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‘That’s not –’ she started, and a rage settled over her.

‘What?’

‘Someone messed with the roof,’ she said, stalking over to it. ‘It’s been put back wrong. They’ve been in my car.’

‘Let’s go,’ I said immediately. ‘Brooke. We need to go.’

‘I know,’ she said, glancing at me, and I could see my panic reflected in her eyes.

I jogged over to the passenger door and let myself in. By the time I was done buckling my seatbelt, Brooke was pulling out of the space.

‘We left our bags in the room,’ she said suddenly as she pulled out into downtown traffic. ‘With all the cash in them.’

‘We can find a public lot and park the car, then come back for the bags later when the police have left,’ I said. My heart was hammering in a way it hadn’t since St. Louis. I felt the tension crackling between us, nervous energy being shared back and forth.

‘Shit, Jessie,’ Brooke said, slamming her hands down on the steering wheel. ‘We’re so fucking close.’

‘I know, Brooke,’ I said. ‘I know.’

We were half a block away from the hotel when the sirens started.

20

Ready to Die– The Notorious B.I.G.

Brooke drove too fast, weaving through traffic, erratic enough that I was sure someone would have called the cops even if there weren’t already two police cars on our tail.

She banked quickly as she turned to go down a side street, the whole car leaning into the bend.

‘Fuck!’ Brooke exclaimed.

A car was blocking our exit, its hazard lights blinking pathetically. A few seconds later, the police blocked the street behind us. With high brick walls on either side of us, there was nowhere to go.

We were trapped.

‘Oh my God, Brooke,’ I whimpered.

She dropped her head, and I watched as her hands, still gripping the steering wheel, went white-knuckled. When she looked up at me, she had a haunted look in her eyes and a determined tightness to her jaw.

‘Do you trust me?’ she demanded.

‘Yes, of course.’

‘I need you to play along. There’s no time to explain, but just go along with what I’m saying, okay?’

‘Yeah.’ I nodded. ‘Yes. I can do that.’

‘Okay. Get out and come around to this side of the car. Slowly. Please.’ Her voice broke on the ‘please’.

I didn’t know what Brooke was planning, but she clearly had something in mind, and I trusted her – more than anyone, more thanmyself. I was shaking, and she noticed. She leaned in and kissed me hard, once, on the lips.

‘Go!’

I nodded and unbuckled my seatbelt with trembling fingers. Brooke started reaching into the glove box and my confused brain tried to figure out what she needed a cassette tape for right now. I swung myself out of the car, slammed the door closed and forced myself to look at the people who had been chasing us since we left Seattle.

‘Jessie Swift!’

‘Hands up!’