We found Jenny Penske’s car parked at the entrance to the driveway. Adele opened the car door and pushing the seatback forward for me to hoist the woman into the backseat. After checking and finding Jenny’s faint pulse, I pushed my hand against her wound in her back. The warm squishiness of blood on my hand gave me a gut check about the reality of my near death. Jenny had no reason to save me, but still she took a bullet.
Adele slid inside and started the engine. A moment later, the red Packard roared through the gates. We reached Peach Street, which ran by the park, and Adele took the corner like a professional driver. I hung on to Jenny while hoping a police car wasn’t anywhere around.
The thought came to me about all the trouble coming for us. I guessed Lees would contact the police about his injury. He’d say we attacked him, then one of us shot O’Conner. Since I still had O’Conner’s gun on me, that story made more sense than the truth. The more I thought about the jam we were in, the more I didn’t like our chances.
“We’ll be fine!” Adele’s voice brought me out of my thoughts.
I glanced up, seeing her pale face lit up by the dashboard light in the rearview mirror. She must be thinking about the same things. I leaned forward with a forced smile.
“You’re right. She’s still alive and I’m glad someone’s an optimist. We’ll get your friend into the emergency room. Then, like you said, we’ll head to my office. Nobody will go there looking for us first.”
Her tense expression changed when she glanced into the mirror.
“What are you talking about?”
“You whispered to me to get to the office when we got near the gate. It’s a great idea. By the way, what happened to your face? It looks like you ran into something in the dark.”
Adele’s scowl was immediate.
“No! That was from Jenny. She tried to force me to leave without you. When I wouldn’t go, she punched me.”
“What the hell?” Rage immediately filled me, and I looked down at the unconscious woman. “She must have known this was going to happen.”
Adele barely hit the brakes as she ran through a stop sign.
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