Page 6 of Christmas Ransom

Buddy swore, chucked his costume past Jud into the very back of the van and turned away to look out the side window. “I knew better than to get involved with this because you screw up everything you touch. You always have—ever since we were kids.”

“We got the money, didn’t we?” Jud insisted as he too shed his costume between fits of scratching at the rash breaking out everywhere the costume had touched bare skin.

“The money won’t do us any good if we’re locked up in prison, or worse, dead. You could have gotten us all killed back there,” Buddy snapped.

“He still might,” Eli said and pointed out the windshield.

Ahead of them, Jud could see the railroad crossing—and the approaching train. At their rates of speed, both the train and the van would reach the crossing at the same time. He swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat.

He and Jesse had researched their escape, knowing it was the only chance they had of getting out of Lonesome and evading the cops. They would hit the bank and head for the train crossing. He’d timed the robbery so they would get across the tracks before the train by a few minutes. Anyone following them would have to wait for the entire length of the train to pass before following them.

Because of that small window of time, he’d known how dangerous trying to beat the train was going to be. A thirty-car freight train hitting a vehicle would be the same force as a car crushing an aluminum soda can. It would take the train a mile before it came to a complete stop.

Add to that the fact that the train was about six feet wider than the rails. That meant an extra three feet on each side of the locomotive that could clip the van even after the back tires cleared the rails.

The timing had been crucial. Now he saw that trying to take Carla Richmond hostage had cost them critical time and might end up being the last reckless thing he’d ever do.

“Are we going to make it?” Eli asked, his voice breaking as Rick tried to get more speed out of the van as they raced toward the crossing. Lights were flashing, but there were no crossing barriers. The county had talked about adding them after Del Colt had been killed at this spot, but it hadn’t happened.

The roar of the train and the locomotive horn was deafening in his ears. It was so close that Jud could see the panicked look on the engineer’s face. The man had already hit the brakes, but there was no stopping the train in time to miss the van.

Rick had the gas pedal pressed to the floor. As the van bounced over the first rail, all Jud could see out the side window next to him was the massive front of the train’s engine. They were all going to die. After an initial spike of panic, he felt almost relieved that his life would be over. Except for Jesse. He’d let her down, the one good thing in his life.

The van felt as if it were flying as the back wheels bucked over the second rail. Jud thought for sure the engine would catch the rear panel of the van, ripping it off and sending them cartwheeling through the air.

The train roared by behind them as the van kept going and Rick fought to keep the vehicle on the road at this speed. Jud realized he’d been holding his breath. He let it out, feeling shaky and sick to his stomach. He’d never come that close to dying. He sat back in his seat and tried to breathe. The pain in his chest was excruciating, and now that he was going to live, he was furious with Buddy.

Eli swore next to him, looking as shaken as Jud felt. “You sorry son of a—” Eli looked like he wanted to punch him. “You almost got us killed. If we hadn’t beaten that train across the tracks...”

“I didn’t get us caught or killed. Instead, I made you money. You knew the risk.” He could feel Buddy’s gaze on him again.

“You’re right. I don’t know what we were thinking. We definitely should have known dealing with you was more than a risk,” Buddy said. “I still can’t believe you were going to take that woman as a hostage.” His gaze narrowed. “What were you going to do with her?”

Jud said nothing. He’d had to make a decision. Kill her where she lay or take her hostage. “I didn’t have a choice. My mask slipped. I think she saw my tattoo. Once I realized she could make me...”

Buddy swore. “This just keeps getting better.”

“Don’t worry. If she’s still alive, I know who she is. I’ll take care of it.”

He saw Eli and Rick exchange a look with Buddy as if he was the one who’d planned this. Buddy said, “You’d better hope she’s still alive. Otherwise, they’ll never stop looking for us for murder on top of armed robbery.” Buddy swore. “What were you thinking? She can’t ID you from that crappyJJtattoo. Unless you’ve had your name and phone number tattooed on you since we last saw you. Or maybe your Social Security number.”

Jud gritted his teeth. In a few minutes, he would see the last of these guys and he’d be rich. “Maybe I overreacted,” he said sullenly, hating Buddy all the more for putting him in a position where he had to back down. “But Jesse watches this TV show where they find people with a whole lot less than an obvious tattoo.”

Buddy shook his head and turned away to stare at the road ahead. Jud saw that they were almost to the spot where they would divide the loot and part company after one final step. He couldn’t wait. He could feel his skin burning from wearing the ridiculous costume. At least one of his ribs felt broken. And Carla Richmond might still be alive. The only good news was that, with luck, he’d never see these men again. He regretted bringing them in for this. Once he had his share of the money, he and Jesse would leave the country.

As he shifted in his seat, he felt the pain in his side from Buddy’s gun butt. It made him all the more furious that Buddy seemed to think he could tell him what to do.

“You don’t know that she made you,” Buddy was saying as the van came to a stop in the middle of the forest where an SUV and Rick’s motorcycle waited for them. They would take the SUV to the spot where they’d left their vehicles. Except for Rick, who would stay behind and burn the van with the costumes and their weapons inside it. All the evidence would be gone, including any evidence on the unregistered weapons. While the rifles wouldn’t burn, they couldn’t be traced back to them.

If Carla Richmond hadn’t seen his tattoo, the robbery would have gone off perfectly. Now he was going to have to deal with her. The thought made his stomach roil.

“Don’t be a fool,” Buddy said as if he could read his thoughts. The man opened the passenger-side door to climb out but hesitated to look back at Jud. “The cops can’t prove anything. Just forget about the woman, take your share of the money and make a new life for yourself. If you’re smart, you’ll leave Jesse behind. You wouldn’t have gotten this deep in trouble if you weren’t trying to keep her. Let her go. Women are a dime a dozen. Especially ones like Jesse.” As Buddy stepped out, Jud saw the bulge of a handgun stuffed in the back of his jeans.

The plan had been that no one would bring extra weapons. Were the others now carrying as well?

“Thanks for the advice,” Jud said between gritted teeth as everyone climbed out of the van, taking the bags of money but leaving their weapons behind to go up in flames. He picked up his fully loaded semiautomatic rifle from the van floor where it had been dropped.

As his feet hit the dirt, he saw Buddy give a nod toward the others. They started to turn as Jud said, “Buddy, you should know that I’ve never been good at taking advice.” As Buddy reached behind him for his weapon, Jud saw the others about to do the same thing.

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