Page 110 of No Way Home
J.B.’s mouth fell open. “You’re gonna get your mouf wathed out wif thoap.”
Just then, heels click-clacked outside of our love nook.
“Hurry,” I whispered to Magnolia. “Let’s make a break for it.” I threw the carpets open and hurdled dramatically over the kids and out into the store. Magnolia followed with our bag of wet clothes in her hand.
Sure enough, a tired looking woman, maybe in her late thirties, was bustling our way. A no-nonsense Indian woman,who was wearing a manager tag, brought up the rear. They both looked ticked.
Their mom glared at us, but then fussed at Molly and J.B.,“I told you not to crawl under there!”
The manager’s gaze was laser-focused on me and Magnolia. “You’re not supposed to touch those rugs!”
I took a step toward the exit, and she broke into a jog, nearly knocking the mom over. She cut across the makeup aisle, expression fierce. “Security!”
“TJ Maxx has security?” Magnolia mused, cheeks flushed, riding so high on the endorphins of our new couplehood, that she didn’t seem the least bit concerned we were about to be arrested.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a run. Down an aisle of the shoe section, between two rows of lingerie, back past the fitting rooms. We cut left through the jewelry. The sliding doors barely opened enough for us to fit through as we sprinted into the night.
We stopped on the sidewalk, the sky still in a downpour.
“Crap.” Magnolia glanced up at the rain.
I looked over my shoulder to see the manager still coming after us. She was not going to stop at the door. “Double crap.”
Perfectly timed, Cash’s car came whipping around the corner, tires squealing. He skidded to a stop.
“How’d they know we needed a getaway car?” I asked. The movie still had at least half an hour to go.
"Come back here!" the manager yelled. A guy who couldn't have been more than four feet tall was hot on her heels, wearing a security badge. He was security? Bright-eyed, I could tell Magnolia wanted to ask him all about his dwarfism. To grill him and store away everything she learned. But his fierce expression said he might be tiny but he was not messing around.
“G-get in, guys!”
I whipped around to see Charlie’s window rolled down.One look at her face and my blood ran chill. Sobbing, she waved us over.
Magnolia gave me a confused look. I opened the door, and we slid into the back seat.
The security guy reached my door just as Cash smashed the gas down, driving like the road was on fire behind us.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
BOWEN
“Babe.”Charlie sniffled. “Slow down.”
I scooted to the edge of the seat so I could look at them. “What’s going on?”
“Seat belt, Bowen!” Charlie yelled, hysterically.
What the…
She reached back to squeeze my hand. “Sorry.” She blew out her breath. “Please put your seat belt on.”
I did as she asked, even though it meant I could only see Cash in the rear-view mirror and not her at all.
Cash flipped the blinker and tore out onto the main road. “Sage and James were….”
“In an accident,” Charlie finished.
Panic shot through me, and it felt like something was clawing at my chest. “Are they okay?” They must not be with all the tears happening in the front seat. Even Cash’s eyes were wet.
