Chapter 21
“What do you mean, it’s gone?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking about how much to say and how to say it. “The doctor has both the coins and the medicine, but I can get the medicine. Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.” I tried to sound confident as I packed my bedroll and handed Rudy the bag of coins I’d stashed inside a secret pocket for emergencies. I thrust the wad of vouchers at him. “Here, you’ll need these.”
“What kind of trouble have you got yourself into, Miss Lily?” Rudy stuffed the roll into his pocket with the bag of coins. He crossed his beefy arms over his dark chest. The sleeveless shirt he wore bulged at the shoulders and scooped low off his neck.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” The scratches on my cheek had already disappeared and only two pink fading lines remained on my forearm. “It’ll be okay; I promise.” I looked over at the two wolves that were leashed and tied to the trailer hitch. A great pair of protectors you guys turned out to be, I thought.
Rudy saw me looking at the boys. “They were causing all kinds of trouble down at the docks looking for you. Crashing through the crowd after ya’. I had to leash ‘em before somebody got hurt or the authorities took ‘em away.”
Bo and Pappy paced anxiously. How could I be mad at those pitiful mugs? Rudy was right. The city was no place for them, but I couldn’t take them with me to do what I had to do.
“Keep them here with you.” I patted each of the wolves in turn, letting them lick my hand furiously. “Make sure you feed them twice a day and give them plenty of water if you’re keeping them leashed. And watch them,” I said, “They’re sneaky.” I ruffled their fur one last time.
“I’ll take care of the dogs. You take care of yourself, Missy. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” He tilted his head, eyeing me doubtfully.
“I’m certain.” I yanked the center pole out of my lean-to and folded the lightweight tarp around the posts and grounding pegs. Packing it into a small square, I stuffed it neatly into the bottom of my pack. “Besides, I need you to fill the rest of the orders.” I handed him the extensive lists to go with the vouchers. “I’m sorry I’m dumping all of the work on you, but I have to focus on what’s most important.” I stepped in and hugged the big man, feeling him stiffen and then slowly wrap his muscled arms around me. “It’s what Sam would want me to do,” I said, as I buried my head in his shoulder and then pulled away. “Trust me, Rudy. This is the best way for you to help me. Please, just get all the orders filled, stay with the caravan, and make sure everything makes it back home safely. I’ll either meet up with you on the road back or I’ll see you at home.”
“I can’t just leave you here alone in the city!”
“Sshhh!” I glanced around to make sure no one was listening in. Everyone was on the other side of the encampment sharing lunch in the main tent or still down at the market fighting the crowds. “I don’t want people to know what I’m doing. That way, if anyone asks, no one needs to lie.”
“This is sounding like a worse idea by the minute.” He scratched his scruffy chin.
“Everything will work out. Stop worrying.” I slung my pack over my shoulder, a heavy and compact fifteen pounds. I hated wearing such an obvious invitation for trouble, but it couldn’t be helped. Survival trumped remaining inconspicuous. I would just have to stay on my guard.
“You be careful now,” he let me go and shook his head. “If you aren’t ‘gonna be the death of me for worrying about you…your uncle warned me you were a handful.”
“I’ll be fine. Do NOT wait for me. If I’m not back by the time you leave on Friday, I want you to go without me.” He started to argue, but I cut him off. “I’ve got business to take care of and it might take me a couple of days. It’s safer for everyone if I’m on my own. I’ll stay out of sight and avoid trouble as best I can.” I spun away before he could stop me. “Thanks for everything, Rudy.”
“Don’t you make me give your uncle any bad news, there, Missy….”
It was well after noon and the sun was bright in the sky. I chewed a salty piece of jerky as I made my way southeast toward Lincoln Park. Since time was limited, I took the shortest route, risking being caught on street cams. The park wasn’t far, but I could hole up there until after dark and then sneak in to Doctor Cohen’s office and get Sam’s medicine. How I was going to get into the cabinet was a detail I hadn’t yet worked out. It wouldn’t be hard to get into the office through the shattered window I’d left behind, provided it hadn’t already been repaired. With the trading post being in town, it was unlikely. Doctor Cohen and the Guardians wouldn’t suspect me to be foolish enough to try to come back. Or maybe they would be there waiting. Doubt crowded in on my planning. I would definitely have to proceed with caution.
The trees of Lincoln Park up ahead eased my anxiety. I always felt better surrounded by nature. The city was exciting, but nothing felt more like home and safety than an expanse of woodlands. Lincoln Park was overgrown, mostly ignored by city planners who considered the South End the best place for the lowlifes and criminals. I knew it wasn’t the safest place for a girl to be setting up camp alone, but it was also the last place the Guardians would be looking for me.
I reached Lookout Point and gazed down the steep slope into the bowl of Lincoln Park. At my feet, embedded in the ground was an old plaque with the words “Strawberry Fields” and a dedication to the memory of John Lennon, an old rocker from like a hundred years ago.
As I traversed the slope and followed the decaying road around to the back side of the park, I passed a number of homeless and desperate looking people—some grifters, some just down on their luck and trying to survive. I kept my pack tight to my side as I stepped around a group of grubby men rolling dice on the sidewalk. Much to my relief, no one gave me more than a cursory glance.
Ducking away from the growing number of campsites that spread through the trees and out into the old sports fields, I found a place off the beaten path and stayed under cover. At least it was cooler. I slipped down a hillside and ended up in a culvert, a deep, wooded old river bed that stank of sewage, but provided a shale wall on one side and a steep hill on the other. There was no one else around and I could sit and think without fear of being disturbed. Then I could fully formulate my plan.
I sat on a log and dropped my pack at my feet, happy to have it off my shoulders, which were soaked with sweat and aching. I drank from my water pouch and chewed slowly on dried kelp, the bitterness offset by the tang of ginger and lime. I mulled over my two problems. It would be difficult enough to get to Sam’s medicine without worrying about rescuing Will too.
I would have to break in to Doctor Cohen’s office, duplicate the code on the cypher lock to open the cabinet, and retrieve the canister of Syntoxin without getting caught. I had until midnight to get to someplace safe before everything went on lockdown for the night. My best bet for escape from Albany was the cargo ships, but they wouldn’t be leaving until morning, so I would have to find some way to get on board and hide until then. The sooner I was out of the city, the better.
I rested back against the grassy hillside, my knees stretched out over the log. The world spun as I stared up through a break in the trees at the hazy afternoon sky, turned a pretty shade of pink from the nearly invisible solar barrier. At least I was safe for now. But what about Will? Tears stung behind my eyes and my throat closed thinking about our conversations and the time we’d spent together the last few days. Had it really all been a lie? I pounded the ground with my fist, fought the urge to scream, and closed my eyes to block out the memory of his lips on mine, but nothing could ease the ache in my heart or erase the image of the way he’d looked at me when he’d said goodbye.
I was about to give in to the tears when a strong set of hands clamped over my mouth. Graves, the man who had taken Will, stood over me, his knee pressed into my chest, his strong arms pinning me to the ground. His dark eyes were cold and cruel, and filled with triumph
. I kicked and fought until I felt a sharp needle prick in my arm. Then the world went black.