“Buzz Lightyear.”
While he missed my question, he gets the character right. And I’m not going to correct him. Shit, all I want to do is take him far from here.
“Mine too. I have some friends coming soon. I want you to stay here when I go. When they come, they’re going to say Buzz Lightyear, and that’s how you’re going to know they’re good people, okay? Not like the people who took you.”
He stares at me with so much distrust on his face. No kid his age should ever look at an adult like that. My stomach bottoms out.
If I didn’t have a chance at cracking this case, I’d stay until they were reunited with their parents. Driving them to their respective homes myself, staying with them until they were smiling again. But life isn’t like that. Ever.
“Buzz Lightyear is the magic word, okay?” I repeat, pulling them all in close again. “I promise, you’re safe. We’re going to get you back home.”
In my ear, Joe’s voice is almost mechanical, but it’s important we don’t get swept up in the emotions of this. Yet. “They’re less than a mile off, Tally. They’re driving without their headlights now and will wait for me to tell them to move in.”
Chapter Forty-Four
TALLY
Walsh finds his method of coping in a baggie of white powder. It gives him the kick in the arse he needs. He’s effectively back to being arrogantly cocky, and his haze from reality gives me a smoke screen where I can do my job.
“Jesus, watch the road.” I laugh while also checking my seat belt is secure.
His concentration is limited to one thing at a time, which means I’m able to work through Joe’s steady stream of updates. Giving Walsh the task of driving wasn't a decision I made lightly; it was done out of necessity. Though the risk of dying in a crash is increasing with each mile, or perhaps it’s each line.
Miraculously, we’d managed to keep what was happening off the police scanners. The Department of Social Protection was happy to work under the lead of the officers Joe and my local contact had hand selected. Getting the children to safetywas paramount, but keeping the bust on the quiet was equally important.
“Right, come on, let’s go through the plan again,” he says, taking his foot off the accelerator as we start driving through more populated streets again.
“I’ll follow your lead, like we agreed.” I pass over some water, hopefully to stop the way he keeps dry swallowing. The sound is slowly driving me crazy.
“Aye.” Walsh puts the indicator on and turns us down a narrow laneway before accepting the water.
While he holds the bottle, and is distracted by driving, I sign out of the chat I’ve been having with my contact and also clear the history from my phone without him noticing. There’s a whole lot of variables to tonight, making the outcome hard to see. It’s like juggling balls in the air, and I’m hoping they don’t all fall at the same time. But if they do, at least I’ve managed to save three little ones, and that is a mark of success in my mind. On top of that, I’ve finally been able to ascertain additional solid leads for my team to look into. The people that need to know the general vicinity I’m in are aware, and that, too helps allay the stress of tonight and what’s still to come.
Walsh hands back the empty bottle, and I throw it in the back of the cabin with the rest of our rubbish, handing him his vape straight after. His vaping churns my stomach. Honestly, it’s the last thing I need right now, but I’m trying to keep him as calm and stable as possible so we stay on track.
“We put everything back the way it was. No one will know the barrels have been tampered with, and if everything goes to plan, we’ll hopefully be gone before they even touch them.”
“It’s just a drop off, Tally. So, my plan will work.”
That would be my plan.Knowing Walsh isn’t a natural-born leader—he’s simply a sheep that needs to follow someone—is something I can work with. And have. I’ve repeated thesame instructions nearly a dozen times now, and now that he’s claiming he came up with them, it’s a good sign in my book that he’ll stick to the plan.
“We unpack the truck, put things where they want, then we get back in the truck and leave.”
He’s repeating my words like we’re singing along to a song. At least I know, subconsciously, he’s on board. The real test will come when we’re face-to-face with whoever his contact is.
My stomach drops the moment we walk into the darkened room. Maybe it’s my training or experience on the field, or it’s just my intuition screaming at me, but it’s a setup. And since the person we’re meeting has no clue that I’m helping Walsh out, it’s a setup where Walsh was going to be nothing more than a casualty in whatever game is being played.
“Walsh,” I hiss, hovering at the door, wondering if I should race back and grab my gun.
He rolls his eyes at my hesitation, and walks in. From the path he takes, without hitting or knocking anything, it’s obvious it’s one he’s taken before. “We bring them in here first, cause the trolley fits through the door. The lift to the cellar is a wrench one, but together, it will take us no time.” He’s laughing under the strain of his nervous excitement. His scent is like turned milk because of it.
I walk back out into the fresh air, leaving him to get whatever we need organized. Fiddling with the damn padlock again steals precious time and a lot of my focus, but I manage to unlock it at the same time Walsh appears with a mover’s trolley.
He hops up into the body of the truck with me, and we move surprisingly well together, untying, then moving the real kegs to the edge of the truck. Then he impresses me more when he actually knows how to use the hydraulic lift. After only a couple of times using it, we have the kegs lined up next to us.
I leave Walsh to take them through, using the time to keep watch. I’m on edge, not panicking but certainly hyper focused. It feels like the night has eyes, and I search the shadows surrounding the empty pub, not finding anything. That doesn’t mean we’re alone, and if anything, it ensures I keep acting the part of waitress.
With the final kegs inside, we start on the first of the fake ones. Walsh nearly blows our cover when he picks one of them up by himself. Now that they’re empty of children, they’re much easier to move around.
