“Not me...” I said vaguely, my words trailing off as an idea occurred to me.
I scanned the kids again and nodded at a boy who sat between a pair of handlers posing as his parents.
“Our best bet will be that boy.”
“Really?” Kitt studied the boy in question. “Why him? He’s got two handlers. That’ll make him even harder to get alone. Wouldn’t it be easier to try to get to one of the less guarded kids?”
“It’s because he’s got two handlers that he’s our best bet.”
How could I possibly explain this?
The reasoning was instinctual to me. I’d never had to put it into words before. In that moment, I missed Clay. He would have understood as soon as I pointed the kid out. I wouldn’t have to go into such detail because he’d lived through the same experiences alongside me.
Nervously brushing my bangs out of my eyes, I glanced up at Kitt.
The man was patiently waiting for my explanation. He clearly didn’t understand, but he had faith that I would explain, and he was willing to wait as long as it took me to find the words.
Maybe that was better than having someone who already understood me. In fact, I was thankful that Kitt didn’t have the same experiences as me. No one should grow up the way I did, and the less people who shared my experiences, the better. Kitt had something even better to offer. Kitt valued my input, and he was willing to listen, even when I struggled to explain.
“Okay, so, it’s like this,” I started. My words weren’t eloquent, but I kept on anyway and just hoped that I’d make sense. “Growing up with the bell ringers, I survived by playing along, doing as I was told, and avoiding trouble at all costs. That also meant avoiding people who brought trouble. That kid is exactly the kind that I would have avoided. He doesn’t play along, and he doesn’t do as he’s told. If anyone would be willing to speak up against his captors, it’ll be that kid.”
Kitt glanced at the kid again, reevaluating.
“You can tell all that just by looking?”
I shrugged. “He’s got two handlers instead of one like everyone else. He’s trouble, and they know it, so they’ve got extra eyes on him. He’s antsy and glancing around a lot more than the other kids, meaning he’s more alert. Plus, you see the way he keeps scratching at his skin? The drug they give the kids to keep them complacent isn’t too bad so long as you don’t fight it, but if you do fight the effects, it can be... unpleasant. All in all, he’s the one most likely to speak up. I can’t guarantee that he will, but if we’re going to take the risk of trying to separate one of the kids from their handler, that’s the one we should take a risk on.”
Kitt checked his watch.
“All right. Well, we’ve got about an hour and a half before the plane starts boarding. So, let’s come up with a plan.”
CHAPTER 22
Kitt
I hated this plan.
Truly, passionately, hated it.
From the moment Jordy suggested it, I wanted nothing more than to tell him to get such a thought out of his head.
The only problem was, I didn’t have any better ideas.
“Just grab the kid and run.”
What kind of plan was that?
It wasn’t a plan. That was the problem. It was a desperate half-baked idea squeezed out of a pair of tired brains as they watched the minutes on the clock tick by.
An hour and a half until the plane left.
An hour and twenty minutes.
An hour.
Less than an hour.
When we reached the forty-five minute mark, that was when the desperation kicked in, and Jordy suggested our current plan. That I create a distraction and keep the handlers busy so he can grab the kid and run off with him.
