Read Online Don't Let Go by Michelle Gagnon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michelle Gagnon
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smiled up at him. “Yeah, I’m good. Really good. Better than I’ve felt in a while.”
“Me too.” There was something special about this place. In a way, it reminded him of the Forsythes’ spread in Santa Cruz. He winced, remembering gunfire and waves of smoke. . . .
“Hey,” Daisy said softly, pulling him back to the present. “What is it?”
“Nothing. Sorry.” Teo focused on the ground. They were cresting a small hill. The plan was for them to walk a grid. He and Daisy were supposed to head a mile or so west, then turn north for another mile. Peter had pointed out the general direction, then told them to take a right after twenty minutes. He and Noa had gone off in the opposite direction to do the same thing. They’d meet back in the middle, unless one of the groups found something.
Teo patted the radio hooked to his jeans pocket. Part of him was hoping they wouldn’t find anything, and Peter would be forced to admit that Loki was nowhere nearby. Then he’d have fulfilled his part of the bargain. He and Daisy could head back to Denver and catch a bus west. Los Angeles, maybe Venice Beach. Over the past few months, while keeping watch through the long, dark nights, he’d mapped out the life they’d have when this was all over. They could get jobs in a restaurant on the water. Daisy would wait tables, and he’d bus them; lots of places would probably be willing to pay under the table. Given time, they could save enough cash for false documents, then rent a place of their own. Maybe he’d even get his GED. And now, it might happen sooner than he’d hoped.
Another flash, of Janiqua being loaded kicking and screaming into a van. The memory made him squirm. After the raid, he’d been determined to do whatever he could to rescue the rest of the unit. But months had passed, and they’d never gotten any indication that those kids were still alive. Now, his only mission was to protect Daisy.
Teo stopped and turned to face her. Daisy tilted her chin up—he was a big fan of her chin, it was pert and a little knobby, in a good way—and he cupped it in one hand. Looking into her enormous blue eyes, ringed with matching eyeliner (he could never figure out how she found the time or energy for makeup with everything else going on), he felt a pressure against his ribs that had nothing to do with the altitude. Every time he looked at her, it felt like his heart was on the verge of exploding.
“I love you,” he said softly.
Daisy blinked, and her mouth opened in a small surprised O . Then she smiled and swatted his arm. “Teddy, you dork. I’ve been waiting months for you to say that!”
She went up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He kissed her back, carefully wrapping his arms around her, overly aware of the delicate bones of her rib cage through her thin cotton shirt.
“How sweet,” a male voice said from behind them. “Now who the hell are you?”
Noa hadn’t said a word as they trudged across the hillsides. By silent accord, she and Peter were staying twenty paces away from each other, scanning the surroundings. They’d already walked at least a mile, and hadn’t encountered anything except a tiny brown rabbit that startled from a bush. They both watched as it bounded away.
“I don’t suppose that’s Loki,” Noa said wryly.
“Not unless he’s a lot smaller than I imagined,” Peter said, keeping his tone light. “But maybe. We don’t really know who anyone is online.”
“That’s what I liked about it,” Noa mumbled as she kept walking.
Peter opted not to reply; clearly she was still angry about the IP address tracking. And he couldn’t really blame her. But his mom was a lawyer, and if she’d imparted anything to him, it was the necessity of watching your back when dealing with strangers.
He wondered what Mom would think if she saw him now, hiking through the woods in search of a shadowy internet renegade.
She’d probably think the same thing as always: that
“Me too.” There was something special about this place. In a way, it reminded him of the Forsythes’ spread in Santa Cruz. He winced, remembering gunfire and waves of smoke. . . .
“Hey,” Daisy said softly, pulling him back to the present. “What is it?”
“Nothing. Sorry.” Teo focused on the ground. They were cresting a small hill. The plan was for them to walk a grid. He and Daisy were supposed to head a mile or so west, then turn north for another mile. Peter had pointed out the general direction, then told them to take a right after twenty minutes. He and Noa had gone off in the opposite direction to do the same thing. They’d meet back in the middle, unless one of the groups found something.
Teo patted the radio hooked to his jeans pocket. Part of him was hoping they wouldn’t find anything, and Peter would be forced to admit that Loki was nowhere nearby. Then he’d have fulfilled his part of the bargain. He and Daisy could head back to Denver and catch a bus west. Los Angeles, maybe Venice Beach. Over the past few months, while keeping watch through the long, dark nights, he’d mapped out the life they’d have when this was all over. They could get jobs in a restaurant on the water. Daisy would wait tables, and he’d bus them; lots of places would probably be willing to pay under the table. Given time, they could save enough cash for false documents, then rent a place of their own. Maybe he’d even get his GED. And now, it might happen sooner than he’d hoped.
Another flash, of Janiqua being loaded kicking and screaming into a van. The memory made him squirm. After the raid, he’d been determined to do whatever he could to rescue the rest of the unit. But months had passed, and they’d never gotten any indication that those kids were still alive. Now, his only mission was to protect Daisy.
Teo stopped and turned to face her. Daisy tilted her chin up—he was a big fan of her chin, it was pert and a little knobby, in a good way—and he cupped it in one hand. Looking into her enormous blue eyes, ringed with matching eyeliner (he could never figure out how she found the time or energy for makeup with everything else going on), he felt a pressure against his ribs that had nothing to do with the altitude. Every time he looked at her, it felt like his heart was on the verge of exploding.
“I love you,” he said softly.
Daisy blinked, and her mouth opened in a small surprised O . Then she smiled and swatted his arm. “Teddy, you dork. I’ve been waiting months for you to say that!”
She went up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He kissed her back, carefully wrapping his arms around her, overly aware of the delicate bones of her rib cage through her thin cotton shirt.
“How sweet,” a male voice said from behind them. “Now who the hell are you?”
Noa hadn’t said a word as they trudged across the hillsides. By silent accord, she and Peter were staying twenty paces away from each other, scanning the surroundings. They’d already walked at least a mile, and hadn’t encountered anything except a tiny brown rabbit that startled from a bush. They both watched as it bounded away.
“I don’t suppose that’s Loki,” Noa said wryly.
“Not unless he’s a lot smaller than I imagined,” Peter said, keeping his tone light. “But maybe. We don’t really know who anyone is online.”
“That’s what I liked about it,” Noa mumbled as she kept walking.
Peter opted not to reply; clearly she was still angry about the IP address tracking. And he couldn’t really blame her. But his mom was a lawyer, and if she’d imparted anything to him, it was the necessity of watching your back when dealing with strangers.
He wondered what Mom would think if she saw him now, hiking through the woods in search of a shadowy internet renegade.
She’d probably think the same thing as always: that
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