an older-model black Honda Accord sped toward him, swerving off the side of the road and skidding to a stop in the grass in front of Matty. Alarmed, he took a step back, eyes wide when the driver's side door flung open and Genna popped out.
He gaped at her. "What the hell did you do?"
"Got us some help," she said, leaving the door open as she rounded the front and banged on the hood.
"You stole another car?"
She cut her eyes at him, amused. "Come on, you're not really surprised, are you? I mean, this is sort of what I do, isn't it?"
"Not surprised," he said, shaking his head. "More like impressed."
Genna stepped to him, fisting the front of his sweat-streaked plain white t-shirt as she smirked, pulling him down for another kiss. "Told you I wasn't useless."
Matty transferred their things to the backseat of the Honda before climbing behind the wheel. He took a quick stock of the car as Genna settled into the passenger seat, cold air blasting out of the vents in the dashboard. He scanned the interior, noticing a small screwdriver jammed into the ignition.
Leave it to Genna to consider thievery tools a bare necessity.
Shrugging it off, he put the car in gear and pulled out onto the highway, giving a quick glance at the broken down truck in the rearview mirror as he sped past it. "So a Honda, huh?"
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
"No." He let out a laugh at her defensive tone. "Why would I?"
She shrugged, relaxing back into the seat. "Some people do. But mid-90s Accords are probably the most commonly stolen cars. They're also one of the most popular cars. So that means there's a lot of them out there, and they go missing all the time, and well... it's easier to stay inconspicuous when you blend in."
"You put a lot of thought into that."
Genna turned to watch out the side window. "You might prefer to live in the moment, but I like having a plan. The easiest way to keep out of trouble is to always stay a few steps ahead."
They drove for about an hour until the gas light in the car lit up, flickering a dull orange, the needle hovering near empty. Matty pulled off the highway to the first store they came upon. Genna went inside, snatching a pack of Twizzlers from the candy aisle and tearing it open, gnawing on a rope of licorice as she strolled through the store. After fixing herself a cherry slushie, she grabbed a bag of cheese puffs and a honey bun before heading to the front. Matty stood by the register, paying for their gas, when Genna plopped her stuff down on the counter. He glanced at it, his eyes lingering on the open pack of licorice, and smiled as he pushed it toward the cashier. "All of this, too."
Glancing around, Genna's eyes drifted toward a rack of newspapers. She stepped that way, freezing when she caught sight of one. Right on the front page, big and bold, bore the headline:
Explosion Rocks Manhattan Neighborhood
She felt like she couldn't breathe when she saw the photo below it of the charred remains of Matty's gorgeous Lotus Evora. So cruel. Grabbing the newspaper, she stared at it, her hands trembling.
Front page of the fucking national news.
"That, too," Matty said behind her. "The newspaper."
Once their stuff was rung up, they collected it and headed out to the Honda. Genna's snacks were already forgotten, her abandoned slushie melting, as she fixated on the paper. After pumping gas, Matty climbed in the car, but he didn't drive away yet.
"What's it say?" he asked.
Genna scanned the article, struggling to absorb the words.
"It says you're presumed dead," she whispered. "They haven't found a body, obviously, but they're combing through the wreckage."
"What does it say about the explosion?"
"They suspect a mob hit. They, uh…" Genna faltered as she stumbled over the name Joseph Galante. "They compare it to the explosion that killed Joey, saying they haven't seen this level of violence in organized crime since that summer."
Matty said nothing else, starting the car up and pulling back onto the highway. Genna read the article twice more before discarding the newspaper in the backseat. She felt sick to her stomach and couldn't handle much more of it. No more reading newspapers, ugh.
"Did it mention you?" he asked after a while.
Genna shook her head as she grabbed another piece of licorice. "Not a single word about me."