Page 94 of Loco

She didn’t ask questions, she just ran. I scooped Kairo up, his head bobbing against my shoulder, and took off after her into the trees.

Behind us, the shouting started.

"She’s gone!" someone roared as lights flicked on in the house. The yelling got louder, angrier, and closer.

Branches slapped at my face as we cut through the underbrush, Sayla ahead of me, her breath ragged and fast. We didn’t stop or slow. We couldn’t.

The car was right where we left it, tucked behind the overgrown hedgerow. We burst out of the tree line, feet pounding the dirt. I opened the back door and whispered loudly, “Strap them in and hold them tight. I’m driving fast.”

Sayla scrambled into the backseat, doing exactly what I said, her hands trembling but steady enough to get the job done. I closed the driver’s door quietly, heart hammering, and started the engine, ensuring the lights stayed off. I was relying on darkness and instinct.

The tires kicked up dirt as we peeled away from the woods, the house disappearing behind us.

After a few minutes of silence but for Kaida’s sleepy murmurs and Kairo’s soft breath, I eased us off the main road. The town lights flickered in the distance, but I didn’t head for them. I turned instead, following the darker paths that snaked along the town’s edges. I didn’t follow a pattern or straight lines to throw anyone off if they were tracking.

Another turn, then another. It felt like I was trying to outdrive the weight in my chest.

Eventually, I found the turn I was looking for—a narrow dirt road hidden mainly by overgrowth. I swung the wheel, and we bumped down it, branches scraping the sides, with the headlights still off.

A broken old farmhouse stood at the end of the road, barely visible through the brush. With its sagging porch and shattered windows, it looked long forgotten by everyone but time.

I pulled behind it and killed the engine, the silence falling like a blanket.

We sat there, breathing hard, and the smell of dust and pine was thick around us. For now, we were safe.

I let the silence stretch a few more seconds, watching the shadows move across the old porch like they might come alive, but nothing did. There were no headlights, no crunch of boots on gravel, just the wind tugging gently at the trees.

“I think we’re good,” I finally said, half to myself.

I reached for my phone and tapped Roque’s number. The call connected faster than I expected, and I cursed under my breath as the car’s Bluetooth picked it up and Roque’s ringtone came blaring through the speakers.

“Damn it,” I hissed, fumbling to lower the volume. Kaida stirred but didn’t wake, still curled up against Sayla’s side like a kitten. I glanced back, my emotions softening when I saw her sucking her thumb, still fast asleep. “Sorry, didn’t mean to blast it.”

Sayla just gave me a tired shrug, her eyes heavy but alert. I watched her brush Kaida’s hair back from her forehead with surprising gentleness.

“You think they gave her something?” I asked quietly.

Sayla snorted softly. “Nah, she just sleeps like a log when she’s worn out. Like—don’t-wake-me-during-a-tornado tired.”

Before I could say anything, Roque picked up. “Kapono, what’s going on?”

I looked at Sayla in the mirror and gave her a nod. “I’ve got someone here who wants to talk to you.”

Sayla blinked and caught a breath, but a small voice piped up from the back seat before she could speak.

“Uncle Wok?” Kairo had sat up a little, rubbing his eyes with one fist, the other hand still clutched in Sayla’s shirt. His voice was scratchy and quiet but clear.

There was silence on the other end of the line, then Roque’s voice cracked through, rough and low. “Kairo?”

I didn’t say a word, I didn’t need to. The weight of emotions in his voice said it all.

“Uncle Wok?” Kairo repeated, his voice a little stronger now, like he was waking up for real.

Roque let out a long breath over the line. I could hear his engine humming faintly through the speakers—he was already driving.

“I’m coming to get you, buddy,” he said, voice thick. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” Kairo mumbled softly, snuggling closer to Sayla’s side.

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