If You Fall

Forty Seven

I fell asleep instead.

Amanda's voice woke me up some time later. "Hope you don't take long to get ready, because I don't want them to get too far ahead."

That took me a moment as I was mostly asleep but it struck me like cold water when I did get it. "Oh that motherfucker," I said helplessly, almost falling out of the otherwise empty bed. "I'll fucking kill him."

"Yeah, well, I saw it coming, so I'm ready." She was calm, a backpack over one shoulder, dressed in jeans and a hoodie. "He's not as sneaky as he likes to think. That, and I taught him just about everything he knows."

"Fucking fuck," I yelled, kicking a pile of clothes on my way to the bathroom. "I"ll fucking kill him," I said again, tears of rage pouring from my eyes as I stood at the counter, shaking, trying to get my shit together as I braced myself. "What time is it?" I sat down to pee.

"Just after nine," she called through the door. "They just left. Don't worry too much; I have a gps tracker on the Jeep. Not that he knows that."

That relieved me enough to allow me to focus. I opened the bathroom door and found my jeans. "He lied to me," I said reproachfully, wiping my face angrily.

She didn't balk in the face of what had to be pretty intense resentment, which obviously wasn't directed at her. "He did the only thing he could, in his eyes," she said gently, almost apologetically.

I glared at her as I got my phone. "If you agree then why are you doing this?"

She moved so I could get past her. "I may understand, but that doesn't mean I agree. I think you have a right to go, if you're really careful."

Thank God. I got my purse and my charger. I couldn't believe he'd tricked me like that. "I'll fucking kill him," I said a third time, looking around at the empty place while my mind spun.

"I know," she said sympathetically, and I followed her to her car.

She drove and didn't try to talk as I fumed and fretted while I put on my makeup.

It was an hour before I'd settled down. "Did you know all along?"

She nodded. "Don't let it bother you that you didn't. He's a good actor." She sipped from her travel cup of coffee and messed with the radio stations. She was driving fast, and at this rate would make the eight hour trip in under six.

"Did Dane?"

"Probably not until Reed woke him up."

That made me feel a little better. "This sucks." I checked my phone, resisting the urge to call him and ask him what the fuck he thought he was doing.

An hour after that my eyelids were drooping. 

"Get a little rest if you can," she advised. "I know you're tired."

"Are you okay to drive?" I asked, yawning.

She shot me an amused look. "I'm fine. This is nothing. I'll wake you up if anything happens."

I fell asleep right away, and had scattered dreams of bad guys and gunshots and screaming.

I woke later and she was talking on her hands-free phone. "Eddie. It's Mandy. You guys still have a location on Antoinne?" She listened. "No, I'm trying to catch up with Intou, I've got his girl here with me. He is? Fuck! Okay, thanks. Yeah, I'm sure they are. Don't tell them we're here."

I got hung up on the his girl part but shook it off. The stereo clock said 3:13.

She disconnected the call and glanced at me. "Hi, so, apparently the asshole's at this scummy club downtown, and Eddie already told Reed. And he just got there."