Page 67 of Ricochet

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The apple core balanced on Adelia’s knee as she waited at the bus station. Her stomach growled as she considered whether she was hungry enough to eat the hours-old core.

“Give it time.”

Adelia snatched what was left of the apple and lurched in her chair. “Lenora?” Immediately, she searched behind her for Tex or anyone. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you think, sunshine?”She dropped a duffel bag on the ground.

“You’re here to kill me?”

“Nah.” She tossed her hand. “I play too many sides of the game to pick one team.”

Adelia’s eyebrow crept up. “How’d you find me?”

“You’re not exactly a stealth caper, my friend. Predictable.” She ticked off one finger. “Basic, beginner—”

“I didn’t have much time for a plan.”

“You should always have a plan.”

She snorted. “Formy Pops to kill me? Got it.”

“He didn’t—and he’d never. But a plan to escape? Yeah, you should. I already lit into Tex for missing that life lesson. He taught you how to shoot but not how to get out of town and find yourself some food?” Lenora shook her head. “No amount of Tex hemming and hawing was going to get him out of that bullshit.”

She smiled, and man, did Adelia need Lenora’s no-bullshitpep talks. “Would your head explode if I said I missed you?”

“You’ve been gone less than two days? I raised you tougher than that.”

Adelia squared her shoulders. “I’m not a wilting wall flower over here.”

“Sure thing, buttercup. You made it two towns over to a bus depot, looking like you could eat your boot.”

“Like I’d give up these beauties.” Adelia rolled her eyes. “But tell me you’ve gotsomething? I’m dying.”

“Something better than an apple core,” Lenora mumbled as she pulled up the flap on her leather shoulder bag and pulled out a wrapped bag from the Perky Cup.

“Oh, God, you are a good woman. Maybe one-day, Tex’ll make an honest woman out of you.”

“Ha, says the daughter he thought about killing.”

“But didn’t.”

“We both know he wouldn’t do that.”

“Do we?” Adelia snaggedthe paper bag and tore it open.

“I know everything.”

She took a too-large bite of a brown-sugar-covered bagel. “This is to die for.”

“Seems about right.”

“Shut up,” Adelia muttered with a mouthful of the best the Perky Cup had to offer. If she hadn’t been starving, she would’ve held her cards closer to the chest. Lenora was her stepmother in a way, but Adelia didn’t trust her more than Tex,who’d she’d expected to kill her. “Why are you here if you’re not going to bring my head back in that duffel bag?”

“Figured you needed a few things.”

She swallowed the bagel. “That’d be nice.” She took another bite.

---