Page 95 of The Hitchhikers

“Just wrap it up.”

She spread a dollop of ointment on one of the gauze pads, placed it over the wound, and taped it down. She watched his profile. His eyes were flicking back and forth, scanning the yard. Sweat rolled from his forehead down his cheek. He wiped it away with his forearm.

“Are they still behind the car?”

“Think so, but they might try to get to the barn.”

“What are we going to do?” She stuffed the pads, ointment, and tape into her pocket.

“We’re getting out of here.”

“The truck—”

“I was coming to tell you that it’s ready.”

If only the cops had come a little bit later. They’d have been gone.

“We need Alice. I can’t drive and shoot.”

“I might be able to drive the truck.”

“Through the garage with cops shooting at you?”

She had no answer for that.

He leaned forward, lining up the rifle’s sights in the window.

“Come here. I need you to keep the rifle on them while I get Alice. If they see the barrel sticking out, they probably won’t move. If they do, shoot them.”

“I can’t shoot a cop!”

“Shoot near them. Or over their head. I just need them to stay where they are.” He kept his body low as he moved from the window to the wall, then he ran hunched over to the kitchen.

She could smell the farm through the broken window. Hay and dust. One of the horses, or maybe both of them, were running up and down the fence line. She could hear hooves pounding and loud huffing and blowing sounds.

She lifted the curtain away from the corner. The horse was definitely running back and forth, but she couldn’t tell if it was injured. The black-and-white police car sat in the middle of the driveway. The windows were shattered and the tires deflating. The rear one was nearly flat.

That was when she saw the drag marks in the dust around the car, and the trail of blood.

CHAPTER 34JENNY

Jenny heard the slam of the hatch and risked a look over her shoulder to see Simon pushing the table back into place, while Alice stood nearby. She was staring at Jenny in the living room, at the broken glass across the floor, then back at Simon, and his arm.

“What’s going on?” she said. “Who shot you?”

“Be quiet,” Simon said. “And stay down.”

Alice frowned, then crouched and followed him into the living room.

Jenny snapped her head back around. She shouldn’t have taken her eye off the police car. Were they still behind it? What if they had moved when she was looking away? They could be closer to the house. Or in the barn. The sun was lower now and casting long shadows.

Simon and Alice were beside her. She felt the heat of Simon’s chest as he pressed close, his breath against her neck as he looked over her shoulder through the gap in the curtain.

“Who’s outside?” Alice said. “Why did they shoot you?”

“Cops. I shot one. Maybe both, but someone’s still firing back.”

Alice sucked in a breath. “You shot a cop? Are you out of yourmind?”