The Third Adventure by Gordon Korman Read Free Book Online Page A

poised for flight, as the truck crunched to a halt. But instead of the squeak of the reel rewinding, the back hatch was flung wide, and the driver was glaring in at them.

    I knew I heard something —” the man began angrily.
    Without thinking, Griffin lunged for the power vac and kicked the switch in the opposite direction. The machine blared to life, blowing out this time. The gale-force wind took the glasses clean off the driver’s nose and sent them skittering down the road.
    Nobody needed a signal. The four campers blasted out of the truck. They crossed the road and disappeared into the woods. For the first hundred yards, their flight was pure escape. Then Melissa began to adjust their route according to the blip from Ben’s cell. When it became clear that the driver wasn’t interested in chasing them, they slowed to a walk.
    â€œThe signal’s going in and out,” Melissa observed. “When the phone dies, we’ll be flying blind.”
    The rain was tapering off, but the ground was swampy. Every step pulled at their sneakers, making progress slow and miserable. Onward they forged until, with sinking hearts, all four of them watched the signal on Melissa’s screen flicker and wink out.
    Savannah was practically hysterical. “How will we ever find Luthor
now
?”
    Griffin asserted his leadership. “Going back isn’t part of the plan. We’re headed in the right direction. We stick to it as best we can.”
    â€œWe’ve been sticking to it for the last hour,” Logan pointed out. “Who knows if we can even retrace our path to the road to catch another truck back to camp?”
    â€œI don’t care about getting back,” Savannah insisted. “I only care about Luthor.”
    â€œWe have to care about all of it,” Griffin said firmly. “If we can’t stop Swindle right here, right now, he’s going to haunt us for the rest of our lives.”
    They continued to walk, with a little less sureness in their steps. A lot of the hopeful determination had gone out of them.
    And then a voice that was low, yet remarkably close, queried, “What’s taking them so long? What if they got caught? What if they can’t find us?”
    Griffin stopped dead, a goofy grin spreading across his face. “I’d know that whine anywhere.”
    The four of them rushed through a break in the trees into a clearing at the side of a narrow dirt road. There they found a small cottage, two disabled vehicles, and Pitch and Ben, waiting not very patiently.
    Due to their dire situation, the reunion was brief and subdued. As soon as Palomino could find transportation, Luthor would be out of reach. It was the worst kind of ticking clock, since, for all they knew, a tow truck could be right around the next bend.
    â€œMaybe that’s our opportunity,” Griffin mused. “Swindle will go to the garage with his rental, right? That’ll leave Luthor alone with only one guy.”
    Pitch shook her head. “I only pulled out wires. They might not need to go to a garage.”
    Melissa nodded. “A trained mechanic could fix that on the spot.”
    â€œKnocking out the cars was sheer genius,” Griffin praised Pitch. “Without that, the plan would be dead in the water.”
    â€œIt was an amazing ad lib,” added Logan, using theatre terminology.
    â€œThat’s not all,” Pitch enthused. From her back pocket she produced the page she had taken from the SUV — the form from the dog pound that proved Palomino had given up his Doberman.
    â€œWe can’t leave here without Luthor,” Savannah said determinedly. “Judge Bittner will
have
to overturn the court order when he sees this.”
    â€œBut how do we get to Luthor?” Logan asked. “He’s locked in the house with two adults.”
    â€œAdults have never stopped us before,” put in Griffin. “All they are is bigger than us.