Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
“Pennsylvania. Ohio,” Tuck said.
“Maybe they wanted to see how far the outage extends. You know…get the lay of the land.”
“Why would they? The Amish have no problem living without electricity. For them it’s business as usual.”
“True, but they do use services in the outside world, right? Like…banking and, I don’t know, like mail and stuff? They have to have noticed what happened.”
“I suppose you’re right…”
“Did you just say I might be right about something.” I brought my hand to my chest and pretended I couldn’t breathe.
“Guys,” Charlie broke in, “there’s only one way to find out. Let’s go talk to them.”
I glanced over at him as though he’d appeared out of nowhere. Why did I keep forgetting Charlie was here?
As Tuck continued to look through his binoculars for another minute, I took the switchblade from my backpack and stuck it in the inside pocket of my jacket. I wouldn’t admit it to him, but Tuck had quickly schooled me on the fact that my self-defense skills weren’t going to save me if I was attacked. And though I wasn’t overly worried about the Amish, it was better safe than sorry, wasn’t it?
Finally, Tuck sighed and lowered the binoculars. “Fine. I think it’s safest if I keep watch and you go talk to them. Wave to me if things seem okay. Scratch your head if things seem off in any way.”
I pulled at Charlie’s arm, and we ducked as we backtracked a bit, dipping around the corner before immediately turning and rounding it again. As we drew closer, I made sure not to look in Tuck’s direction, instead, raising my hand and waving at the two men who’d spotted us. “Hi,” I said. “How are you?”
I plastered Nova’s smile on my face, the one that said I didn’t have a care in the world and was completely untouchable. It felt stretched and uncomfortable, but that might be because the two men were not reciprocating with friendly expressions. “I’m… Nova and this is Charlie,” I said when we got to where they were standing, staring at us suspiciously.
The man on the left slowly extended his hand and shook mine. When I looked down, I saw that he had tattoos on his fingers. I felt my brows rise but quickly adjusted my expression. I didn’t know a lot about the Amish, but finger tattoos didn’t seem on-brand. We waited for them to offer their names, but when they didn’t, and instead looked back and forth between each other, that feeling that something was off increased. What was the signal? Was I supposed to give a thumbs-down to let Tuck know things were off? God, why hadn’t I listened to him?
“Hi there,” the man on the right said, his smile growing in a way that looked decidedly predatory. Uh-oh.
Charlie and I started backing up in tandem, and I shoved my hand behind my back, making every gesture I could think of.
“Leaving so soon?” the other asked.
Then before I could take another step, they both swooped in, one pulling a firearm from his jacket pocket and putting it to my head as he spun me around and started marching us both toward the rear of the closed diner.
twenty-three
Tuck
“Mother fucker!” I hissed as I watched the two Amish men—who were most definitely not Amish—wrangle Charlie and Emily behind the diner. Even while being practically dragged, Emily continued to move her hand furiously behind her back in every gesture possible except the one we’d discussed.
Even so, the fact that the men were holding a gun on Emily and Charlie and manhandling them up the street told me all I needed to know.
I wanted to kick myself. I’d known there was something off about those two, even from several hundred feet away. I hadn’t been able to say exactly what and so I’d talked myself out of the feeling, but I should have listened to my instincts. I couldn’t take credit for a lot, but I knew I had two things going for me: honed muscles and honed instincts. And because I’d dismissed my gut, now Emily and Charlie were being abducted.
As soon as the four of them disappeared behind the building, I came to my feet. I quickly considered what I had in my backpack that I might use as a weapon but there really wasn’t anything. Even the small knife on the wine opener I’d used to sharpen the stick in my belt had dulled and eventually fallen apart and so I’d discarded it. I set my hand on that stick now as I exited the bushes. It wasn’t much, but better than nothing. I made my way swiftly across the street and then plastered myself to the side of the diner, moving my head inch by inch until I had a visual of the area in the back.