Four #2
She stopped short and stood back, evaluating her options. I knew better than to offer suggestions, so I kept my mouth shut.
“I don’t know how effective these will be during winter, but let’s try them out.” She dropped four solar power banks into her basket—one for each household excluding Dustin, would be my guess—and moved straight on to the emergency radios. All I could do was stay out of her way.
“One minute left!” Drew bellowed from the front of the store.
Sadie ignored him and picked up a hand-crank radio. She didn’t seem interested in the features listed on the side of the box. Just dropped it into her basket, then added a second one for the hell of it, using both hands to adjust to the heavier load.
It looked like we were prepping for the end of days, and if there were guns and ammo here, she’d be stocking up on assault rifles, too.
“Knives next,” she said with a straight face.
My body went still, and I searched her features for a hint of humour. “Shit. You’re serious.”
“Varesh thinks the world’s going to fall apart, too. We might as well be prepared.”
“Varesh also loves a good conspiracy theory,” I pointed out.
“Better to be over-prepared than under, don’t you think?”
I released an audible breath through my nose. Her ideas weren’t panic-driven. She moved like she had a plan, calm and measured even under pressure. The only time she’d ever looked uncertain was when I caught her eye or tried to talk to her. “If you say so.”
“We’ve wasted too many months following orders,” she went on. “Wouldn’t you rather be in charge of your future? Or do you prefer being a good boy and doing what you’re told?”
I mean, if she told me what to do in that sweet voice with those big blue eyes locked on me… maybe the latter?
There was no point in arguing with her, though. She was in the zone with money to burn, and nothing I said or did would change her mind. If she started talking about a coup to overthrow the government, I might think about stepping in. “Knives are up front in the locked cabinets.”
Sadie lifted her mask into place, her eyes meeting mine over the top. “I’m not losing my mind, just in case you’re worried.”
“Somehow, that’s even more concerning.” I masked up again and took the basket from her before she could protest, leaving her to carry the puffer jacket. “Let’s finish up and get out of here.”
We returned to the front of the store and found Drew waiting, gloved hands held out in frustration. “Come on, guys. I’ve got rules to follow here.”
“I know, I know. Can you give us a couple more minutes?” I nodded at the locked display cabinets running along the wall behind the counter. “We need access.”
He paused and weighed up his options, taking in the full baskets I was carrying. No one had come into the store since we’d arrived, and he had a guaranteed sale standing right here in front of him. If he showed Sadie those knives, who knew how much more she’d spend? “I shouldn’t.”
“But you could,” Sadie said. “Just for us, please?”
He stalled for a beat, then sighed. “All right.” He slipped behind the counter and grabbed the keys to the cabinet. “What do you need?”
A commotion outside caught my attention, and I tuned into the noise while Sadie spoke to Drew.
Male voices. Two or three of them, more excited than pissed, if I had to guess. Probably nothing to worry about, but it was unusual enough to pique my interest.
When the sound of smashing glass and the high-pitched wail of an alarm followed, I left the baskets on the counter. “Back in a second.”
Sadie shot me a curious look, then returned her attention to the knives. While she exchanged the usual pandemic small talk with Drew. I approached the double doors and checked the street.
The hooded teens we’d passed earlier had surrounded an empty car a few spots up from Sadie’s.
One of them held a spray can at his side, finger on the trigger, as he stood next to the cracked passenger window.
The others egged him on as if he were building the courage to do something, and I didn’t want to hang around long enough to find out what they were planning.
“Might need to call the cops,” I said to Drew.
“Wouldn’t waste my time,” he said, scanning Sadie’s purchases. “Triple zero just keeps you on hold. Nothing happens.”
I’d heard the same story from others. When more people found out we were on our own now, the thought of living in Sadie’s worst-case-scenario world wouldn’t seem so out there.
“What’s going on?” Sadie asked as she helped Drew bag the items.
“A group of kids smashed a car window—not yours,” I added when her eyes widened.
There was no one else around. Not a single person. If they wanted to start shit when we left the store, there’d be four of them and two of us.
My heart pumped harder, my attention switching between the street and Sadie. “We need to get moving.”
“Almost there.” She waved her phone over the payment terminal and waited.
Nothing happened.
Another attempt yielded the same result, and my shoulders tensed.
“Motherfu—system’s down again.” Drew rested his hand on one of the bags as if Sadie might suddenly grab it and do a runner.
“How long does it usually take to come back?” I asked.
“A few minutes? Depends on the network. It keeps dropping out, and it’s been pissing me the hell off.” He lifted the portable terminal off the counter with his other hand, as if he might catch a signal higher up.
Sadie gripped her phone and waited, staring at Drew’s tapping fingers as he kept her purchases secure. I couldn’t tell if she was thinking about bolting with the bags or leaving them behind, but I’d back her either way.
When hysterical cackles drifted into the shop, I checked on the teens again. The guy with the spray can pulled a lighter from his pocket and did a couple of testing flicks. No flame, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out where this was headed. “Come on. Let’s just go.”
Sadie’s back straightened, and she sent me a sideways glance. “I’m not leaving until the sale goes through. We might need all this stuff, and I don’t want to come back again.”
