Trial by Fire by Terri Blackstock

Author:Terri Blackstock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2000-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Three

Jake hadn’t expected to be at the hospital so long. The emergency team started Benton on an IV of antibiotics and cleaned and stitched up his leg. It had taken hours for the bag to empty so that they would release him.

Benton had crutches by the time they left, but was so weak that he could hardly walk on them. As he got into the car, he held up a hand for Jake to high-five. “We did it, man. Pulled the wool over their eyes.”

Jake wasn’t so sure. They had asked a lot of questions and caught them lying about their names. When they’d finally demanded identification before they would treat them, they’d realized they were both minors. They had called Benton’s dad, and the man had taken his time getting there. He’d been steeped in hang-over pain, and refusing to believe their story, had cussed Benton out for tangling with anyone who had a knife. When he hadn’t been needed anymore, he had taken off, leaving Benton to ride home with Jake.

If Jake knew Benton’s old man, he was probably planning to stop off at the nearest bar.

Jake was worn out by the time they got back in the car. “That’s it,” he said, starting the car. “I’m sick of Cruz. Look what he did to you, man.”

“I’m okay,” Benton said. “He didn’t mean nothin’. We were all drunk.”

“Well, he could have killed you. I’m going back to get my drums, that’s all. I’m quitting.”

“Man, you can’t quit. It’s my grandmother’s house they’re practically living in! I’m stuck. You’re the one got me into this. I don’t want to hang with them if you’re not.”

“Then throw them out.”

“Oh, right,” Benton said. “I’ll just hobble up on my crutches and threaten them. They’ll be runnin’ scared, all right. Are you crazy? Besides, what I did to that kid last night makes me part of them whether I like it or not.”

Jake knew he was right. “He’s not gonna be happy that we went to the hospital. But at least maybe he’ll be afraid to do anything to us. The thought that anyone knows anything might stop him. We can say that we didn’t tell them anything, but that we’re afraid they’re on to us now, that they need to find another place to meet just to be safe. Then, after they move all their stuff out, we can just phase out.”

“It won’t be that easy, man. What if they use me for a scapegoat and tell the cops what I did?”

Jake knew he had a point. He tried to turn it all over in his mind as he drove. “All right, then. Let’s just face this head on. We’ll go back to the house and tell Cruz we went to the hospital. We won’t say anything about them being onto us, because you’re right, they’ll get even. We’ll just hang on for as long as we can until we make sure he doesn’t trash the house. And I need to find out about Issie.

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