Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [738]
Even Charlie’s eating, she knew, was a nervous response, an attempt to keep his brain and stomach distracted. But Jared didn’t seem the least bit nervous. He watched out the window, not a bead of sweat on his upper lip or forehead. Whatever his secret was for staying so composed, Melanie knew he wouldn’t be sharing it anytime soon.
She pulled off Highway 50 and turned into the bank’s parking lot.
“Park up there alongside the west end of the lot, away from the building,” Jared said, now sitting so far forward she could feel his hot breath on the back of her bare neck.
There were no cars on this side of the building and the lot backed onto an empty area of overgrown grass. Across the street was a car dealership, a line of brand-new Ford pickups with shiny headlights staring at them. In the distance Melanie could see McDonald’s golden arches. She could still hear the hum of the interstate traffic. Yet, as she parked the car, she noticed she could no longer see the cars on Highway 50. Although it hardly mattered. The bank’s windows were tinted. She was only fifty yards away and she couldn’t see inside.
Jared had certainly done his homework. This morning she had been impressed when he pointed out that the bank was less than a mile inside Douglas County. They would head south and immediately cross into Sarpy County. He seemed convinced that law enforcement officials would squabble over jurisdiction, if and when they came after them. That was one of the reasons he said he chose this particular bank. And it was reason enough for Melanie to believe that Jared might actually be able to pull this off.
Jared was now fiddling with his wristwatch. Melanie wiped the palms of her hands on her jeans, trying to be casual, trying not to draw Charlie’s or Jared’s attention. She kept the car engine idling with the vents blasting cold air, and she felt a chill. She examined the other cars in the lot. The bank’s drive-through lane was empty. The access road was empty. Even across the street at the dealership there was no activity. It almost seemed too quiet. Too perfect. She glanced up and in the rearview mirror saw Jared pull two guns out of his duffel bag.
CHAPTER 14
4:15 p.m.
“Jesus, Jared. Where the hell did you get those?”
“Where do you think?”
“You know how I feel about guns.”
“That was a long time ago, Mel. Get over it. Besides, what did you think we’d do? Slip them a note and they’d simply hand over a bag of cash?”
Melanie gripped the steering wheel, keeping herself from spinning around to get a better look. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Charlie sat sideways, his arm slung over the seat back, watching Jared and smiling. He seemed excited to get his hands on one of those guns. Melanie tried to catch his eye, hoping he’d notice her disapproval. But at the moment the boy couldn’t notice anything other than the shiny metal Jared was sneaking forward to him over the middle front console.
Charlie took the gun, keeping it low and out of sight but turning it over and over as if it were a new toy.
Melanie wanted to grab it away from him. She wanted to tell Jared to forget it. She wanted to speed away and not give him a choice. Instead, she sat there frozen, continuing to grip the wheel, trying to ignore the trickle of sweat that slid down her back.
“We’ve never had to use a gun before.” She finally found her voice, though it sounded like someone else’s, small and weak. But it was something she was proud of. Charlie and she had never used any kind of weapon. Unless you counted the wire clothes hanger Charlie used to pop the locks of Saturn doors.
She checked the rearview mirror. Jared was transferring the contents of his duffel bag to the pockets of his coverall. “We’ve never had to use a gun before,” she repeated, this time a little louder.