We walk outside and I laugh out loud as I pass by a jacked-up truck with a grill so high it’s like looking in a bathroom mirror. I look back at a smirking Austin. I know what’s coming. “Gee. Compensating for much?”
Jenni and I giggle as Hank steps outside. He lays a hand on the grill and looks right at Shorty. “T.J. Your dad’s going to kill you when he finds out you took his truck.”
T.J. steps up and growls. “No names, Hank. Besides, my dad doesn’t know I took it.”
A walkie-talkie-like thing goes off on T.J.’s belt. “T.J. Burt Reynolds Locke, I’m going to wring your thievin’ neck when you get back! I told you the last time that would be the last time!” The voice blares from his jeans like an intercom. I put my head down to hide my laughter.
T.J. fumbles with his walkie talkie. He tries to detach it from his belt, while his face turns a cherry red. He manages to free it and puts the walkie talkie up to his mouth. “Dad. We have Hank.” There’s nothing but silence on the other end. T.J. tries again. “I repeat. We have Hank. Over.”
Static flies out of it. T.J. startles and almost drops it. “You’d better bring back my baby in one piece, or it’s your sorry ass.”
Austin reaches out and grabs the walkie talkie. “Roger that, over and out. We’ll be sure to watch for Smokey and his bears.”
He tosses the walkie talkie back at T.J. with a gleam in his eye as he faces Jenni and me. “Race you to the car.”
“I don’t know where…” Austin takes off running, and Jenni and I follow, ignoring the yelling behind us. I almost lose sight of him, as he ducks down an alley. Austin is super fast. Jenni and I breathe hard as we try to keep up. We rush around the building corner and run down a dark, narrow, alleyway that takes forever. We reach the other side. There’s nothing. Squealing tires peel across the lot about the time Austin comes straight at us. Austin whips the Charger sideways just when I think he’s going to barrel straight into the side of the building. His brakes make my ears ring. I smell burnt rubber from his tires. We barely hop in, and he peels out, exiting as fast as he came in. I jerk my seatbelt on in the front seat. Jenni struggles to do the same as she falls sideways behind me.
Austin looks over at me and then to Jenni in the mirror. “It’s now or never. What’s the call? Are we gettin’ the heck out of Dodge or what?”
I look back to Jenni, and it’s only now that I realize how selfish I’ve been. I take a deep breath. I can hardly believe what I’m about to say. “If you’re up for a trip to the coast, I’m game. We’ve got the cash and the time.” I don’t want to look at Jenni, but I force myself to.
Jenni grins back at me. “Why would I want to go to a California beach when I could break into a doomsday silo instead?” She throws her hand up front, and I grab it.
Austin puts a hand over ours and shouts. “Balls to the wall til’ the last one falls!” His hand flies up and I drop mine. So does Jenni.
I shove the side of his head. “You’re so gross.”
He turns and winks. “You love me, baby. Let’s go eat some pancakes.”
He whips a U-ey on the main drag, and we head back down the highway. Austin pulls a hard turn, crosses two lanes and narrowly misses the front end of a long white Lincoln Continental. We cruise into the parking lot. The front end of the jacked-up truck towers over the trunk of the Charger as it pulls up. I look over to see Austin’s gloating face. I glance back at Jenni who looks like she’s on the verge of puking or passing out in the backseat. I turn back to glare at Austin. “Is it worth losing life or limb to be in front of T.J. and his monster truck?”
Austin gives a huge affirmative nod. “Yes ma’am. If you’re not first, you’re last.”
I turn back to Jenni. “Are you alright?”
She unbuckles her seatbelt, looking slightly queasy. “Next time I call shotgun.”
