Lone Star Nights. Delores Fossen

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СКАЧАТЬ be so dumb. “It’s an act,” Mackenzie said. “He’s only being nice because he has to be, because he wants to get money or something.”

      “How’d he get money or something?” Mia asked instead of hurrying.

      Mackenzie ignored her. It wouldn’t be long now before the lawyer looked out and spotted them. Well, it wouldn’t be long if he ever managed to finish that text he’d been pecking out on his phone. Sheez. Old people and their fat, slow fingers!

      “How’d Lucky get money or something?” Mia repeated, and since she probably wouldn’t shut up—or hurry—until she got an answer, Mackenzie ducked into an alley with her so they’d be off the sidewalk.

      “Dixie Mae had money, stupid. Lucky and the lady doctor will probably get it if they have us. People leave that sort of stuff in wills.”

      She nearly said shit instead of stuff, but Dixie Mae had said it wasn’t a good idea to cuss in front of little kids, that it could make them get into trouble. Dixie Mae had said that it happened to her. Since Mia was a little kid, Mackenzie had tried to cut back just in case Dixie Mae was right.

      “I’m not stupid,” Mia protested.

      Great. Now she was about to bawl again. “I didn’t mean it. Just quit asking so many questions and keep walking. Your feet don’t move fast when you keep saying things.”

      “Where we going?” Mia asked less than two seconds later.

      “Away from here. We’re not staying where we’re not wanted.”

      Of course, they hadn’t been wanted in a long time, not since their grandmother had gone to heaven—and Mackenzie was sure that’s where she’d gone. Maybe Dixie Mae had, too, but maybe it was a different part of heaven from where Granny Maggie had gone because Dixie Mae probably wouldn’t like living with angels, nice people and shit. Plus, she wouldn’t be able to smoke up there and cuss.

      Mackenzie led Mia to the other end of the alley and was about to cross the street when she spotted the Spring Hill Police Department. She definitely didn’t want to go in that direction, and if the lawyer had finally finished that text, he might have noticed they were missing. He could have already called the cops.

      Or maybe he wouldn’t call anybody at all.

      Those three beep-heads—that wasn’t the name Mackenzie really wanted to call them, but she was trying to think with less cussing, too—anyway, maybe the three would be glad Mia and she were gone so they wouldn’t have to upset their pretty little lives.

      Mackenzie waited a sec to make sure the police weren’t going to come storming out of the building. No storming so far, though. But just in case that happened, she took Mia up the street and to the right, away from the police department.

      She’d paid attention when Scooter had driven them in from San Antonio to Spring Hill, and there was a bus station just on the edge of town. If they could get there, she had enough money for two bus tickets to San Antonio. From there they could get to Dixie Mae’s house. As big as the place was, they could hide out there until Mackenzie could come up with something better. With the cash she had stuffed in her shoe, they could get by for maybe a whole week as long as they ate just French fries.

      They passed in front of the grocery store, and Mackenzie tried to keep her head down, tried not to get noticed. But people noticed all right. Probably because of her clothes. Nobody dressed like her in this hick town. Too bad she hadn’t had anything else to put on. All her clothes were black.

      Just ahead, Mackenzie spotted something that balled up her stomach. A cop wearing a blue uniform. And he had a gun. Jail might be better than going with Lucky and the doctor, but being locked up would probably just make Mia cry. A lot of things made her cry.

      Mackenzie turned around, took a side street and tried to remember how to get to the bus station. She didn’t dare stop and ask, but maybe there was a map or sign or something.

      “Looking for somebody?” a man asked from behind them.

      “Just walking,” Mackenzie answered without even looking back at him. But he was walking now, too, and it didn’t take him long to catch up with them.

      Her heart jumped so high she felt it in her throat.

      Because it was Lucky.

      Except he’d changed clothes real fast because he was wearing a suit jacket, and he didn’t have on that big rodeo buckle that had caught Mia’s eye. And he was standing in front of a big building. Probably once it’d been somebody’s house because it sort of looked like Dixie Mae’s place, but this one had a sign on the front of it.

      McCord Cattle Brokers.

      Mackenzie didn’t know what a cattle broker was, but McCord was Lucky’s last name. Maybe it meant he owned the place.

      Mackenzie thought about taking off running, but he looked fast. A lot faster than Mia would be anyway. Mackenzie could get away on her own, but there was no way she’d leave her little sister behind.

      “Are you ladies, uh, girls, lost?” he asked as if he didn’t even know them.

      Mia looked at Mackenzie, probably for her to explain this. Maybe Lucky had got hit on the head or something and had amnesia, like what happened on the TV show that Dixie Mae watched.

      “We were just headed to the bus station to meet one of our friends,” Mackenzie explained.

      “What happened to the bull?” Mia asked before Mackenzie had even finished the lie.

      “What bull?” Lucky asked.

      Yeah, amnesia all right. Or maybe he could just be pretending that he didn’t know them so he wouldn’t have to take them. Grown-ups played all kinds of stupid games to get out of doing things they didn’t want to do.

      “The shiny bull that looks like this.” Mia opened her hand and showed him the silver ball she’d made from the gum wrapper.

      Lucky got a funny look on his face. He also glanced around before he tipped his head to the big building. “Why don’t you come in, and I’ll draw you a map to show you how to get to the bus station.”

      Mackenzie didn’t like the sound of that at all. She’d met Lucky, but he was still a stranger, and if he got her into the house, he might call the police. Or try to do something even worse.

      She stepped in front of Mia. “I already told you I’ll bust your face if you try to hurt my sister.”

      Lucky held up his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He mumbled something Mackenzie didn’t catch. “Let me guess—you two know my twin brother, Lucky?”

      Twin? Mackenzie eyed him, trying to figure out if that was true, but she didn’t have time to decide because someone called out her name.

      The lady doctor.

      She was running toward them, and she wasn’t alone. Lucky was with her. At least it was a guy wearing a shiny bull buckle. Maybe there were three of these men who looked alike.

      “Why did you run off like that?” the lady doctor asked at the same time Lucky asked, “What the heck were you thinking?” СКАЧАТЬ