Page 80 of Uriah's Orbit
He and I needed to talk.
I texted back on the last one to confirm that I was picking the kids up and walked back into the meeting. Everyone was staring at me and I ducked my head. “Sorry. Kid emergency.” I shrugged.
There was a collective chuckle and we went back to work.
As I walked up out of the subway, I wondered for a minute if I should have called for a car, but just decided against it. We could grab a taxi and get back to Austin’s apartment in no time.
I walked up to the school just as the first dismissal bell rang. Devon, in the lower grades, trotted out of the building. I waved at him, waiting for him to see me. He knew who I was, and skipped up to me.
“Hi, Mister Orback! Is Uncle Austin sick?”
“He got stuck in a meeting,” I said.
“Oh, for the band stuff?”
“I guess so, kiddo. Help me find your sister?”
“She’ll come down that alley there, on the side of the building on the second bell,” he explained. “First bell is for Kindergarten through fourth grade. Second is fifth through eighth. Third is everyone else.”
“Very good,” I said, staring down the alley. Carly appeared chatting with her two friends as they headed for the curb where Devon had steered me.
“Hey, Uriah!” Carly smiled. “Where’s Mom?”
“At work, kiddo,” I answered. “I got called in on a back up trade.”
She laughed, and her two friends were staring at me. “Berri, Winnie, this is Uriah Orback, my uncle’s friend.”
“I know you,” Winnie said. “You’re working on the new musical…”
“I am.” I smiled.
“I want to be a costume designer,” she whispered.
Grinning, I tapped her chin and brought her face up. “Hey, no reason to hide that. I love being a costume designer. When we get going on the costume design, I’ll let Carly know and you can come visit me and see what it’s all about.”
“Really?”
“Sure thing,” I said. “Always happy to show someone around the dressing rooms.”
“Oh, my God, Carly, he’s so cool!”
Highest compliment from an eleven year old. I grinned and motioned Carly along. “Come on, kiddo. We have to catch a taxi. The car was double booked today and I’m your ride.”
“Okay,” Carly said, and slipped her other arm into her backpack. Devon grabbed my hand and Carly took her brother’s other hand and we started over to Lexington.
A black town car limo slid to the curb next to us and the window rolled down.
“Excuse me, Mister Orback. I was sent to pick up the children,” the driver called.
“It’s all good. We’ll just catch a cab.”
A hard, cold point pressed into the small of my back. “No, you won’t. Get in the car.”
A gun.Holy shit.
Carly turned to see who had spoken and started screaming. A man swooped up behind her and slammed a hand over her mouth. He held her right as the door to the back of the limo was kicked open.
“Get in the car,” the man growled behind me.
