“Lemme make some calls. Sit tight.”
“Thanks,” Peter said, but Lewis was already gone. He hadn’t even asked why. They had a lot of history.
The food arrived, and Peter adjusted the windows so the trays could hang off the outside. His mouth began to water immediately. He took a bite of his burger. Paradise.
Ellie’s meal was right in her line of sight. He nudged her shoulder. “Maybe a few bites? You’ll feel better, I promise.”
She shook her head wordlessly. He didn’t like this new quiet version. The Ellie he’d met at her school was snarky, confident. Even after running from Geoffrey Reed, she’d asked him some pretty ballsy questions. But now she’d lost her mother.
He took another chunk out of his burger. Basic survival tactics, eat when you can. “Mmm, bacon. You’re really missing out. I hope you’re not a vegetarian.”
She ignored him.
He took a big slurp of his chocolate shake and felt the sugar charge into his system. “Wow. Only a crazy person would turn down that milkshake.”
She shifted in her seat to get even farther away from him.
He set down his burger, took two French fries off his tray, and stuck one up each nostril. He turned to face her. “These fries are delicious.” His voice came out funny.
Her head floated sideways, her eyes slanted at him. He heard a puff of breath. Not a laugh, exactly, but something.
He dropped the fries out his window. “Please,” he said softly. “Just a few bites. You need the energy.”
She didn’t answer. But her hand floated out to her tray, pulled a fryfrom the paper packet, and stuck it in her mouth, chewing mechanically. After a moment, she reached out and took another one.
He took the lid off the container of ketchup and placed it on the dashboard, then set the bag of onion rings beside it and tapped her on the shoulder. She ignored him. But a moment later, she grabbed the rings and the ketchup and put them on her own tray.
Progress.
11
By the time they were done eating, Ellie had powered through all her fries, most of the onion rings, and more than half her enormous burger. Peter put his milkshake into the cupholder. She put her cup beside his, then leaned back and closed her eyes.
Waiting for the carhop to collect the trays and trash, Peter took out his phone, found a number, and made a call.
“Semper Fi Exteriors, this is Manny.”
“It’s Peter. Got a minute?”
“Ashes, mi hermano. What’s going on?”
“I’m in Seattle, trailing trouble. I could use a hand.”
Manny Martinez had been one of Peter’s platoon sergeants in Iraq, an extremely capable man. Now he was married with four daughters and a thriving construction business. He’d helped Peter and June with something a few years back.
“Anything for you, Ashes. You want to come to the house?”
“I’m not bringing my problems to your doorstep, putting Carlotta and the girls at risk. What I need is a weapon, preferably one that isn’t registered to you, in case I have to do something. Also, I’m out of folding money for a hotel room and I don’t want to use a card. Do you have any cash in the house?”
“Yeah, I keep a little somethin’ for ’mergencies. But you don’t need a hotel room, ’mano. My sister, Stella, just left for Colorado. She’s doing another Ironman. Her place in Ballard is empty until next Tuesday.”
Four nights without clerks asking for his ID. “That’d be great, brother. Then hang on to your cash. I’ve got some in the truck, I just can’t get to it until tomorrow.”
Manny gave Peter the address and told him where to find the key. “Anything I should know?”
Peter looked at Ellie, staring out the window again. “You see the news today?”
“I got KING 5 on right now. The shooter on Queen Anne Hill or the double murder at that motel?”
