Stupid.
But it was too late.
And I wanted a new life.
Go with the flow, I told myself.
I drew in another deep breath and got out of the van.
My footfalls sounded as loud as stamping elephants as I made my way toward the two men. When I approached, they eyed me in much the same arrogant fashion that the British Inspector had done. For a moment, I felt like a monarch butterfly, stuck to a board and wriggling on a pin.
A cloud passed over the half-moon, darkening their faces.
A small surge of anger flickered in my belly.
I smiled at them.
“Hello, lads,” I said in my sweetest tone. I’d been expecting Conor again, but I guess it made sense that he wouldn’t do the dirty work himself.
One of the men was sitting on the car’s bonnet. His expression didn’t change, but he gave a small wave to the other man. The second man, much larger, flicked away his cigarette. He stepped forward.
“Raise yer arms, lass,” he grunted at me.
I held my arms straight out to the side. He ran his heavy hands over me, squeezing at every pocket. He didn’t linger, but he made sure to touch everywhere. The anger in my belly grew warmer.
“Jes’ the keys, Cap’n,” he told the seated man when he’d finished.
“Captain, is it?” I asked him.
He ignored me and nodded at his number two again. Number Two trundled off toward the van.
“Ye should go look yerself,” I told the Captain. “She’s beautiful.”
He said nothing.
“Especially in the eyes,” I added, giving him a sultry stare.
He returned my stare with a flat gaze.
“What’s the matter?” I asked him in the same voice that sent Sean to the loo. “Are ye mute?”
A small smile curled up on his lips. “No. I can talk.”
“All business, then?”
He shrugged. “Aye, I suppose that’s it. Orders, ye know.”
“And yer a good soldier, right?”
His jaw set a little bit. “Aye, I am. Are ye mocking me there, lass? Because — ”
“Not at all,” I assured him. “I admire what yer doing. I wish there was more that I could do for the Cause.”
He looked me up and down. “A fine looking woman like you? There’s a lot you could do.”
I shook my head. “Nah, not like that. I don’t want to be someone’s plaything.”
“No, no,” he sputtered. “I didn’t mean that. I meant that — ”
“That I could be some sort of operator, perhaps?”
He sighed in relief. “Exactly.”
“Do ye suppose ye could, I don’t know…tell yer people about me? That I’d like to help? With something real, not the small errands Niall passes off to me.”
“Niall?” He snorted. “That fecking poser.”
“Aye, he is. So you’ll pass on the word?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
I smiled. “Good. Who knows? Perhaps we could work together, ye and I.”
He smiled back. “Perhaps.”
Number Two appeared at my side. “It’s there, Cap’n. And…” he trailed off.
Captain turned his eyes to Number Two. “And what, lad?”
Number Two shrugged. “It’s beautiful. I never saw nothing like it before.”
“I told you,” I said to Captain. “And now, do ye have something for me?”
There was a brief silent moment. I could almost hear Captain’s internal argument as he decided whether to go through with the deal or simply kill me. I gazed at him with the most enigmatic look I could muster, given that my heart was pounding like a trip hammer.
“Did ye see her eyes, lad?” Captain asked Number Two while staring back at me.
“Aye. That’s the end I unstrapped and pulled back.”
“What did they look like?”
Number Two was quiet for a moment. He took several breaths while he thought about the question. Finally, he said in a reverent voice, “They’ll haunt me for the rest of my days, those eyes.”
Surprise registered in Captain’s eyes. He glanced at Number Two as if amazed that he was capable of such deep thoughts, but the larger man wasn’t looking at him. I followed Captain’s gaze and saw that Number Two’s eyes were glazed in thought as he stared off into the night.
Captain and I locked eyes again. I saw in his that he’d made his decision.
I waited.
“Get the bag for the lady,” Captain ordered.
Number Two shook himself from his reverie and went to the trunk of the car. I imagined for a moment that he might emerge with a shotgun, blazing away at me. But he closed the trunk and returned with a small travelling bag. He set it on the bonnet next to Captain.
Captain unzipped it and held it open for me. Stacks of wrapped pound notes were inside.
“Ye want to count it?”
I shook my head. “If I can’t trust ye at this point, what is the point?”
He smiled. “True that.”
He tossed the bag to me. I caught it deftly.
“We’ll trade,” Captain told me. He motioned to the car he sat on. “The keys are in it.”
“That’s fine,” I said. Then I frowned. “But I forgot my bag in the van. I’ll just grab it if ye don’t mind?”
Suspicion darkened his face. “What bag?”
“My handbag,” I said. “With woman things, ye know? My ID, too. I’ll be needing it.”
He turned to Number Two. “Did ye see a bag in the van?”
The lantern-jawed man thought a moment. Then he nodded. “I think so.”
Captain returned his gaze to me, still suspicious. “Hurry it, then. And he goes with ye.”
I shrugged. “I’ll only be a second.”
I turned and walked toward the van, hoping that Captain wasn’t bright enough to ask for the keys before I got close enough to run for it. Number Two’s heavy footsteps fell in several paces behind me.
By my best estimate, once I made my move, I had less than two seconds. All of my life came down to those brief seconds. I took a long, lingering breath. I could smell the sea salt on the air. In that moment, it was the most beautiful scent I’d ever experienced.
I slipped my hand into my pocket and prepared the ignition key, gripping it tightly between my thumb and forefinger.
I heard Number Two’s steady footfalls behind me. Quieter still, I could hear the wind moving lightly through the treetops and the thick grass of the meadow.
At the van, I swung open the driver’s door and tossed the bag of money onto the passenger’s side. Then I vaulted into the driver’s seat. I slammed the door shut and hit the lock.
Number Two was at the window immediately. He clawed at the door handle, pulling at the door. The van rocked wildly as I jammed the key into the ignition and turned it.
The engine turned over, caught and failed.
Number Two raised his meaty palm in the air.
I realized I’d let go of the ignition key too soon. I cranked it again. The engine caught and roared to life. I gunned the accelerator.
Number Two’s open hand crashed into the window, shattering it.
I suppressed a scream. I jerked it into gear and punched the gas. The van lurched forward. Number Two’s clutching hands swept past me. He grasped at my shoulder but only grazed me with the tips of his fingers.
I pointed the van on the road toward the lighthouse.
I gripped the wheel and drove.
Headlights sprang to life in the rearview mirror.
I clenched my jaw.
A few moments later, those lights glared at me at my rear bumper, hounding me.
Just lead them to the Inspector. And ye get yer new life.
The road turned sharply to the right and dropped onto the coastal road. I made the acute turn and headed for the lighthouse, less than a kilometer away. Like a fox chasing a rabbit, Captain and Number Two barreled after me in the car.
I allowed myself to smile.
That was when they hit me.
The van jumped and lurched from the force of it. I struggled with the wheel and managed to keep it straight. They were only trying to scare me. That was all. Bump into the little girl and make her so scared that she stops.