Saving Grace

52

A stolen police car and a lock pick later, Grace and I were speeding down the highway at a million miles an hour. I glanced at the roof.

"The sirens help," I said. "But it's still a four and a half hour drive and only ninety minutes to do it."

"Yes," she said, slowing the car down. "It is a four and a half hour drive, but it's only a forty five minute flight."

The car turned, and the road sung into my subconscious. I knew this place; I'd seen it before. I chuckled.

"Fuck Mr Lee," I said.

Grace smiled.

"Fuck Mr Lee," she confirmed.

When we reached the small, metal bird once again, I looked upon it with a twinkle of dangerous hope. Thousands of tiny golden lights flickered on as the sun sank behind the jagged horizon, and the stars which they imitated soon began to glow in the gathering dark.

"Got it," she said. "Get in."

I climbed my way into the co-pilot's seat, lifted my chin as the neon sun blanketed the dotted runway.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Let's go."

***

The rapid tapping of my foot against the skull of the metal bird filled the quiet cabin. I checked my watch, felt the sweat soak into the clothes on my back.

"Can't you make this thing go faster?"

Grace sighed, shook her head.

"I'm going as fast as we can."

I checked my watch again, flung back in my chair and stared at the sky in which we were consumed. Grace glanced at me sideways.

"Talk to me, Richie. What are you thinking?"

What was I thinking? I was thinking about Albert's explicit instructions: you will not be armed. You will not call the police. You will come alone, and when you arrive, you will give me Grace. And then I thought about what he was doing to Scott – cutting off his ear, or perhaps his nose, maybe his fingers. And then, there was the idea of Godric and Phillip beating me to the house, and what Albert would do when he saw that I had defied him – what he would do to my brother, what he would do to Grace... I shook my head, lowered my eyes. Grace sighed.

"Okay, listen." She cleared her throat. "When we get there, we're going to go inside, and you are going to hand me over in exchange for Scott."

I jerked my head towards her.

"What?"

"It's my fault you two are in this mess, so I'm going to do what it takes to make this right again."

"Grace, no. You heard Godric. He will kill you, and then the both of us."

"We don't know that. Way I see it, there is no other way."

Grace reached up to the ceiling, pressed a few buttons to release the landing gear.

"You can't really believe that I would just hand you over?"

Grace smirked.

"Don't worry, homie. I've got a plan."

She reached down to her ankle, pulled a small Glock from her boot.

"Stole it from the paddy wagon," she said.

I blinked, tried to focus my mind as the wheels hit the runway.

"So here's the plan," she went on, tucking the gun away in her boot. "We go to the house, make the trade, and then you leave."

"Grace – "

"Listen to me," she demanded. I gulped, lowered my eyes. "After you've made the trade and you've left, I'm going to get as close as I can, and I'm going to kill him."

The plane, rolling along the uneven runway, began to slow down in precisely the same way as time was beginning to stand still. I looked in her eyes – blue eyes, like an ocean set alight – and I knew that there was no changing her mind. It was what I loved about her, but it was also what would get her killed. So, when the plane stopped, I leaned forward, cupped her face in my hands.

"Grace," I said, burying my fingers in her hair, forehead against hers. "I'm sorry."

In one swift movement, I reefed her forward and slid the handcuffs over her wrist and through the gear stick. She paused, eyes wide.

"You're not the only one who stole something from the paddy wagon," I said. I untangled my hand from her hair, all her hair clips on my palm. "And you're not getting out of this one."

I opened the door, slipped onto the runway.

"Richie!"

I turned back.

"Please don't do this," she whispered.

I tilted my head, shrugged my shoulders.

"I promised I'd save you and this is the only way I know how." I pressed my lips together. "I'm sorry."

Her jaw clenched, the fury burning in her eyes.

"Fine, but if he finds you," she said, pulling the Glock from her ankle. "Kill him."

I nodded, took the gun and left her sitting in the blue metal bird.