Page 18 of Panther's Magpie
He ignores my warning and keeps going.
“We know nothing, Panther, nothing. She could be walking into a fucking trap, and then we would have to save her as well.”
“It’s a risk she’s willing to take,” I remind him.
“Yeah, well, then at least she would be safe. Something I thought we were trying to do by keeping her here. Or was that a lie?”
I walk toward him and hiss, “Watch your fuckin’ mouth and keep your voice down. If she wants to do this, then who am I to stop her?”
He scoffs, shaking his head. “You’re so fucking blind right now, man, it’s not even funny. You can’t see the bigger picture, let alone what’s in front of your face.”
“It’s my sister we’re talking about.”
“Yeah, which means your judgment is clouded, and you shouldn’t be heading this. You are thinking too emotionally about it and not logically. I’m telling you right now, this is a fucking mistake, and it’s going to blow up in our faces.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take. I know you seem to like the girl, but she isn’t yours. If this is what it takes to get Aspen back, then we do it.”
Eagle looks at me with disappointment. “Just remember when this goes south that if that girl bleeds, her blood is on your hands and yours alone.”
“Mind your own business, Eagle. I got this.”
“Whatever, I’m out of here,” he mutters as he walks toward the door.
For a moment, I start to second-guess myself.
Is Eagle right? Am I too blinded by my worry for Aspen that I’m putting Maggie in unnecessary danger?
No, she volunteered. It was her idea.
Besides, nothing else has panned out. This might be our only shot.
I need something. Anything, and if this gives us even the smallest of clues, it will be worth it.
The sound of Maggie walking closer has me taking a deep breath. I can’t show her that I’m having second thoughts about this. Because if I do, then so will she.
“You ready?” I ask as she comes into view.
She dips her chin. “I am. How do you want to do this?”
“You’ll drive your car, and I’ll follow behind on my bike. I’ll keep a safe distance between us so no one suspects we are together. I’ll pull off out of view of the bar. You’ll go in, do your thing, and then get out.”
“And if I find myself in trouble?” she asks as she shifts her weight from one foot to another.
“Then I’ll come in and save you.”
We hash out a few other little details, and once she seems a little more confident, I ask, “Now are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’ll just need to stop for gas first,” she says, wincing.
I shut my eyes and bite back my frustration.
In the grand scheme of things, her needing gas isn’t that big of a deal. I just hate that it’s delaying us getting on the road.
“Then I guess we will have to stop on the way out of town, won’t we?” I say as I nod toward the door.
As we walk outside, I can’t help but hope that we are about to do the right thing and Eagle is wrong.
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