body. I set two fingers on the man’s neck and felt for a pulse, grateful he was facedown. “He’s still alive. We should call an ambulance.”
The woman reached over and picked up the man’s gun. “Go,” she told us. “I’ll deal with this. You get Mikhaela taken care of.”
Luke stood over the man, not moving. I tugged on his arm. “Luke, please. We need to go. We need to get Mikhaela out of here.”
The dark presence in Luke’s face was gone, but he looked dazed like he’d capsized at sea or crashed in a desert. He blinked, and took a couple steps toward the van. “I’ll get the engine started.”
“Okay. Good.” I was breathing hard and trying to stay focused. I had to get Mikhaela.
She’d backed up almost to the porch, and as I walked toward her, she shook her head at her grandma. “The police will think you hurt him. I have to stay and tell them you’re innocent. That it was someone else.”
Help me, Mikhaela’s grandmother asked me with her eyes.
I put my arm through Mikhaela’s. She was shaking so hard, I was afraid I’d have to ask Luke to carry her. “Mikhaela, we need to get in the van so your grandma can call the paramedics.”
I wished I knew if I was doing the right thing, taking Mikhaela to Streicker. I wished I could guarantee she’d get safely to Canada, but all I knew for sure was if I left Mikhaela here, she could end up with her stepdad if he lived, or in an orphan ranch if he died.
Her grandmother set the gun down and took Mikhaela’s other arm. “Nobody’s going to lock up an old woman,” she promised. “Not one who was defending herself.”
We walked Mikhaela to the van, and I belted her into the seat beside mine. I held her hand as tears ran down her cheeks. “What’s going to happen to us?” she said.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” I hoped I wasn’t leading her into a trap. “We’re going to get you over the border.”
Luke backed down the drive, and Mikhaela rocked in her seat like she was winding up for full-blown hysterics. I rubbed her back, knowing I had to calm her down.
“Don’t be afraid,” I said. “You won’t be alone. The people at Refugee Assistance in Canada will find you a nice family to live with.” I thought back to the promises Yates had made me about them. “They’ll get a message to your grandmother so she knows you’re okay.”
“But I’m never going to see her again!”
I turned so she couldn’t see my face. “You’ll see her again. The border won’t be closed forever. I bet your grandma will be there to see you graduate from high school.”
I kept babbling, promising things I couldn’t deliver, trying to keep Mikhaela from losing it, even though I was barely holding on myself.
When we drove onto Streicker’s property, I was ready to collapse. If Mikhaela’s stepdad lived, I could be looking at kidnapping charges on top of all the other charges the feds had against me.
But if he died, Luke had just killed a man.
15
Streicker didn’t thank us for the favor. He met the van outside the back building, taking Mikhaela’s birth certificate from Luke and then thumbing through the money. “Seven grand. All here.”
Then he ordered Mikhaela to go inside and get some food, jerking his head at the metal building. “You want to eat. It’s gonna be a long night.”
I pulled my hat over my hair, and stepped down from the van. The adrenaline rush from extracting Mikhaela was fading and I wondered if Yates had felt like this when he helped girls escape into Exodus: bruised, but still standing, in a world I’d tried to make a little bit better.
Luke went to follow Mikhaela in, but Streicker held him back. “Something happen out there?”
“Her stepdad showed up,” Luke said. “He pulled a gun on her grandmother.”
“You okay?”
Luke shrugged.
“You kill him?”
“He was alive when we left.”
Streicker narrowed his eyes at me like he’d decided this was my fault. “I’ll take care of
The woman reached over and picked up the man’s gun. “Go,” she told us. “I’ll deal with this. You get Mikhaela taken care of.”
Luke stood over the man, not moving. I tugged on his arm. “Luke, please. We need to go. We need to get Mikhaela out of here.”
The dark presence in Luke’s face was gone, but he looked dazed like he’d capsized at sea or crashed in a desert. He blinked, and took a couple steps toward the van. “I’ll get the engine started.”
“Okay. Good.” I was breathing hard and trying to stay focused. I had to get Mikhaela.
She’d backed up almost to the porch, and as I walked toward her, she shook her head at her grandma. “The police will think you hurt him. I have to stay and tell them you’re innocent. That it was someone else.”
Help me, Mikhaela’s grandmother asked me with her eyes.
I put my arm through Mikhaela’s. She was shaking so hard, I was afraid I’d have to ask Luke to carry her. “Mikhaela, we need to get in the van so your grandma can call the paramedics.”
I wished I knew if I was doing the right thing, taking Mikhaela to Streicker. I wished I could guarantee she’d get safely to Canada, but all I knew for sure was if I left Mikhaela here, she could end up with her stepdad if he lived, or in an orphan ranch if he died.
Her grandmother set the gun down and took Mikhaela’s other arm. “Nobody’s going to lock up an old woman,” she promised. “Not one who was defending herself.”
We walked Mikhaela to the van, and I belted her into the seat beside mine. I held her hand as tears ran down her cheeks. “What’s going to happen to us?” she said.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” I hoped I wasn’t leading her into a trap. “We’re going to get you over the border.”
Luke backed down the drive, and Mikhaela rocked in her seat like she was winding up for full-blown hysterics. I rubbed her back, knowing I had to calm her down.
“Don’t be afraid,” I said. “You won’t be alone. The people at Refugee Assistance in Canada will find you a nice family to live with.” I thought back to the promises Yates had made me about them. “They’ll get a message to your grandmother so she knows you’re okay.”
“But I’m never going to see her again!”
I turned so she couldn’t see my face. “You’ll see her again. The border won’t be closed forever. I bet your grandma will be there to see you graduate from high school.”
I kept babbling, promising things I couldn’t deliver, trying to keep Mikhaela from losing it, even though I was barely holding on myself.
When we drove onto Streicker’s property, I was ready to collapse. If Mikhaela’s stepdad lived, I could be looking at kidnapping charges on top of all the other charges the feds had against me.
But if he died, Luke had just killed a man.
15
Streicker didn’t thank us for the favor. He met the van outside the back building, taking Mikhaela’s birth certificate from Luke and then thumbing through the money. “Seven grand. All here.”
Then he ordered Mikhaela to go inside and get some food, jerking his head at the metal building. “You want to eat. It’s gonna be a long night.”
I pulled my hat over my hair, and stepped down from the van. The adrenaline rush from extracting Mikhaela was fading and I wondered if Yates had felt like this when he helped girls escape into Exodus: bruised, but still standing, in a world I’d tried to make a little bit better.
Luke went to follow Mikhaela in, but Streicker held him back. “Something happen out there?”
“Her stepdad showed up,” Luke said. “He pulled a gun on her grandmother.”
“You okay?”
Luke shrugged.
“You kill him?”
“He was alive when we left.”
Streicker narrowed his eyes at me like he’d decided this was my fault. “I’ll take care of
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