Page 34 of Broken
He only nodded, and I hoped Vix would call soon, because I didn’t want to stay here any longer than necessary. The Spiders and Walter would be looking everywhere for us, and I hoped no one could listen in on my conversations with Vix. TheCobras’ tech, Mick, had probably found a way to secure the line, but I’d have to tell Vix to be as vague as possible with the details since we couldn’t risk someone following us to that hotel. I truly hoped they wouldn’t find us.
AFTER VIX GAVE ME ALL the information about the hotel, we immediately headed there, but it took us a few hours to find the best route so no one would see us or realize where we were going.
We were just across from the hotel and hiding behind a thick tree trunk. There was a nice park surrounding the hotel, which was almost at the edge of the city, and luckily, this area didn’tbelong to any gang. The only problem was that there were a lot of people, and even though they might not be a threat to us, we still had to make sure no one saw us. It was getting dark, though, so that would help us a bit, but there were a lot of lights in and out of the hotel.
“How are we going to reach the back door?” I asked. As Vix had requested, the door would be unlocked today, but ifwe didn’t get inside soon, they’d close it and then it would be much harder for us to reach the room, especially when we weren’t overly familiar with the layout of the hotel. Vix could have told me more over the phone, since the Cobras’ tech guy, Mick, had claimed the line was secure, but we hadn’t wanted to risk it.
Theo looked around, then nodded toward one of the shops. “We should disguiseourselves.”
My eyebrows shot up, because on the way here, he’d told me we shouldn’t go to any of the shops because of the potential cameras and spies. “But if we’re seen in there...”
“Oh, but we’re not going inside,” he said, and I frowned.
“I don’t understand.”
“Look closer.” His lips turned up.
I focused my gaze in the direction of the shop and realized he must’ve beenindicating a bus station that was nearby instead. A group of people was waiting there with their suitcases and bags. “Did you just suggest we steal one of those people’s suitcases?”
His answer was a wide grin.
I groaned. “Come on! We’re not going to do that. Those people are probably on vacation here and the last thing they need is a missing bag.” Not to mention it wouldn’t be easy toget there and take a bag without being seen. But then again, there were plenty of people and they were busy chatting, and some of their bags were a bit farther away from watchful eyes.
“It’s not our fault if they’re not careful enough. Besides, if they can afford that hotel, they can buy new clothes.”
“I don’t know. What if someone sees us?”
“Look at them. They’re tourists. They don’teven know the Spiders exist, and they won’t contact them. I can go and snatch one of those bags without anyone noticing. I’m sure of it. And there don’t seem to be any cameras around here.”
I eyed him for a moment. “Okay, but I’ll make fun of you if you pick up a bag with some weird stuff in it.”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.” He flashed me a smile, then headed toward the bus station, keepingclose to the trees and hedge. I supposed he already had someone in mind, so I wondered who it was. A few moments later, he disappeared from view. I kept looking in the direction of the station, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.
The people were still talking and laughing about something, and then their bus arrived, blocking my view. I waited near the tree, wondering where Theo was. What ifsomeone had seen him or if Walter and the Spiders had shown up? My stomach did a nervous flip when the bus went away, leaving the station empty.
“Boo,” Theo said behind my back, and I yelped.
“Seriously?” I shot him a glare. “I was worried about you.”
“Why?” Amusement flashed in his eyes. “Did you think some old lady saw me and was trying to beat me up with her purse?”
“Well,yeah.” My gaze fell on the black duffel bag in his hand. “Is that some guy’s clothes?”
He only grinned at me and bobbed his head toward the bushes. “Let’s go over there.”
When he opened the bag, he pulled out two hoodies. “Which one do you want?”
“The black one,” I said, and he handed it to me so I could put it on. He took the dark gray one with a yellow symbol on it and grabbed apair of shades out of the bag. There was also a black scarf, which I wrapped around my neck so I could easily cover my mouth and nose if I needed to. “If anyone sees us, they’re going to think we’re robbers and call the cops.”
“Nah. They’ll just think we’re very weird tourists.”
“Yeah, I can say I have a skin condition or something.” I chuckled.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
“A little.” I’d enjoy this a whole lot more if there wasn’t a chance we were going to end up in the Spiders’ web. “I wonder how the Spiders got their name. Did a spider fall on Jerome’s shoulder one day and he got this awesome idea for a gang name?”
“Maybe.” Theo focused on the hotel. “We should get going. It’s dark enough. We’ll go through the park and to the parking lot. It should beeasier to reach the back door that way, but we’ll have to be careful of the cameras and not look up at them no matter what.”