Security by Mike Shade Read Free Book Online Page A

they're trying to kill me and Kenny?" Kenny could be a bastard and they'd both been callous enough in their lives, but they'd never... never done anything worth someone killing over.
     
"Your dad?" Rick chuckled. "Believe it or not? The crazy bastard refused to do business with someone. That someone happened to be a big time Columbian who makes your dad look like an innocent lamb."
     
He shivered. "That's crazy."
     
"It is. Odd time for Jonas to get all honorable, too." Rick got him settled in the bed, sheet pulled over him.
     
He curled up in on himself, missing Kenny's warmth at his back. Missing Kenny. He started to shiver, shaking so hard his teeth were chattering.
     
Rick sighed and pulled off his shoes, checked the door. Then Rick settled behind him, solid and hot. "Sleep, Bay."
     
"I'll try," he whispered, feeling better with Rick's solid heat behind him.
     
It was a long time before he stopped shivering though and the sun was up before his eyes finally closed.
     
***
     
Simon headed northeast, driving hard, putting as much mileage between them and LA as he could. He'd sent the
emergency messages to the team, locked the kid in the backseat and drove.
     
He didn't relax until they were out of Cali and heading towards Utah. Fuck. Fuck, if he hadn't stopped Rick. If the kids hadn't come out to fight.
     
Shit.
     
He pulled out a cigarette, lit up. They were going to need gas in an hour, probably a soda, too. "You hurt, kid?"
     
At some point he'd figure out which one he had.
     
He'd been a bit surprised actually, by how quiet the kid had been so far. "I hit the wall pretty hard. Nothing's broken." The kid was watching the road go by out the window. "Bay's gonna be freaking. He needs me."
     
Ah, he'd gotten Ken.
     
"Rick'll take good care of him. We'll stop for a soda in a while."
Kid shrugged. "Am I ever going to see him again?" "Yeah. Couple of weeks, tops, and me and Rick will meet
in a safe house. You two are too easy to spot together, right
now."
     
"Someone really was out to get us." Ken laughed but there wasn't much humor in the sound and he scratched at his eyes. "You should have kept the extra guys on."
     
"Mike was watching the perimeter. He's how we got the
seconds we did." He nodded to the stereo. "We're going to be on the road a while. What kind of music do you like?"
     
"A while? I'm not sitting here in the back seat like a prisoner being transporter for 'a while'." The kid started climbing over the front seat.
     
He chuckled, shook his head. "Careful, Ken. I'm driving here."
     
"You gonna stop and let me use the doors?"
     
"Nope." He grinned. He would get the fighter, wouldn't he?
     
"Then I'm coming over this way." Ken managed to come over without bumping him, settling in the seat and even putting on his seat belt without being told.
     
Then the kid started playing with the buttons on the stereo.
     
Simon lit another cigarette, cracked the window. "We're going to stop up ahead. You don't draw any attention to yourself. Soda, snack, piss, back in the car. Okay?"
     
"You got cash, man?" Ken held out his hand.
     
"Yeah." He nodded, handed the kid two twenties. Good boy. "No cards, not for anything. No ID. No record. I want a chocolate bar and a Coke. You pay for the gas."
     
"Shouldn't you be giving me, like, a hat and a fake beard or something?" Ken's eyes twinkled, smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.
     
"Nope. That draws attention." He met Ken's eyes, briefly.
"They'll be looking for you. Trust me; you don't want to be found."

 
Ken snorted. "I figured that much out myself about a half second after I heard the explosion, Red. Won't promise not to try convince you to fuck me through the floorboards, but I won't do anything stupid."
     
"That's fair." Simon pulled into the gas station. "Chocolate and Coke. I'm filling her up."
     
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time."
     
Ken got out and headed into the store, pointing out the car he was paying gas for and heading for