Page 25 of Boxed In

He didn’t like the implications. But he had more immediate issues to deal with. He and Olivia were on foot, and that put them at a disadvantage, since he knew the bad guys had at least one car.

Would the Poisoned Ones keep looking for them close to Peterbalm’s office? Or would they spread out over the city?

As they walked, Luke scanned the working class neighborhood that bordered the warehouse district. Each house had its own rectangular backyard, most marked off by chain link or high wooden fences. Sometimes there was a detached garage at the end of the yard. Sometimes a parking pad.

A lot of the cars were old and battered, which was a plus, as far as Luke was concerned.

He hadn’t exactly been a Boy Scout in high school. And since getting out of the old neighborhood, he’d done his best to forget about his checkered past. But back in the bad old days, he and his friends had boosted more than a few cars and gone joyriding in them.

Lucky for him he’d never gotten caught, although he’d had some close calls.

Good, the warrior commented.

Good that I know how to steal a car? Or good that I didn’t get caught?

Both.

I guess it was easier to steal an oxcart.

If you got caught, they chopped off your hand. Or your head—if you were unlucky.

He winced, switched away from the internal conversation, and thought about the immediate problem. Being technically oriented, he still remembered the basic method of hot-wiring a car. Unfortunately, it only worked in older models.

As he thought about twisting wires together, he felt the big Z eavesdropping with extreme interest.

Thinking about a life of crime? he silently asked.

I’m trying to survive in your world.

A car will get us out of here. But criminals rarely escape the law for long.

He began walking more slowly, testing the door handles on the vehicles he passed. When he came to one that was unlocked, he stopped and looked around. The darkness hid them, but if someone was looking out the window, that was bad news.

He turned to Olivia. “I’m going to try to cross the wires on this wreck. If the cops come, start running.” He walked to the gate of the nearest yard and made sure it opened. Then he looked inside and saw one of the passages that led between the houses.

Pointing, he said, “Stay in the shadows over there.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll call you over when I’m ready.” He hesitated, then overruled Zabastian’s objection and handed Olivia the box.

She stared at him in surprise. “What if we get separated?”

“I can find you.”

“How?”

“There is something inside me that . . .” He hesitated, then finished, “that lets me home in on the box.”

“You—meaning Zabastian—can do that?”

“Yeah.”

She dragged in a breath. “Okay.”

Probably she didn’t believe him. Luke wasn’t sure he believed it himself. But he felt the big Z’s absolute conviction.

Unfortunately, the only way to prove it was to lose the damn thing. And he wasn’t planning to do that if he could help it.

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