Lone Girl (The Wolfling Saga) by Kate Bloomfield Read Free Book Online Page B

groaned. I ran to my bag which sat on the bed and rummaged through it.
    I pulled out the cell phone.
    “Rose … what is that?” Tom was at my side in an instant.
    I pressed the ‘home’ button on the phone and w ith horror I realized that I’d left my phone connected to its wireless internet since last night. “Shit.”
    “What? What did you do?” said Tom, his eyes wide.
    “I’m … I’m so sorry,” I gasped, staring at the phone.
    Tom held out his hand for the device and I gave it to him. He took one look at the screen before going pale.
    “Rose?” Tom looked at me with wide eyes. “What have you done?”
    “I’m sorry,” I said, fighting back the urge to cry. I’d let him down.
    “Rose … I asked you not to … I said-” Tom was speechless.
    With a shaking hand he held the smartphone up to me. But I already knew what I’d see.
     
    Battery: 2%
    Wifi: Connected
     
    “They tracked us through the phone,” he said.
    “I’m sorry,” I said, my hands shaking violently. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think they could really do that -”
    “Of course they can,” he said disbelievingly. “I told you.”
    “I didn’t think – it was only for a minute –”
    “I asked you to destroy it, Rose. This is why!” he pointed to the window.
    “I’m sorry!”
    “What do we do?” Tom asked, peering out of the window. Two police officers exited their vehicles.
    “I’m not going to let them take you,” I promised. This was my fault and I was going to make it right.
    “We can’t escape – there’s three cop cars out the front.”
    I thought quickly. Countless action movies played through my mind.
    “The bathroom,” I said. “There’s a window.”
    “The bath - what?” Tom followed me as I raced into the bathroom.
    There was a window above the toilet. It was small - too small for Tom to squeeze through. His broad shoulders would never fit.
    “Rose, we can’t-” he began.
    “Quiet,” I said, putting the toilet seat down and climbing on top of it. I unlatched the window, but it only popped open by a few inches.  However, the screws in the hinge were loose. I grabbed the window by its frame and shook it violently. The hinges snapped from years of rust and I passed the frame to Tom.
    “What are you doing?” He stared in awe.
    “The car is parked round the back,” I reminded him. I jingled the keys in my pocket. “We’re making a get-away.”
    “I’ll never fit through there, Rose –” he began. 
    “You won’t need to. Give me a leg up will you?”
    Tom did as I asked and hoisted me up. I grappled with the window ledge, wriggling my way through it. It was easier than I thought it would be. However, getting down was another matter now that I was facing the dirt head-first. 
    “You’re going to get us killed,” I heard Tom mutter to himself. I could feel his tight grip on my ankles, stopping me from falling. I was bent at the waist, the window ledge digging painfully into my stomach.
    “Let me go,” I said breathlessly.
    “No,” he panted.
    “Tom,” I hissed, kicking my leg until he released me from his grip.  I fell to the dirt with a thud, but I managed to break my fall with my hands. It hurt – and my palms were grazed and bleeding from the fall. However, I barely noticed as I scrambled to my feet and looked around.
    I was behind the motel, which backed onto an empty field that was surrounded by a rusty chain-link fence. The gap between the Motel and the fence was no more than a few feet wide. The car was parked at the end of the small alley – hidden from sight by passing motorists.
    Tom’s face appeared in the window. “What are you doing ?”
    “Meet me by the front door. I’ll honk. Okay?” I didn’t wait for his response; instead I began to run down the narrow strip.
    “What? Rose! Come back! No!”
    I sprinted along the narrow pathway, which was littered with empty beer bottles, needles and used condoms. Clearly a spot for getting up to no good. How many