, confusion, and hurt. All rolled into one huge ball stuffed into my throat and gut. I needed a minute to process what had just happened and calm the rapid beat of my heart.

He took a tentative step toward me. “Did I hurt you? I thought it was a trap.”

“I’m fine,” I managed to say. “No problem.”

I’d imagined meeting my dad in a million different ways, and not a single one of them had been this way. Even though I’d actually spoken to him when I’d first encountered him in the café near UTOP, I hadn’t known he was my dad then. Now I knew, but nothing was going as expected.

That summed up my life in a nutshell.

“Come on,” he said, gently taking my arm and leading me back toward the boxcar. “We need to talk. I didn’t see anyone following you, but I heard someone shouting. Someone you arrived with. A friend, I presume.”

“That’s Wally. He’s with me. We had a flat tire. I thought I’d missed you.”