Page 17 of The Hitchhikers

When Alice was finished, she washed her hands, brushed her teeth, and scraped her messy hair back into a ponytail. She barely glanced at herself in the mirror.

She opened the door. Simon was in the kitchen area, cutting their coil of yellow rope into long segments with a knife. A big one, with a fancy handle. Wasthatthe murder weapon? Had he been carrying it under his clothes the entire time? She caught her breath and met his eyes.

“Nice of you to bring this rope along,” he said. “It’s going to come in handy.”

Alice hovered near the table, unsure of what to do with herself. Simon finished cutting the rope and slid the knife into a leather sheath on his hip. He untied Tom. Alice winced, watching Tomease off the bed, stopping a few times to rest. He held his injured arm across his chest, his other hand cupping his elbow. Finally, he was standing, with Simon beside him.

“Give me your wallet.”

Tom was quiet, studying Simon’s face. His good hand clenched.

Alice watched, agonized.Don’t do anything stupid, Tom! Just give it to him.

“I know it’s in your back pocket, man.”

“You’ll have to get it out.” Tom turned around and Simon tugged the brown leather wallet free. She’d given it to Tom last Christmas. A small wedding photo of them was inside.

While Simon thumbed through the wallet, Tom staggered to the bathroom. He was being so careful not to bump his arm, but she could tell that every step hurt. His ribs, his shoulder, and wherever else he was injured. She reached for him, wanting to help, but Simon pushed her away.

“Sit at the table.”

Alice sat across from Jenny—who dared to smile. When she caught Alice’s glare, she dropped her smile and looked away. Tom came out of the bathroom, his face drained of color. He stumbled to the bed and collapsed onto the mattress. The RV rocked.

Simon pulled the cash out of Tom’s wallet, counting the bills. “Forty bucks. That all? Thought you were rich Americans.” He went through the wallet again and this time he found the traveler’s checks. “Now we’re talking.” Alice knew that there were five checks. Each one worth twenty dollars. She’d watched Tom slide them in carefully so that they didn’t crease. Simon now added them to his own wallet. He tossed Tom’s back, and it landed on his chest with a thud.

Simon looked around the RV, his eyes narrowed, then moved over to the closet and opened it. He quickly found the gun case,still unlocked, and pulled out a blue box. The extra bullets. He left the wood case in the closet but shoved the box of bullets into his backpack.

He turned to Tom. “You got any more weapons?”

“I only had the gun.”

Simon clearly didn’t believe him because he continued searching the closet, the area around the bed, the cupboards above. Alice watched from the table, her hands clenching underneath. She nearly sobbed when he lifted the edge of the mattress and pulled out the knife.

He looked at Tom. “You’re really starting to piss me off.”

“He didn’t know,” Alice said in a rush. “It was me. I hid it.”

Without saying a word, Simon opened the RV door and flung the knife outside. Was anyone walking past? Did someone see? Simon slammed the door shut.

“Where’s your purse?”

Alice gestured to the front of the RV. He found her purse where she’d left it hidden halfway under the passenger’s seat, opened her wallet, and took two tens, which he shoved into his pocket. He had their money, their weapons, and their RV. They were truly at his mercy now.

She needed a moment to breathe, to think. “Can I get changed?”

Simon walked back to the table, stopping by Jenny’s shoulder. “Leave the curtain open.”

“I’m not going to change in front of you.”

“Guess you’re not getting changed.”

“What if I close it partway?”

He held her gaze, then said, “Only if I can see Tom.”

“He still needs Tylenol and ice.”

Simon made an annoyed sound, but he got a bag of frozen corn, and shook out two pills from the bottle of Tylenol. Tom had to swallow them dry, and he grimaced when Simon droppedthe corn onto his shoulder. At least Simon put the thawed bag of peas back into the freezer.