Amy, Hannah, and Zoe were less than two blocks from the Croziers’ place when the first police cruiser screamed by—lights on, sirens blaring.
“That didn’t take long,” Hannah said.
“They’ll be looking for us soon.” Amy, in a hooded sweatshirt that obscured her headscarf, spoke through gritted teeth. “We need to get off the streets.”
Zoe frowned. “Aunt Amy, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, honey, thank you.”
Hannah eyed Amy appraisingly by the glow of the streetlights. Her eyes were sunken, her expression wan. A dark stain discolored her left sleeve. “You’re not fine, you’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Now, maybe, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way.”
“Mat’s critters—”
“—won’t prevent you from bleeding out, if it comes to that, and we have no idea how long they’ll protect you from infection. We need to get you somewhere safe, so I can irrigate your wound and change your dressing.”
“No, we need to find a perch nearby with decent sight lines to the entrance of the Croziers’ building, so we can wave Jake off before he walks into an active crime scene.”
“He’s been gone eleven hours, Amy, and curfew’s fast approaching—which means the chances he’ll be back tonight are slim.”
“Then what are you suggesting?” Exasperation crept into Amy’s tone.
“We left my car not far from here. I doubt it’s been towed yet. We could use it to get out of the city.”
Amy shook her head. “Too risky. If they’ve connected you to Jake, plate readers will alert them the second we get on the highway.”
“Jake swapped my plates with someone else’s before we left the Upper West Side.”
Amy looked impressed. “Still, traffic cams—”
“—won’t be a problem if I’m masked, and you two ride in back.”
“Where would we even go?”
“My family’s got a cabin upstate. It’s not fancy, but it’ll do, provided you don’t mind eating from expired cans.”
“So, what, we just abandon Jake?”
“We’re not abandoning him, we’re keeping Zoe safe. It’s what he’d want. You know it is. Once we’re there, we’ll figure out a way to contact him, I swear.”
“Fine.” Amy swayed a little on her feet. “Where’s this car of yours?”
“Maybe five blocks?”
“In that case, what are we waiting for?”
They didn’t get far before Amy began to slow. When she paused to catch her breath outside an empty storefront encased in scaffolding and plywood, Hannah said, “You know what? I’ll move faster, and attract way less attention, on my own. Why don’t you and Zoe hide out here while I go get the car?”
Amy’s face, though blanketed in shadow, showed relief. “I’ll admit, that’s not the worst idea I’ve heard all day.”
“I guess faint praise is better than no praise at all.” Hannah knelt beside Zoe and said, “Can you take care of Aunt Amy while I’m gone?”
“Only if you promise to come right back,” Zoe replied.
“I promise.”
Before Hannah left, she hugged Zoe tight, and prayed it was a promise she could keep.