Read Online Through the Flames by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins - Free Book Online

Talia said. “Last call, all aboard.”
    He waved her off.
    “Suit yourself,” she said, as if he had made the dumbest decision ever. She went through the whole unlocking routine to let herself out, and then André had to lock up again.
    “What is all this about?” Lionel demanded. “Talk to me!”
    But André had turned out the lights and crept to the window to keep track of Talia on her way to the car. “Ooh, that is LeRoy’s roadster! Oh, man!”
    “What’d you think, we were lying? Now, c’mon, André! I’ve been worried about you for days!”
    “Shh!” André said, still peering out the window. “You don’t know what kind of trouble I’m in, and if you’re not out of here soon, you’re gonna be right in it with me.”
    Lionel turned the light on, and André ducked away from the window, crashing into a chair. “Don’t do that!” he said. “Somebody’ll see me!”
    “Who are you afraid of? LeRoy isn’t even around here.”
    “How do you know? He wasn’t at your house, or he never would have let Talia leave with you.”
    “Is he coming here?”
    “He might. Not too many other people know where I am.”
    “What’s it all about, André? You make that crazy call and leave a long message on our machine that sounds like you’re going to kill yourself, and when I get to your place to check on you, the cops tell me you committed suicide and where I can identify the body. So I go to the place and there you are, but it’s not you. Who killed himself or got himself murdered wearing your clothes and carrying your identification?”
    André sat and buried his head in his hands. “I didn’t mean it to come to all this,” he wailed. He was interrupted yet again, this time by another knock on the door. He looked up with a start and motioned frantically for Lionel to turn off the light. Lionel did, but then turned it back on when he heard Talia’s voice.
    “It’s just me,” she whispered loudly through the door. “Don’t open up. I just wanted to tell you there’s an expensive car full of white kids down the block. Looks like they’re up to no good, but they’re in the wrong neighborhood. They’re going to get that nice car stole. If you pulled that off, André, you might be back in good with LeRoy.”
    “I ought to already be back in good with LeRoy,” André said, but Lionel was beginning to unlock the door.
    “Don’t be openin’ up now,” Talia insisted. “I’m going.”
    “No!” Lionel said. “Wait!” He got the door open. “Those are my friends down there. Tell ’em I’m all right and that they should wait for me. They’re my ride home.”
    Talia rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Whatever. But that car would sure get LeRoy’s attention.”
    “You and LeRoy already hassled one of the kids in that car,” Lionel said. “One more deal like that and you’ll be out of my house sooner than you think.”
    “Ooh, tough guy,” she said. “I’ll tell your chauffeur you’re on your way.”
    André and Lionel fell silent, listening to Talia’s footsteps all the way down the stairs and out into the alley, where she fired up the roadster. Lionel turned out the light, and they watched out the window as she pulled down the street and stopped next to Judd’s car. Lionel only hoped the others would believe her and not come charging in to rescue him. Who knew what Ryan would do after having been chased by her and LeRoy earlier?
    Lionel was mad. “Turn the light on, Uncle André,” he said. The word uncle nearly stuck in his throat because he sure had seen a new and unattractive side of André. He didn’t seem older or wiser or worthy of any respect like he sometimes used to. Now it seemed as if Lionel was the one who should be in charge. Maybe André was in trouble, but did that justify his acting like such a wimp? What was wrong with him?
    They both knew that the faith they had turned their backs on before was right and true and could save them now, so why was it only Lionel,