Swipe

seemed just a little . . . off.
    A good crowd for Peck to hang around with, Erin decided.
    She watched the scene inside for a good fifteen minutes before her concentration received a startling interruption.
    “This was not the plan. This was not the plan!”
    “ Man , Logan, you just about scared me to death!”
    Logan was out of breath and wheezing. “Good! How could you be so careless? Do you have any idea where you are right now? This is Slog Row at midnight , Erin! What are you thinking ?”
    Erin was dismissive. “Relax. I wouldn’t have come if this wasn’t important.”
    “Important to who?”
    “Important to you ! I’m trying to help you, you idiot!”
    “Important to me ? You’re important to me, Erin. Don’t you get that?”
    Erin looked quickly down at her tablet, pretending to watch the security video feed. She didn’t know what to say.
    “And don’t act like you’re doing this for me. We both know you’re just trying to get back to Beacon.”
    Erin cleared her throat. “Anyway, now that you’re here, you can be of some use. By the looks of it, the beggars are fleeing out back. Smart choice, not to expose themselves in the parking lot.”
    Logan sighed. “And what exactly are we planning once they exit?”
    “We’re going to follow them. I think we should approach from different angles. If they split up, so do we. I don’t think we can take the rollerstick. It’s quiet, but not as quiet as we’ll need to be. Anyway, by the looks of them, they won’t be travelling too fast. Do you see how squirrelly these two boys are? And they’ve bound one of the girls. She didn’t seem to wanna work with any of ’em.”
    “Some group of criminals.”
    “You said it. I think they’re in over their heads.”
    “They have Peck on their side, don’t forget that.”
    “Yeah. But no wonder he steers clear of them.”
    “Not clear enough, we’re hoping.”
    Erin smiled. “Not clear enough. That’s exactly right.”
    3
    “Okay, skinflints, knock it off!” Jo shouted across the Fulmart. It quieted momentarily. “We’re out of here in five minutes, you understand me? Say your last good-byes.”
    “Good-bye!” Tyler shouted.
    “Good-bye!” Eddie yelled.
    “I never liked your layout!”
    “Your sports section is weak!”
    “And your shelves make terrible beds!”
    “Yeah, peace out, Fulmart!”
    “We’re outta here!”
    Meg hissed from Jo’s shoulder.
    Suddenly the back door opened. Everyone froze, including Joanne.
    “Hello?” Jo said. “Hello?”
    “What’s going on in here? What’s with all the shouting? You guys gone crazy?”
    It was Blake. Blake was back from Peck’s.
    “Blake!” Jo dropped Meg on the floor with a thud . She flung her arms around him. “I’m glad you’re back. We’re leaving.”
    “ What? Why?”
    “Logan and the girl. They came by today, after you left.”
    “They came here ?”
    “That’s right.”
    “How’d they find us?”
    “We don’t know. We’re not sure it wasn’t an accident. They were looking for—” She lowered her voice to a whisper and covered her mouth. “They were looking for Peck.”
    “Then it’s worse than we thought.”
    “That’s right. They’re out for blood.”
    Blake shook his head. He whispered too. “Then we’ll give them blood.”
    “But it’s not safe here anymore. Not with that girl’s tricks. If she doesn’t have the place bugged by tomorrow, I’d be shocked. We’re leaving tonight. Right now, now that you’re back.”
    Blake nodded. “Where we goin’?”
    Jo looked at him. Then she made a quick look around the store. “I’d rather not say.”
    Blake understood. He gathered a backpack’s worth of stuff for himself, and the five of them prepared to leave.
    “Think we’ll ever be back?” Eddie asked.
    “I don’t know, Ed,” Jo said. There was sadness in her voice.
    “Bit off more than we could chew with this one, didn’t we?” Tyler poked. “This Logan’s a real tightwad.”
    “He’s a challenge,” Blake said. Then he whispered, “But Peck thinks he’s worth it.”
    Eddie shook his head. “Then Peck’s gone mad.”
    And Jo hit him so hard he’d never say so again.
    4
    “They’re moving out.” Erin folded up her tablet and stashed it in her pocket. No need for the video feed anymore. “We follow them all the way, but we never reveal ourselves. You got me? They need to think they’re getting away. They need to think they’re safe.”
    Erin’s blood pumped