The kids outside were becoming more of a problem. The lighter caught on the third flick, and the kid depressed the trigger on the spray can, sending a jet of flame through the car’s broken window.
Within seconds, the interior ignited, and thick, black smoke filled the air, flowing through the hole in the glass. The flames grew more intense by the second, and the boys jumped around the car, whooping and punching the air.
My hand flexed at my side. A single fire wouldn’t keep them entertained for long, and Sadie’s car might be the next target.
“Any luck?” I called out, keeping an eye on the street.
A beat of silence passed, then, “Yes! Finally.”
Her excitement had the smallest smile tugging at my mouth, but the bleep of the car alarm was testing my patience, and my humour didn’t last long.
“Can you carry both bags?” I asked, catching her eye over my shoulder.
She dropped her phone into her handbag. “Why? What are you doing?”
“Standing guard until you’re safe. They set the car on fire. There’s smoke everywhere, and they’re acting like a bunch of dickheads.”
“A fire?” She pulled her keys from her bag and looped the ring around her index finger. “Do you think they're going to make trouble for us?”
“Hard to tell.” I strode to the counter and grabbed the bags. “Thanks, mate,” I said to Drew.
Sadie followed me to the door and took a second to survey the scene. Her eyes met mine briefly. “They’re the kids from before.”
“Yep. They looked like bad news just crossing the road.”
It gave me a small sense of satisfaction seeing her take it seriously. “Can you walk these to the car?” I asked, holding the bags out to her. “Don’t run. I’ll keep an eye on them.”
Her fingers slid against mine as she took the first bag from me. A shiver skated up my arm, and I pulled in a breath, my pulse jolting. The air between us thickened, and for a moment, just a single beat in time, I forgot about everything else and focused on her. Protecting her. Keeping her safe.
Her eyes wouldn’t meet mine, so I knew she’d felt it, too.
Sadie took the other bag and pulled her shoulders back, adjusting to the extra weight. She chanced a split-second's eye contact with me, then attempted another longer look as if she wanted to kill the sudden weirdness between us.
“Wait. Hold up a second,” Drew called out, grabbing a fire extinguisher off the wall. “You never know, they might turn on you,” he said through his face shield. “I’ll watch your backs and lock the store when you’re gone.”
My gaze meshed with his, and I regretted being pissed at him for counting us down. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”
He joined us at the door and took in the carnage. The car was engulfed in flames now, and smoke billowed from the wreckage. One teen was checking the street as if looking for another car to torch.
“Shit. I didn’t expect it to be that bad.” Drew hesitated for a second, then opened the door. He stepped out onto the footpath, planted his feet wide, and kept the fire extinguisher at the ready.
His appearance got the attention of the teens, and a couple of boys paused in their celebration. Curiosity came first, then the mood darkened.
“Don’t be idiots,” Drew said, his voice calm even if he wasn’t. “Just be cool.”
I estimated we had less than thirty seconds before someone made a move, so I gave Sadie a gentle nudge. “Go. No stopping.”
“Don’t wait too long to catch up.” With two heavy bags banging against her legs, she performed a shuffling walk straight for the car.
Acrid smoke floated on the breeze, and the car alarm pierced the air, the constant bleat grating on my nerves. The ringleader of the group zeroed in on me, and when he clocked a potential challenge, moved into a tough-guy stance. “What the fuck do you want?” he demanded.
“Mate, I told you to keep your cool,” Drew said. “This doesn’t need to turn into anything.”
As Sadie opened the rear door and threw the bags into the backseat, I stepped forward without saying a word. Direct eye contact and quiet intimidation had always worked for me, and there was no reason to think it would fail me now.
I willed them to be smart and keep their distance. I had twenty kilos on their biggest member, and I’d bet anything they wouldn’t want a physical confrontation.
“Keep back, and we can all walk away from this,” I warned.
The leader laughed and took another step forward. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to, Tatts?”
Tatts? How original.
Drew stood his ground, the type of guy I would have had a beer with if our lives had been different.
The slam of one door followed by another told me Sadie had secured the bags and jumped into the driver’s seat.
A beat later, the engine started.
“You good here?” I asked him, my eyes still locked on the kids.
“Yeah.” He threw me a tight smile over his shoulder. “Go.”
I forced myself to walk at a relaxed pace to Sadie’s car. Every nerve sparked to life, and I trained my ears for sounds behind me. The kids threw taunts and laughter my way, but no footsteps came.
As soon as I dropped into the passenger seat and shut the door, Sadie gave me a quick smile and hit the central lock.
“Let’s go home,” I said.
“Not yet. I need to hit every ATM in the area first.” Her voice had already gained strength, as if she’d already reset and calmed herself. “We need cash more than ever now.”
The scent of burnt cloth and plastic leaked through the vents. She threw the car into drive and performed a fast U-turn, heading straight past the store.
Drew had made his way back inside the main doors and waved as we zipped by. One of the arsonists shouted something we had no chance of hearing over the hum of the engine, and I lifted my middle finger in a final salute.
In the side mirror, flames spread higher, and black smoke filled the sky. My jaw tensed as I took it all in. Was this just a case of boredom or our new normal?
Either way, if Sadie had made the trip alone…
I didn’t want to finish that thought.
Now I had Dustin to worry about at home, and every other asshole outside of the building.