Page 21 of Thin Ice

“Let me help you get everyone transferred to the SUV and then I’ll be on my way.”

They went back to the van. As soon as they approached, Victor exited out of the back. “Everything okay?”

“We need to get on the road. This is Kinsley’s brother, Joe.” Brookes made the introduction.

Joe shook the president’s hand. “Actually, we’ve met.”

Victor remembered. “The homeless fundraiser.” Joe nodded. “Kinsley’s in bad shape. You should prepare yourself.” Victor opened the back doors and Joe climbed in where Kinsley had heard her brother’s voice and was sitting up.

“Oh, sis.” Joe’s face crumpled when he got a look at his sister’s condition.

“It’s not as bad as it looks. Help me to the SUV and let’s get out of here.”

Joe put his arms around his sister’s legs and shoulders and carried her from the van. “I’m parked by the road. It’s not far. Hold onto me.” He started toward his SUV. Brookes and Abby grabbed as many supplies as they could carry, along with their backpacks, and followed.

Once everyone was settled inside, Tom pulled Brookes and Abby aside. “Keep the police radio close. You have my number if you need anything. If for some reason your people can’t come through for you, I have a friend who owns a small single-engine plane. He uses it mostly to go out on weekends. He can help if you need him to.”

Brookes clasped his shoulder. “That’s very kind. If we have to take you up on it, I’ll call you.”

Tom’s eyes darted between the two. “Please do. I’ll help in any way possible. And I’ll do whatever I can to get the word out here about what’s happening. People need to know the truth.”

Abby gave him a hug. “They do. Thank you, Tom. We’ll be in touch.”

After the officer had gone, Abby faced him. “I sure hope James’s friend can get through, but with what Tom said, I have a bad feeling.”

“Me too. Let’s get on the road. I won’t relax until we’re away from here.”

Brookes climbed into the second-row seating beside Abby.

“Ready?” Joe looked at them in the rearview mirror waiting for a response.

Brookes nodded. “Let’s go.”

Joe pulled out onto the road and headed straight. “It’s not safe to go back the way I came. There were police crawling everywhere. We’ll take the back roads to the farm. It will take longer, but hopefully we’ll stay out of sight.”

Brookes sat back in his seat and closed his eyes briefly. All he could think about was the distance between them and freedom. It wouldn’t surprise him if Legion searched every single house in the area to find them.

Abby sighed, drawing his thoughts to her. Because of him, she’d been put in the middle of this dangerous game in which they were far outnumbered. He cared too much about her to let her die because of Legion’s deadly plans. He reached for her hand. Felt the tremors there. They didn’t know how much time they had. “Abby—” He wanted to let her know what she meant to him. But before he could get the words out, her phone rang.

She sucked in a breath and held his gaze for the longest time. “I’d better get that.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

Like so many missed moments in their relationship, this one was not the time.

Abby glanced at the caller ID. “It’s James. I sure hope he has good news for us.” She put the call on speaker. “What’s going on?”

“I heard from my friend, Fin. He’s been trying to reach you, but the cell service was so bad he called me to give me an update. According to Fin, the state border is closed. They’re not letting anyone into the city or out.”

The words threatened to take away all Brookes’s hope.

“But I’m still working on getting a plane there to get you,” James said in a reassuring tone. “Don’t give up.”

Abby didn’t answer for the longest time. “We won’t.” She looked at Brookes with tears in her eyes and cleared her throat. “What’s happening there? We could use some good news.”

“A lot, actually. Jordyn has been monitoring the web to take the pulse of the nation after the latest attacks. She’s found dozens of chat sites talking about a global conspiracy. Jordyn and Garrett are doing their best to foster the truth.”

“That’s good to hear. We sure need something to help us turn this thing around,” Abby said, though the edge in her tone confirmed she was barely hanging on.

“I‘m hearing from my people around the country as well. Others are joining. Our numbers are growing. Not just here in the US but around the world. People are starting to question things. Hopefully, see the truth. We just need to get you all back here safely. When that happens, the president should speak to the nation. Tell them what’s really happening. He has a strong following of loyal patriots who aren’t buying Legion’s lies.”

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