Page 73 of Silk and Steel

“Yo, chill out. I’m getting the keys.”

“Cell phones, too,” Julian says. “All of you.”

The band gives up their cell phones, and Mitch tosses Julian the keys. Banner turns off the phones one by one and tosses them into the back of the van.

“I told you we should have brought guns,” Cody says.

“And ruin our reputation? No parent is going to let their kids buy our album if we’re running around with a bunch of guns.”

“I can’t believe I thought they were a bunch of Navy SEALs,” Banner says, relaxing at last. “Instead, it’s just a stupid boy band.”

“Hey, we were the biggest boy band on Planet Earth for a while, how many of your songs have made the charts?” Mitch sputters.

“You can kill one of them if they talk again,” Julian says.

My heart skips a beat. I hold my breath all the way until we get into the van, but fortunately the band doesn’t do anythingstupid. Julian keeps close watch on them as Banner puts the van in gear.

“We’re just going to let them go?” Banner asks.

“Why not? It will take them hours to walk back to the highway. By then, we’ll be long gone.”

My rescuers dwindle in the rearview until they disappear from sight. I suppose there is a silver lining. They at least slowed us down. And maybe someone is looking for the van. The boys clearly absconded with this junker from the studio lot. It’s still got a bunch of equipment in it, and it's far from the glamorous ride they are used to.

“All right, all right, we’re back on schedule,” Julian says. “And as an added bonus, we have acquired a far less conspicuous vehicle.”

“A far less conspicuous vehicle without GPS,” Banner grumbles. “How are we going to find this airstrip?”

“You idiot, the airstrip isn’t on any maps. GPS wouldn’t have helped anyway. But don’t worry, I know my way there by heart.”

“You’d better. I still think we should have killed them.”

“Do you want to go back and kill them? Because we can, if you want to–”

“No, no, it’s fine. Let’s just get to the airplane and get the fuck out of this country.”

It’s starting to look like there really is no hope. What if they take me out of the country, and Julian decides he doesn’t have any reason to keep his word anymore. He claims to have the resources to hurt my family, even if he’s a thousand miles away.

Cole is in danger, too. Imminent danger. For my family, and for Cole, I can’t let them take me. I have to do something, and it has to be now.

I start to form a plan. It’s stupid, and crazy dangerous, but it’s better than the alternative. I have to enact it soon, though. Before we reach the freeway again.

“Slow down,” Julian says as the van careens around a bend in the gravel road. “Are you afraid of the boy band catching up with us?”

“Shut up, this van is a piece of junk. If I drop below second gear the engine tries to die.”

“Who cares? We’re going downhill, you can coast.”

I see a sharp turn coming up ahead. This could be my chance. Julian sticks his head up into the front seat so he can argue with Banner. He’s not paying any attention to me. I slither back toward the rear doors.

“Hit the brakes,” Julian shouts. “Can’t you see that hairpin coming up?”

“I am hitting the brakes, I told you this is a piece of shit.”

I grab the handle, and take a deep breath. Years of dance training come into play as I become aware of every muscle, joint, and sinew in my body. I force them all to relax. If I tense up, this is going to hurt a whole lot more.

We hit the apex of the turn, the van nearly coming up on two wheels. It’s now or never. I shove the rear door open and dive out, tucking into a roll.

I hit the gravel and tumble sideways. I fold my arms in close to my body and protect my head and face. When I come to a stop, I brace myself for an onslaught of pain from broken limbs or severed arteries.

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