Page 13 of Yankee in the Wind

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Jack said, lifting himself off Lilly, while he glanced back. Since the bullet had hit the sculpture behind the bench, it was easy to guess where the assassin was shooting from. “Stay low.”

Lilly seemed dazed, but he didn’t have time to check if the fall had injured her, because the shooter was still up there somewhere in the parking garage, aiming at them. Jack grabbed Lilly and pulled her with him, when another shot rang out, but Jack had already pushed Lilly behind the taco truck and out of the line of fire. Behind it, he took a breath and ran his eyes over Lilly. She looked disheveled, and her knees were bruised, but other than that she seemed unhurt.

“Oh my God! What’s happening?” Lilly asked, her breathing choppy, her voice laced with panic.

“I’m gonna get you outta here. Take off your lab coat.”

“Why?” She cast him a confused look.

He motioned to where he’d parked his car. “We’ve gotta run to safety. And without your lab coat the shooter won’t immediately recognize you.” He was already tugging on her coat and helping her out of it. He took her arm and pulled her up behind the safety of the taco truck.

“My handbag,” she said and reached down to the ground.

Jack grabbed it and handed it to her. Then he looked in the direction of his car, making himself familiar with anything that could provide cover: a few smaller trees, trashcans, and a few cars.

“My car is the red Toyota.” He pointed to it. “Do you see it?”

“Yes.”

“We need to run there as fast as we can.”

Lots of people were already running away from the plaza, screaming. He hoped that the chaos in the plaza made it harder for the shooter to find his target.

“Ready?”

She nodded.

Holding Lilly’s hand, he took off running, taking advantage of the trees between the taco truck and his car. A few yards away from where he’d stopped the car, he gave Lilly another instruction.

“Get in on the passenger side. The door is unlocked. Then duck.”

She didn’t say another word, but continued running. Jack let go of her hand and ran toward the driver’s side. From the corner of his eye, he saw Lilly sprint toward the passenger side door and rip it open.

Jack reached the driver’s side, and by the time he was inside the car, Lilly had already slammed the passenger door shut and was ducking down in her seat. Jack started the car and put it in reverse.

“Hold on to something.”

Lilly braced herself on the dashboard, her head between her legs, while Jack did a three-way turn so fast the tires were smoking. Seconds later, he was in the street barely avoiding a crash with a taxi as he drove down the wrong direction on the one-way street. But he didn’t care. They had to put enough distance between them and the shooter, before he could worry about anything else.

But first he had to make sure nobody could track them. “Do you have your phone?”

“Yes.”

“Give it to me.”

She dug her phone out of her handbag. “Should I call 9-1-1?”

“No, hand it to me.”

She handed it to him, and he tossed it out of the car.

“What the hell?” she cursed. “Why did you do that?”

“So we can’t be tracked.”

At the next side street, he turned. This wasn’t a one-way street, and finally, he could take a breath. He gave her a sideways glance.

“Lilly? Are you alright?” he asked again, orienting himself to find the best route to take them to a safe place.