All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [58]
As Bennie rolled his car to a stop at a red light, he emitted a gasp of disbelief at the sight of a swarm of blue-and-white lights flashing at him from every direction. “What in the hell?”
Frightened, he couldn’t seem to force his limbs to move when a belligerent cop instructed him to step out of the car. When he finally mustered the courage to move, his body trembled as he waited for the unexpected.
Standing with his legs spread and his hands flat against the hood of his car, Bennie couldn’t believe what was happening. Everything played out like a bad episode of Cops.
“C-can someone please tell me what this is all about?” he risked asking. Visions of being the next Rodney King made him feel sick to his stomach.
The police ignored him, but he didn’t think they would be as kind if he chose to pose the question again. Behind him, he heard a car door slam just before an authoritative voice sliced through the chaotic scene.
“Where is she?”
Bennie’s confusion cleared as soon as he was spun to face a towering man who had a hard gleam in his eyes.
“Where’s Kennedy?”
“W-who?” Bad move, Bennie assessed, based on the angry glare he received.
“Don’t play games with me, Bennie. Where did you take her?”
Torn between loyalty and fear of a beat down, Bennie simply shook his head. He had a hard time believing that Kennedy was involved in anything illegal, so he chose to remain loyal: unless, of course, a beat down seemed imminent.
The menacing cop’s visible struggle with his temper kept Bennie on edge and he glanced wildly about. Were the other cops just going to let this man rough him up in broad daylight?
“Look. Ms. St. James isn’t in trouble with the law. We have reasons to believe that she and her son may be in danger. Just tell us where you took her before it’s too late.”
“You have to do better than that, man.” Bennie shook his head.
In a flash, the angry cop gripped his shirt by the collar and jerked him within an inch of his face. “She’s going to die if I don’t reach her before she leaves town. Is that what you want?”
This time, Bennie read the truth in the man’s eyes. “No,” he said, shaking his head.
“Then where did you take her?”
He took a deep breath before he took the plunge and trusted the cop. “I dropped her off at the Greyhound bus station. She’s leaving on the next bus for Memphis.”
Kennedy stood at the back of a long line, waiting to board the bus. Once she stepped onto it, she would be nothing more than a calf being led to slaughter. But what other choice did she have?
It had been hours since she attempted to map out a plan that gave her family a chance of walking away from this alive. Perhaps somewhere in her subconscious, she had given up hope for herself.
The line moved at a snail’s pace as the driver checked everyone’s ticket. Aware that she wasn’t in the clear yet, she continued to glance nervously about. When she reached the driver, she noticed that the older man’s hands shook slightly, as though he had once suffered a stroke. But his eyes were kind and reminded her of another friendly bus driver—Leroy.
She smiled, accepted her ticket stub, and stepped onto the bus. A baby’s wail was the first sound that greeted her, and she had a sudden suspicion that she was in for a long ride. As she walked down the aisle, her suspicious gaze darted to each passenger she passed.
She found a pair of vacant seats toward the back, and prayed that she’d be lucky enough to sit by herself during her voyage.
She sat down and shoved her tote bag beneath her seat just as the driver climbed onboard.
The doors jerked closed when he swung the lever.
This was it, she realized. This bus would lead her straight to her death.
Chapter 27
The tires of Max’s car squealed when he took off for the Greyhound bus station. Per his request, four patrol cars followed. As they raced through traffic lights and ignored one-way signs, Max prayed they wouldn’t be too late.
After years of being