We hop out and rush to keep up with Austin, who’s already got a hand on the café door. He continues his competitive game with T.J., who I almost feel sorry for. Austin can be relentless once he decides it’s on. I go to walk in, but Austin cuts me off. He steps in front of me, lets go of the door that slams into my butt and almost knocks me over. This causes me to bump into T.J. and his big gun. I glance across the room. I’m shocked to see Austin in a corner table, slouching in the chair like he’s been there all day; save for his rapid breathing, a tell-tale sign he hit that table at a dead sprint.
Jenni and I walk over and snag the two other chairs held in place by Austin’s claw-like feet at the base of the chairs. We plop down in them. Suddenly, I’m very tired and very hungry. A hulking presence appears. I look up to see a fuming Hank. His jaw twitches, and his eyes are dark as night. He stares past me at Austin, who sits like King Arthur at our tiny round table, looking quite pleased with himself.
“Hank.”
Hank’s eyes blink a few times. His fingers are bone white as he grips the table so hard, I can’t believe it doesn’t break. For a split second, I imagine Hank ripping the table out of the floor with a Viking’s roar as he tosses it through a window.
A waitress stops by. Austin is pleasantly distracted. “Yeah, I’d like the farmer’s omelette with two strips of bacon and blueberry pancakes. Oh, and a Coke too, please.”
Jenni looks at me. “Want to split what Austin just ordered?”
I nod my head. “Sure.”
She turns to the waitress. “We’d like to split what he ordered on two plates, please. And could we have two waters and two coffees with cream and sugar?”
The waitress turns to Hank. “What would you like?”
Hank glares at Austin. “I’ll have whatever he’s having; but double it.”
Austin winks at Hank again. “There’s no way you can put all that away.”
Hank snorts. “Whatever you can do, I can do better.”
Austin grins back at him. He’s completely unphased by Hank’s boasting. “I highly doubt it.”
Hank glares down at him. “We’ll see about that.”
Austin leans back in his chair and pats his stomach. “Lookin’ forward to it.” Austin sits back up and puts four on the floor. He rests his elbows on the table and stares at Hank, who remains standing with his arms across his chest. His hands are in his armpits. “Looks like you’ve all kissed and made up.” Austin gestures toward the other men.
Hank shrugs his comment off and rolls back his shoulders. “We get along all right.”
Austin raises an eyebrow. “So, how many brothers and sisters you have, Hank? Since your dad’s the leader and all.”
Hank frowns back at him. “Why do you want to know?”
Austin smiles. “Just curious is all.” He leans forward on the table and stares Hank down. “I guess I’m just wondering if we’re walking into a compound full of Hanks.”
Hank rolls his eyes. “There’s only one of me, Austin. I’m an original.” He flashes me a killer grin. I hate myself for blushing.
Austin claps his hands. “Hank! Focus. How many others like you are there?”
Hank’s eyes narrow. “As I said, I’m the only one. The rest of them took off when Luna left.”
Austin’s lips curve into a smirk. “Luna? Was Luna a man or a woman?”
Hank pouts. “Woman. She left my father.”
Austin raises an eyebrow. “Interesting. A woman left your father, the love guru, father of many, and she managed to take a bunch of your brothers with her.”
Hank glances sideways. “It was a possession thing. Luna didn’t like to share her men, and my father didn’t like to share his women. They kept fighting and then she led a kind of riot, and a bunch of the guys went with her. They were mad at my dad because they wanted women, but he wouldn’t allow it.”
Austin doesn’t let up. “So your father basically wanted all the women for himself, and his sons got tired of waiting for their own woman, but your dad didn’t care because he was too busy making more children with his new brides.”
Hank looks uncertain. “Yeah, I guess.”
Austin taps the table. “Sounds like your dad has no intentions of sharing any women, Hank. Ever. Don’t you find that a bit curious?”
Hank grits his teeth as he answers. “Curiosity killed the cat, Austin. You’d do well to remember that.”
Austin narrows his eyes at Hank. “Don’t you worry. I remember lots of things, Hank-y.” Austin looks over at the awkward gunslingers, trying to squeeze into a booth with all their ammo. “Lots of things.”