“Hey,” Gabriel said, walking over and leaning against the table. His face tightened as he saw the scrape on Jimmy’s hand; then his gaze shifted to the map, and he reached out a hand to trace along one of the lines.
“Here is where we’ll be going.” He motioned and Jimmy and Sabrina moved their hands away to see better. “Up 202 to the interstate, then north until we get to the Catskills. The safe house is a cabin on long-term lease to the FBI. It’s got all the basics: running water, heat, and electricity but no television.” He shrugged in apology and Sabrina nodded, not really caring about cable service at this point. “I’m also not sure if our cell phones will work, but there’s a landline so we shouldn’t have any trouble.” Jimmy nodded. Sabrina wondered if she should even bring her phone, but then thought that she could keep herself occupied with some of the games she’d downloaded. At least she could play Solitaire if she got too bored.
“Thanks,” Jimmy said, then released her hand as she nodded at Gabriel, too. It was time to go.
Three hours later, Sabrina was cursing the terrible suspension in the Jeep the FBI had given them. She couldn’t doze once they hit I-87 because the roadway was pocked with holes from the recent winter, and the stupid vehicle the government saw fit to give them was, in her opinion, best suited for the junkyard. She complained about it bitterly for a half-hour until Jimmy sighed and leaned over the front seat to kiss her silent. That made her pout, but seeing Gabriel smiling at them in the rearview mirror made her laugh out loud, especially when he reprimanded Jimmy for taking off his seat belt. She must have dozed then, because the next thing she knew, her head impacted the door and Gabriel was apologizing.
“Sorry! Sorry, we’re almost there, sweetheart.” Gabriel glanced at her in the mirror. She groaned aloud but secretly smiled at the endearment.
“Are you trying to kill me, Gabriel?” Sabrina tried to rub the sore spot on the side of her head, but every time she reached up, they hit another bump. She nearly smacked herself in the face three times before she gave up and resolved to endure the throbbing without the fake comfort of rubbing her skin.
“The turnoff should be on the right in another quarter mile.” Jimmy spread the map out on his lap.
“Jimmy, I could have downloaded the route onto my handheld, you know.” Sabrina wondered why they were relying on paper when the wonders of GPS were available.
“The FBI didn’t want us using our phones,” Gabriel said. She guessed there was some way of tracking them if they left their phones powered up. Sabrina shrugged, not much caring. “Besides, this isn’t on any electronic map.” Gabriel fell silent, not noticing her lack of interest as he turned the Jeep to the right, and the road abruptly worsened, a feat she wouldn’t have thought was possible five minutes ago.
“God, this bouncing around is going to make me hurl,” she muttered, holding her stomach. Jimmy smiled weakly at her, looking a bit green himself.
“We’re almost there,” Gabriel assured them, concentrating on driving in the dark on what Sabrina finally reasoned must be an unpaved road. Or overgrown dirt track, she thought, quelling the urge to vomit once again.
“Where’s here?” she asked, gripping the door handle to protect her head from further assault.
“The cabin is on the west side of the Ashokan reservoir,” Gabriel explained, peering into the darkened woods. Sabrina hoped he didn’t miss the cabin. They could all use some rest, and she could tell Gabriel wouldn’t relax until he found somewhere safe.
“Do you know what time it is?” Sabrina asked next, trying unsuccessfully to push the tiny button on her watch to illuminate the face.
“I think it’s around four a.m.,” Jimmy said just as the Jeep skidded to a halt. Sabrina saw the looming outline of a building in front of them, but couldn’t make out anything else in the dark.
“Wait here.” Gabriel unbuckled himself from the seat belt and reseated his weapon more comfortably beneath his arm.
“You want me to come with?” Jimmy asked him.
Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, it’d probably be better if the two of us checked the grounds together.” He reached over and popped open the glove compartment. “Here.” He thrust a small gun over the seat toward Sabrina. She looked at him like he was trying to hand her a snake, and he chuckled.
“Here’s the safety, here’s how to move a round into the chamber,” he explained, still smiling. Sabrina made no move to take the gun. “Take it, and don’t shoot unless you’re sure it’s not me, Jimmy, or some random animal, okay?”
Sabrina sighed, gingerly reaching out and taking hold of the weapon. “You know I’ve never shot one of these before, ever,” she stated flatly, not pleased with being left alone in the car and even less pleased at being handed a gun while still mostly asleep. She knew they both understood how she felt because she could see them glancing at each other. They earned points for not rolling their eyes, but still, she didn’t like this.
“I know, but I don’t want you unprotected. It will make me feel better,” Gabriel insisted. “Jimmy and I are going to check the perimeter and open up the cabin. I want you to stay put. Lie down on the seat and relax. It’s unlikely anyone followed us—we were watching for that—and it’s even more unlikely that anyone knows this cabin is here. It hasn’t been used in a decade.”
Sabrina nodded, then slumped down in the seat so she wasn’t visible but could still see out the windows. Jimmy smiled approvingly, and the two men loped away from the car and disappeared into the night. She stared at the dark building, hoping there were beds and sheets, maybe even a blanket or two. I would kill for a blanket, she thought grimly, then smiled sardonically as she realized she was holding a gun. She settled down to wait.
It didn’t take long for Gabriel to reappear and open up the cabin. Jimmy walked back a moment later and went inside with Gabriel while Sabrina tried not to fall asleep now that the car wasn’t moving. She cradled the gun in her lap and prayed she wouldn’t slip and accidentally shoot off her own foot. Soon, though, the lights flicked on. Not a minute later, Gabriel walked out and switched on a small outside light, illuminating the cabin slightly for the first time. She still couldn’t see much, just enough to take in the roofed porch that ran the length of the front and the swing near the door. She could tell the cabin had a peaked roof, but not whether the inside had two stories or just a high ceiling. Then Jimmy came out and waved to her as Gabriel walked around the back of the Jeep. Sabrina scrambled upright, unlocking the door and opening it, letting in the cool evening air along with the sounds of bugs and the occasional frog.
“Okay, let’s go in,” Gabriel said, popping open the back and grabbing two bags. Sabrina didn’t know what to do with the gun and ended up shoving it into her back jeans pocket. It barely fit. She hoped the safety wouldn’t slip as she bent over to retrieve her purse. Jimmy grabbed another two bags when he reached the vehicle, and Sabrina picked up her camera bag and sack of books from the seat and followed them inside.
“We can sleep together in the bedroom up in the loft,” Jimmy said, following Sabrina to the cabin. She’d stopped in the doorway, taking in the high-beamed ceiling and the fireplace against the far wall. It looked like the natural stone chimney extended up into the loft, probably providing heat as well as just looking damn cool. The steps leading upstairs were on the left, and a small kitchen lay along the far right wall. The only light on inside was a lamp on an end table next to a comfy-looking sofa that faced the fireplace. Sabrina wondered where the bathroom was.
“I’ll just put our stuff upstairs,” Jimmy murmured and brushed past her while she stood, staring at the rough wood walls and bare floors before slowly walking inside. A thick fur rug lay in front of the cold fireplace. It looked comfortable, though a bit worn on the edges. Sabrina was wondering what kind of animal it came from when Gabriel snuck up behind her.