Page 84 of Countdown

“I know, son. I know.” He hung up and walked into the restaurant.

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After Kira had dropped them at the hangar, Penny presented them each a bag of clothing she’d had her friends put together, then pointed them to the locker rooms—his to the right, Raina’s to the left—and instructed them to shower and change, and when they were ready, they’d take off.

Thirty minutes later, they were in the air.

Vince closed his eyes and refused to hurl. He hated flying to begin with, but combined with the meds, his stomach was decidedly unsteady. At least the throbbing had eased.

“Here.” Raina held out a barf bag.

“I look that green?”

“More like a sickly pale yellowish green.”

He took the bag. “Wouldn’t want to mess up my clean, dry clothes.”

“Exactly.”

“Or this plane,” Penny said, her amused voice coming through the headset. “Please, not the very expensiveborrowedplane. You know, the one that doesn’t belong to me?”

Vince rolled his eyes and Raina shot him a sympathetic look.

When he finally felt like he could move without puking, he dug into his pocket. He passed Raina her phone. “He found both of them. Said yours got a little wet, but it was still powered on, so maybe it’s okay.”

She took it from him. “Thank you.” She tapped the screen and smiled.

“What?”

“It’s Mrs. Gibbs’s eightieth birthday next month. Penny, Jules, and Grace and I have all been invited to celebrate with her—along with our plus ones—in California.” Her eyes widened. “At a resort. Wow. Her family is going all out, and she’s asked for us to be there if we can make it. It’s the weekend after the Super Bowl.”

“Mrs. Gibbs ... she’s the psychiatrist from juvie?”

Raina nodded. “She’s the reason we’re the people we are today. I think her prayers alone have sustained us in some ways.” Regret flickered in her gaze. “She’d be sad about my doubts.”

“What would she say about them?”

“Hmm. Probably the same thing you have.”

“She sounds like an amazing person.”

“Ha. Cute. But in all seriousness, she is. I haven’t seen her since I walked out of juvie, but she sends cards to the others every birthday and Christmas.”

“Not you?”

She shot him a sad smile. “She didn’t know where I was, and I wouldn’t let the others tell her.”

“Just in case?”

“Yeah. Just in case.” She sighed and leaned her head back against the headrest and Vince wished she’d keep talking. It took his mind off the pain in his leg and shoulder.

“Did you ever talk to John Tate?” she asked.

“No. I called him back from the hospital, but he didn’t answer.” He glanced at his phone. “And he hasn’t called me back since.”

“So, let’s recap.”

He raised a brow at her. “All right. Recap what?”

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