Take Me Tomorrow

Chapter Five: Run if Anything Happens

"This," Miles complained, "is the help you got?"

Broden nodded proudly, but I crossed my arms. "You two could walk," I threatened. The black Jeep, which now had a night pass sticker, rumbled behind me, the orange fog lights allowing me to see in the dark.

Miles and Broden were dressed in black sweaters and pants. While Broden kept his short hair free, Miles tucked his shoulder-length curls under a beanie. "I'm not walking," he muttered, "but you shouldn't be here."

I tensed. "I thought we were friends."

"We are," Miles clarified, but Broden interrupted our mediocre argument.

"I asked her to be here," he explained before looking at me. "Miles doesn't want you involved because it isn't safe."

"I didn't invite Lily for a reason," Miles grumbled. His right eye twitched, and he rubbed it. "If you've already forgotten, this is illegal."

Broden tilted his head toward the Jeep. "We won't get caught."

Miles looked at the parked vehicle. Even he understood that the government sticker allowed us to travel without question. "How did you even get that?" He knew my father took his Jeep with him everywhere. The car I had was Lyn's.

"Tell him you stole it," Broden whispered, and I laughed, knowing Miles would pull his hair out if I increased the list of laws we were breaking.

Miles glared. "Seriously, guys," he whined. "I'm risking my entire reputation on this. I should know everything that's happening."

"Don't worry so much," Broden said, walking right past us. The orange lights illuminated his face before he got into the Jeep. He waited.

Miles wouldn't move, but I made him. "You two won't even tell me what's going on," I defended. "Stop complaining."

Miles was taken aback. "Broden didn't explain?"

I shook my head, and Miles stared at the car. "Tell me how you got the car, and I'll explain everything when we get in."

I smirked at our deal. "It's Lyn's," I reminded him of her nurse job.

Miles looked at me as if he had never seen me before. "You stole her car."

"Borrowed." I winked. "She won't notice. She's resting for her double shift." In reality, Lyn had given it to me willingly. She was practically a Gray, and Grays broke the rules. Our only rule was simple − if you get caught, no one else knew about it. We wouldn't take one another down with our own actions, but we would try to help each other out of the repercussions if we could. That's where my dad normally came in handy.

Miles pointed toward the night pass. "You're sure this will work?"

"Positive," I promised as Broden stuck his head out of the passenger window and tapped the roof of the Jeep.

"Are we going or not?" he asked loudly. He ignored the fact that Miles' mom, Ms. Beckett, might hear him in the street.

"Coming," Miles hissed as we ran to the Jeep, ready to drive toward the lumberyard.

#

"There's really nothing to know other than we're meeting an old friend," Broden said, his eyes locked on the dark streets outside the window. It was a rare occasion for a minor to be able to witness Topeka's streets at night.

The Jeep swayed with the road. We passed the correctional institute for girls that Lily often volunteered at, and I wondered if Miles' twin was aware of her brother's actions. As far as I knew, we would drive to the offices outside of the lumberyard and enter the forest that way. The parking lots would be closed off at this hour, but the boys were unfazed by that fact. They, apparently, had a plan. Somehow, I wasn't surprised. Even then, I knew they weren't telling me everything. Meeting near the lumberyards was beyond dangerous. The unloading docks were a fortress. After all, our country ran off of them.