"CCTV footage caught Krista at a bus station five minutes ago. She bought a ticket for a northbound bus that leaves in forty-five minutes. It's going to be cutting it close, but Hawk's going to find a way to stall the bus from leaving."
"Where did she get the money for a bus ticket?" Krista had nothing when we dropped her off with Mary, and although Hawk would've ensured Krista had the necessities, I doubted cash was part of the deal.
"We could always ask her once we get there?" Nyx shrugged like it was no big deal, and maybe it wasn't. But I didn't want to think about Krista stealing from someone to get away.
The forty-five minutes dragged on. First, the runway was too long. It actually wasn't, but it felt like it. Then I would swear every driver on the road in front of us was doing the speed limit or under. Several times, I considered asking Nyx to run different cars off the road. I bit my tongue instead. My team wanted to get to Krista as fast as I did, so my commentary was unnecessary.
"How's Hawk doing with stalling the bus?" I turned around and asked Sloane.
We were still five minutes out, and the bus was scheduled to leave already.
"Bought us fifteen minutes, but we need to hurry. The bus company isn't going to give us much more than that before they call the cops and tell them they have a runaway on board."
The last thing we wanted was the cops involved.
Thankfully the bus was still parked in its designated spot when we pulled up. No cops in sight. But there was one veryirritated bus driver standing next to the open bus door when I approached.
"You Anita?"
"I am." I sized up the grizzly old man. He was just shy of six feet with a potbelly and greasy hair.
"Good. I'd appreciate it if you got your kid off my bus so I could get going. You're making me late, and that's going to throw my whole day off."
I kept calm despite my first reaction being to tell him he could shove his schedule up his ass.
"I'll grab her now so you can be on your way."
I stepped onto the bus and scanned the seats. It didn't take me long to locate Krista about halfway back. She was doing everything she could to make herself small to go unnoticed.
I walked straight up to her and brushed my hand down her arm. "Come on."
Krista didn't fight me. She picked up her small bag and stepped out into the aisle. With shoulders hunched forward, she walked ahead of me and straight off the bus.
"I appreciate you waiting." I gave the driver a chin lift and walked away with Krista by my side.
"Am I in trouble?" Krista asked as soon as we joined the rest of my team.
"Why did you run away, and where were you headed?"
Krista stared at the ground and kicked a pebble around with her shoe. "I wanted to be with you."
Her confession was a kick to my stomach. Why the hell would this amazing thirteen-year-old want to be with me? A woman who barely had her life figured out and was one step away from pissing off her own teammates at any given moment.
"You have to know the life we live isn't exactly conducive to raising a child." I didn't want to tell her too much in fear thatI would freak her out, but she had to know we weren't good people. Not by society's standards.
She looked up at me through her lashes. "I know, but I've never fit in anywhere else. You're the first person I've felt comfortable around in a really long time."
Well, hell. If that didn't tug on my cold heart, I didn't know what would. I looked at each of my teammates. For what? I didn't know. Help maybe? Reassurance that sending her back to Mary was the right thing to do?
I didn't find that though. Each one of them was looking at Krista with love. I knew right then and there what they would say even though no words were exchanged, but it was Sloane who gave me the go-ahead.
I let out a slow exhale. "Okay."
Krista's head shot up. Hope shining in her eyes.
"You can come with us but on a trial basis. I'm not promising anything," I quickly added when it seemed like Krista was about to jump into my arms. Physical touch wasn't something I was known for.
"I promise you won't regret it."
