School of Fish (Fish Out of Water #6) - Amy Lane Page 0,4
of the languages Jai could get by with, each kid had gotten a camp shower—or rather, a wet-wipe in all of their places—and a clean set of clothes.
The clothes that they left in a pile next to the RV after they changed reeked of several days’ sweat and piss. Most of the kids had chafing marks on their thin arms and on their necks from where filth-stiffened cotton had rubbed them raw.
“They are hungry,” Jai said softly.
Ace gave him a flat look and pulled out several boxes of saltines and three jars of peanut butter he’d found in the same Walmart bags with the clothes.
And the whole time, cars passed them on the interstate, looking curious but never stopping, and Jason Constance argued angrily on the phone.
Finally he shouted, “I’ll take them, then, goddammit! Because I’m not turning them over to mobsters so you can track the fucking money trail. Fine, have my stars. Come down here to the fucking desert and track the psychopaths that you people made and then tell me what a goddamned imposition it is to do the right goddamned thing!”
He hung up then, stabbing angrily at his phone, and Ace was surprised the unit didn’t get pitched across the desert. He left Jai talking to the children and walked over to see what was doing.
“They’re out of Sacramento,” Constance said, body still shaking with rage. “They were supposed to be turned over to a mobster in Vegas. I would like to return them to their homes, but….”
Ace plucked the phone out of his hand as he went to pitch it and substituted a rock instead.
Constance threw the rock out into the desert, where it probably continued in a short, shallow orbit around the earth until it reached Canada. Oregon at the very least.
“I have a suggestion,” Ace said, thinking he liked this man that Burton looked to very much.
Constance just stared at him. “Yes, and….”
“You gotta make sure me and Jai don’t get arrested or shit.”
“I can’t guarantee civilian safety.”
“Killed’s on us,” Ace told him bluntly. “We get killed, we pretty much had it coming. But how about you let Jai and me deliver this RV to wherever it’s going. You seem to know the address. We stop and fix it up at the garage, we can have it running well enough to get to Vegas sometime in the small hours of the morning. Don’t worry. Me and Jai can do what needs doing.”
Constance regarded him through narrow eyes. “What exactly do you think needs doing?”
Ace wondered if it was a trick question. “Well, we need to set some high-grade explosive in that bustedass vehicle and drive it into the mobster’s house and detonate it. And then get the hell out of there before we’re recognized.”
“That’s a terrible plan,” Constance told him flatly. He paused. “But only because there might be more kids in the compound and because you and your friend can’t be seen.”
Logistics! Ace grunted. “We can find an alternative. We could just deliver the dead guy to the live guys and skitter away.”
Constance grunted. “I’ll have Burton meet you. And the dead guy….” Constance looked around at the vasty nothingness surrounding this spot on 15. “He doesn’t need to spend the night in the RV.”
“Understood,” Ace said. “But what’re you gonna do?”
Constance looked at his pilot, who was sitting in the plane, obviously waiting for orders. “I think I’m gonna have Huntington over there fly to our base of operations and return with another vehicle.”
“Make sure it has AC, sir,” Ace said, looking over his shoulders to see that Jai had organized the children in the shade of the RV, each sitting quietly on the ground, legs folded, with water and crackers and peanut butter.
“Way ahead of you, soldier.” Constance looked unhappily at the RV and chewed his lower lip. “I shouldn’t ask you to do this,” he said, sounding helpless. “But they want me to have soldiers drive the kids to Vegas and put them in danger and….” His eyes creased at the corners, making him look much older.
“Then don’t worry about it,” Ace said, shrugging his shoulders. “Right thing ain’t always the government thing. I got no illusions.”
“I used to,” Constance said, sighing.
“Well, give your orders and then c’mere and meet your cargo. Jai’s got names and family members from most of them.” Ace felt the same bleakness that was saturating Constance’s expression. “Most of ’em have families, sir. These children may not speak English, but they’re missed.”