Page 3 of In Her Sights
“Just sisters,” they chorused, before bursting into practiced giggles.
Molly kept her expression as dumb and happy as possible. “Who’s this?”
“This,” Felicity said, “is Donnie. I dropped my apartment key without realizing it, and he picked it up for me. The stupid tiny pocket in these shorts is useless.” She flipped the waistband of her shorts over, revealing the small inside pocket and a smooth, bronze patch of hip. Donnie’s gaze locked onto the exposed skin, and his eyes bugged out a little.
“That’s so sweet of you, Donnie,” Molly cooed.
“It’s so sweet.” Felicity tossed her glossy, dark hair over her shoulder, and Donnie’s eyes followed the movement as he swallowed visibly.
“You should buy him some ice cream as a thank-you.” Molly gave him an approving smile, carefully not looking over his shoulder. Surely four minutes had passed by now.
Pouting a little, Felicity said, “I’d love to, but I left all my money at home.”
“I have money.” Molly patted her pocket. “You can pay me back later, Fifi.”
Felicity gave her a quick, covert glare at the hated nickname, but the expression disappeared as quickly as it arrived, replaced by a beaming smile. “Thanks, Moo!”
Hiding her grimace, Molly accepted that as well-deserved payback.
“I should…” Donnie trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder, his whole body going stiff as he saw the approaching sheriff’s deputies. “Shit! Gotta go!”
He bolted.
“Wait!” Molly tried to grab his arm, but he slipped past her outstretched hand.
“Sorry, ladies!” he shouted over his shoulder. “You can buy me that ice cream some other time!”
Sharing an exasperated glance with her sister, Molly took off after him, Felicity close behind. “Way to be stealthy, Deputies!” she called back over her shoulder before focusing on the chase.
“Why do they always run?” Felicity grumbled as they sprinted past a Mexican restaurant followed by a bank, weaving between people who were trying to enjoy the early fall day. Donnie shoved through a group of young teens, ignoring their protests, and disappeared as the boys clustered back together. Molly muttered a breathless curse as she jumped into the road to skirt the group, not rude enough to knock the teens out of the way as Donnie had done.
“Hey!” one of the boys called, puffing out his narrow chest as he trotted after them. “What’s the hurry? Stop and talk to us.”
The others in the group laughed and made oooh noises. Mentally thanking the universe that she only had to deal with sisters, Molly didn’t break stride as she barked out, “Get back to school!”
As Felicity choked back a laugh behind her, the boy deflated and returned to his hooting group. Molly barely noticed his retreat or her sister’s amusement, completely focused on finding which direction Donnie had run. A yelp from a middle-aged man as he stumbled sideways caught her attention, and she dashed in his direction. Spotting the back of Donnie’s blond head, she called out, “This way!” and took off after him again.
Up ahead, two moms faced each other, chatting as they leaned on their baby strollers, blocking the sidewalk completely. Molly sucked in a worried breath, concerned that Donnie would plow right through, sending the babies flying, but he went into the street to go around them. Molly started to do the same, but a garbage truck barreled toward her, and she returned to the safety of the sidewalk. She was going too fast to stop, so she jumped over the front wheels of the strollers.
Behind her, she heard Felicity calling apologies to the furiously shouting moms, but Molly focused on Donnie’s back. He was fast, the slippery doofus.
“Why do they always run?” Felicity asked again as she lengthened her stride to pull level with Molly.
“Because they know they’re going to jail?” Unlike her sister, Molly was already sucking air, and she cursed her love of pastries and hatred of exercise for the hundredth time. “At least…you’re wearing…appropriate clothes.”
“Could be worse,” Felicity said as they chased Donnie across an empty lot. “You could be in a dress and heels, like when we crashed that wedding to bring in the maid of honor.”
“True.”
Donnie darted sideways, grabbing the edge of a recycling bin and pulling it down behind him.
“Someone’s been watching too many movies!” Molly shouted at his back as she dodged around the tipped bin. “Are you going to run…through an open-air market next?”
Except for a frantic glance over his shoulder, Donnie didn’t reply. He took a sharp left turn between two large Victorian houses, and Molly skidded in the dry dirt as she tried to follow. Her feet slid out from under her, sending her down to one knee and her hands. Tiny pebbles bit into her palms as she grunted, pushing herself back up to her feet without missing a beat.
The fall had only cost her a second or two, and she took off after Felicity. Determined to bring Donnie in, Molly increased her speed, her legs churning even faster until she started catching up to her sister. They wove through yards, skirting evergreens and even a cupid-bedecked fountain that looked much too tempting. Molly’s lungs heaved with effort, her skin slick with sweat and gritty from salt and dust. She knew she was reaching the end of her endurance, so she pushed herself to go just a little bit faster, knowing that they had to bring down Donnie within the next few seconds or he would get away.
Her molars clicked together at the thought. There was no way she was going to let Donnie escape. Not after all of this. Her latest burst of speed shot her past Felicity, who glanced at her with a bared-teeth grin. The crazy woman loved foot chases. If Molly had any energy to spare, she would’ve rolled her eyes.
