David just stared up at Jose.
Stella moved more in front of David, and their blanket slipped down to the floor. “Leave him alone,” she growled at Jose.
“He knows something about all of this,” Jose said in a low, menacing voice.
“He’s just a kid,” Stella said through gritted teeth.
“He knows something about all of this,” Jose continued. “And so do you.”
“Jose!” Cole snapped.
Jose turned on Cole. “Fuck you, Cole! I want to know what the fuck that kid was doing out there in the middle of the night!”
“He doesn’t want to talk,” Cole said.
“How come every time we want to question these two, you’re always protecting them?” Jose asked Cole.
Cole was about to answer Jose, but David’s voice silenced them all.
“He called me out there,” David said, his was voice low but clearly heard in the dark cabin.
Cole turned to David. “Who called you out there?” he asked in a gentle voice.
“He’s coming tomorrow morning,” David answered.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jose went berserk. He rushed at Stella and David. “What the fuck kind of game is that kid playing?!”
Stella stepped in front of David and protected him with her body, ready to fight to the death to protect him.
Even though Jose was enraged, he stopped right in front of Stella.
“You back off right now,” she growled at Jose.
“You gonna make me?”
Cole stepped in and pushed Jose back. “Jose, back away.”
“Cole, they know something. They’re hiding something.”
“Just back up and we can talk about this.”
“I’m through talking. They know something about this. They know something about Frank. About whoever trashed the vehicles. About the electric being cut off. And I want some answers!”
“He’s right,” Needles jumped in. “I think those two are very much involved in all of this.”
“Everybody just calm down,” Cole said. He glanced at Trevor, making sure his younger brother had his back. Things were about to spiral out of control very soon, Cole thought, and he needed Trevor on his side.
“Everybody just calm down,” Cole said again. “We’ve got some things to – ” Cole’s words were halted as the electricity suddenly came back on.
Every light and appliance was on at the same time. The TV and radio blared static. The microwave oven was on. The coffee maker on the counter sizzled.
They all looked around the cabin, and then they looked at each other.
“Cole,” Trevor whispered to him, his voice barely heard above the blaring TV. “We didn’t leave all of these lights on. Or the TV.”
Cole rushed over to the TV and turned it off. He shut off the small radio. He headed over to the kitchen and shut off the microwave, the blender, and the coffee maker. It was quiet in the cabin now that the noises were shut off. He turned back to the others who were still huddled together in the living room.
“We didn’t leave all of this stuff on,” Trevor said again to Cole.
Jose looked at David. “He did it. He went outside in the middle of the night. He must’ve turned all of this shit on before he left.”
Stella snorted sarcastically.
“And then what, Jose?” Cole asked. “Then he went outside and cut the power off?”
“Maybe,” Jose said. “Who knows what the hell those two are doing?”
“He’s a busy kid,” Trevor said.
“Fuck you,” Jose looked at Trevor. “I know you don’t want to believe that the poor innocent kid is involved in all of this, but he is. He just admitted it to you. He just told you that someone called him out there. And that someone is coming tomorrow morning. There are people out there, people either they were running from or people they are helping. And they’re doing this to us.” Jose looked at Stella. “What kind of game are you guys playing?”
No answer from Stella.
“Because you’re not going to win,” Jose growled at her, and lifted his gun a little to let her know he meant business.
Jose took another step towards them. Stella took a step back, still standing in front of David. “Who’s coming tomorrow, kid?” Jose growled.
David looked frightened of Jose.
“Answer me, you little freak!”
“That’s enough!” Cole stepped in front of Jose and pushed him back a step. “I’m not interrogating a fucking kid. Who knows if he’s even telling the truth?”
“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow morning,” Trevor said.
“Yeah, I guess,” Cole said.
“Protecting them again,” Jose said as he stared at Cole, then he looked at Trevor.
Cole ignored Jose. “If we’re going to walk out of here tomorrow, then we need to get some rest. We’ll sleep in watches again. I’ll take the first watch.”
“It doesn’t matter who’s on watch,” Trevor said, “because I’m not sleeping anymore tonight.”
“Me either,” Jose said. “I’ll be up the rest of the night and on watch. I guaran-fucking-tee that.”
As the murky light of early morning invaded the cabin, Jose and Trevor slept like babies on their bedrolls. Trevor was wrapped up in the blue sleeping bag that he had called dibs on.
Cole sat at the dining room table. He glanced at Jose and Trevor as their words echoed in his mind. I’ll be up the rest of the night and on watch. I guaran-fucking-tee that. Cole smirked and sipped his cup of coffee.
A stirring noise from the living room grabbed Cole’s attention. He turned and saw Stella walking towards him out of the gloom from the living room. “Is there some more coffee?” she asked as she reached the dining room table.
“In the pot,” he told her. “Help yourself.”
Stella made a cup of coffee. She was slow about preparing the coffee. She sat down at the dining room table, close to Cole.
Cole looked at Stella with tired eyes. “Who’s out there? Who’s chasing you?”
Stella didn’t answer right away. She took a sip of her coffee. She glanced into the living room to make sure everyone else was still sleeping, and then she looked at Cole. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
Cole stared at her for a moment. He wasn’t angry, his face was expressionless. “You know who’s coming this morning, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Are they after the money?”
“No.”
“Are they after you and David?”
Stella was about to answer but a noise from the living room startled both of them – the sound of someone unlocking the deadbolt on the front door. Cole was up in a flash, his gun in his hand, ready to shoot.
But they saw David at the front door. David froze when he saw Cole with the gun pointed at him; he stared at Cole. “He’s outside waiting for you,” David said in a soft voice. “Can’t you hear him calling you?”
Cole glanced at Stella. “Get David away from the door.”
Stella rushed over to David and pulled him gently away from the door and ushered him back to the couch.
Cole jolted Trevor and Jose awake. They both jumped up, a grunt escaping Jose as his hands searched for his gun. “Whadisit?” Trevor grunted as he tried to shake off the cobwebs of sleep. “I was awake,” he lied.
“He’s out there,” Cole said to them, and then he looked at Jose. “Get Needles up.”
Jose kicked the side of the recliner and Needles sat straight up, his eyes suddenly wide open.
“Who’s out there?” Jose said as he turned back to Cole.
“The one coming to see us this morning,” Cole reminded him. “The one David was talking about.”
Cole pulled his thin leather gloves out of his coat pockets and wriggled his hands into them. He put his coat and hat on and checked his gun and racked a bullet into the chamber, ready to fire. He clicked the safety off. “Everyone get your weapons ready.”