No Way Out by Fern Michaels (great books for teens .TXT) 📗

“Yep.”

“I was wonderin’ what the heck she was doing here. I know she’s not the bowlin’ kind.”

“She surely is not.”

“But she was all smilin’ and stuff.”

“Yeah. Like I said, we don’t know, and we ain’t asking.” Mitchel chuckled.

“How often do you get to see your boy?” Pete seemed genuinely interested.

“Just once a week. For now,” Mitchel said with resignation.

“Where you gonna live?”

“I have no idea. First, I gotta get a job.” Mitch nodded.

“Got anything in mind?”

“I don’t suppose they need someone to set up the pins?” Mitchel joked.

“Now that’s funny.”

“I am going to go to the shop and beg for my old job back.”

“Well, you are the best mechanic in town. Everybody knows that.” Pete was trying to sound encouraging.

“That’s probably the only thing I have going in my favor.”

Tony hit the small dinner bell in the window. “Food’s up!”

“I don’t know why he insists on ringing the damn bell. I’m standin’ right here.” Pete turned around, picked up the burger, and placed it in front of Mitchel. “Bon appetite.”

Mitchel corrected him. “It’s bon appétit.”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Fancy Pants.”

“And I doubt there is anything bon about it,” Mitchel mocked back.

Pete was reaching for Mitchel’s mug when Mitch stopped him. “Thanks, man, but I’m good.”

Pete leaned in and peered into Mitchel’s eyes. “You all right, boy?”

“Yeah. Fine. I’m already on the cops’ radar. I don’t want to get pulled over and get a DUI. I can’t afford it. Financially. Legally. And whatever. I need to behave until all this is over.”

Pete nodded. “Makes sense. Finish your mystery meat. I’ve gotta go down to the basement and get a few bottles of gin. Keep an eye on things for me?”

Mitchel had a mouthful of burger. He gave Pete a thumbs-up.

Mitchel hoped he would be able to finish his burger in peace, without listening to Clay ramble on. He thought he was in the clear, but Clay spotted him and came lumbering across the alley.

“Yo, man. What’s up?” Clay gave Mitchel such a slap, Mitchel thought he might choke on the food in his mouth.

Mitch finished chewing and swallowed. “Man, never slap someone when they have food in their mouth.” But then Mitchel realized this was Clay he was talking to.

“Sorry, man,” Clay cackled. “So, like what are you doing here?”

“Trying to eat my burger.” Mitchel wiped his mouth with a napkin and pulled two more out of the dispenser.

“Cool. Want to shoot a round of pool?”

“Maybe.” Mitch took the last bite of his burger and shoved the leftover fries in Clay’s direction.

Clay immediately attacked the fries as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks.

Mitch took a good, long, hard look at him. I don’t want to be that guy. The one who can’t keep it together. The one who has no direction except down. No, I don’t wanna be him.

Chapter Twenty-four

Ellie noticed Frank and Jeanne’s car pulling into their driveway and saw Colleen greet them. From what she knew, Frank and Jeanne were a solid couple. Retired, with a son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Arizona. They traveled a lot and spent a good deal of time visiting the family in Tucson. Ellie knew that Frank had been in Special Ops in the military, so she felt well protected when he was around. She felt a pang of loneliness when she witnessed the big hugs Colleen got from the couple. Ellie could feel her desire for companionship growing. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Given the recent developments with Colleen and Mitchel, and a new family moving in, Ellie was yearning to have face-to-face human contact. In her previous life, her weekly planner was filled with art exhibits, concerts, plays, dinners, and fund-raisers. She knew she should be making better progress, but then decided not to be too hard on herself. At least, that’s what her therapist told her. The two words that kept playing in her head were “baby steps.” But she was getting restless and being torn in several directions, and she still had to figure out what had gotten her there in the first place. Some of it was obvious, at least to her. It was the stuff in the shadows that haunted her. If only she could figure it out.

Hearing about Rick and finding her old sneakers had triggered something in her memory. It had also triggered a migraine, but she was able to shake it off more easily than before. That had to be a sign she was getting better. The situation with Rick vexed her. She was determined to peel that onion, even if it was only one layer at a time.

She poured herself a glass of water and dived into her search engines. She didn’t necessarily want to jump in headfirst, but she resigned herself to do a deep dive into Rick’s whereabouts. The notion that he needed money for a start-up sounded like some of the bull-pucky he was known to throw around. It was the idea that he had to resort to asking an old friend for money that sent up a red flag. Surely, with all of his connections, he could find someone who had beaucoup bucks to toss him a few grand. Then it struck her. Maybe it was his way of trying to find her. That would be very bad for Ellie, which is why she had made up the story about a government contract and having to move about frequently. There should be no way that he could locate her. If he did, it could be disastrous. For both of them.

Ellie took a deep breath and looked at Buddy and Percy. “Wish me luck, guys!” She turned to her keyboards and began delving into the deep, dark corners of the World Wide Web.

After a few minutes, she was logged in to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website. It wasn’t the site people used to renew their license, file paperwork, or pay fines. No, this one was where all the