He set the drink on the floor between them and used a few napkins to wipe some wet blood from his jacket sleeve, holding back a grunt at the fiery pain.
“Want me to take a look?” she asked, blinking rapidly, a deep groove carved between her brows.
Maybe he’d grunted after all. He shook his head, stuffing the soiled napkins into his jacket pocket so they wouldn’t traumatize whoever cleaned the theater later. “Thanks, but there’s nothing you can do right now.” He’d have to give the wound more attention soon, but the quick wash and paper towel compress he’d applied in the bathroom would have to suffice for now.
She scrunched up her nose and stared down at the orange sauce coagulating on the chips.
“How about you?” His seat squeaked as he took the popcorn so she’d have a free hand. “You okay?”
“Maybe,” she said, her voice clipped. “Happy to be out of sight. I couldn’t breathe out there.”
That made two of them. Resisting the urge to put a comforting hand on her leg or shoulder or anywhere, he shoved a handful of tasteless popcorn into his mouth and chewed, balancing the container and the napkins on his lap. As long as the guy working the counter—or anyone who came into the theater—didn’t connect them to the pair in the news, they should be safe for a few hours.
“I’m going to call Kurt,” he said. At her nod, he dialed. The forties big band music being piped into the room was just loud enough to be annoying, but he mostly tuned it out.
His boss picked up after one ring. “Steele.” The man’s voice was a mixture of caution and hope.
“It’s me.”
Kurt let out a relieved sigh. “Did you find the friend?”
“Yes.” Todd glanced at Lindsey, whose gaze kept straying past him to the doorway that bisected their row. Unlike in modern movie theaters, patrons here entered through the rear, down a central aisle. “Turns out she was in on it,” he said, cringing internally at the memory. “Pete was her brother.”
He felt more than saw Lindsey flinch.
“Shit, that’s—” Kurt went silent for a second. “Wait…was?”
Todd’s jaw clenched and he forced away the image. “He came at me.”
“Fuck. That’s going to complicate things.”
His hackles rose. “I didn’t have a choice.” He hadn’t, right? Pete was bigger and stronger—history had proven that—and had been much too close, armed with a wicked blade. If Todd had let the man get any closer, Pete would’ve gutted him like a fish. And then he might’ve gone after Lindsey. Todd had had no other choice but to shoot.
“I know,” Kurt said.
That was it. Just two simple words said with complete conviction.
Thank God someone trusted him. Todd’s muscles loosened a millimeter. Having allies waseverything.
“I’ll call the feds about the shootout too,” Kurt said. “The sooner we get legit law enforcement involved the better. Maybe they can keep the locals from destroying all the evidence.”
“Good idea. Before I forget, can you take down this license plate?” Todd rattled off the number. “We stowed away in the back of that truck. The feds might be interested in its owner.”
“Good thinking.”
Todd took a deep breath and glanced at Lindsey. “We’re ready to come in.”
“All right. Scott recommended the criminal defense attorney who worked on his case when he was a kid. Marti King-Okonkwo. She lives in Helena now, so depending on where you are, it might take her a while to get there. But she gave me her cell, so I should be able to get ahold of her pretty quickly.”
The tight band around Todd’s chest loosened. Not just some random lawyer, but one Scott knew personally and trusted. One who would make sure they got a fair chance. It was the absolute best he could ask for. “We’re at the Loft Theater, but I don’t know what town. I’d guess less than an hour north of Tuttle.”
A flurry of keystrokes sounded in the background and then Kurt said, “Yep, there’s a Loft Theater in Cranston, on Broadway.” Kurt had to have a million questions about what had happened, but all he asked was, “Is it safe to call you back?”
Todd let his restless scan of the room pause on Lindsey, her face reflecting the colors from the low-budget, on-screen ad for a pawn shop as she carefully bit a cheesy chip. “For now.”
“Is there anything you’ll need immediately?”
“Fresh clothes and a first aid kit.”
