The parking lot was longer than it had looked to Venice, and her and Liz's
walk to the park on the opposite side of the mall was taking longer than
expected.
Liz sighed as the yelling of the three guys finally evaporated behind them. Venice smiled softly and slipped her hand into Liz's. They kept walking towards the other side.
Soon, Venice began to look over her shoulder every few steps. She tugged her sleeves down and shrunk into her hoody, looking smaller than she already was. Liz noticed this pretty quickly.
"What's wrong?"
Venice looked up. "What?"
"I said, what's wrong? You seem nervous."
Venice's expression grew uncomfortable and she grimaced painfully. "I don't know. . . I just have a feeling that that black Ford Taurus has driven by us at least eight times."
"Maybe they're lost?"
Venice rolled her eyes. "Eight times?" Liz reeled back. Venice's tone had been harsher and more critical than she had intended. "I'm sorry. . . I just don't like being followed, or feeling like I'm being followed. Especially by those cars.. My sign doesn't get on well with Taurus's." Venice's porcelain face cracked in a smile, and Liz giggled.
Still, worry was etched in her eyes.
Damian and Jack hopped into Jack's car and began a search for the girls in the parking lot while Will searched in the Mall itself. Damian knew that Venice would take the most ridiculous route just to make sure she couldn't be found.
While in the car, they circled the parking lot, and it didn't take long for them to realize that they weren't the only ones. A black car also slowly circled half the lot, slowing for a little bit of the circle, then speeding up a considerable amount for the rest of it.
Jack decided to follow them a little.
Will was uncomfortable at leaving Jack and Damian alone together, but he knew that it made the most sense in the current set up. Will knew the mall best, Jack refused to let anyone else drive his car, and two people were not needed to search the mall, but may be needed to keep an eye out so the driver could focus on driving.
Not that Jack ever focused on driving.
"Ok, Liz, that was the fifteenth time I saw that damned car go around." Venice said, her voice trying to sound annoyed and not succeeding.
Liz nodded nervously. Thankfully, the duo was only a single row of cars over from the grassy park. . . and the secrecy of the trees. They speeded their walk up and dodged into the trees right before the black car came around for the sixteenth time.
From halfway across the parking lot, Damian caught two figures sprinting into the trees in the park on the other end of the mall. He also saw the black Ford they had been tailing finally park. Two figures in all black got out.
"Shit." Damian cursed. "Get over there, now."
Jack pushed the pedal down.
Unfortunately, Jack had rather inopportune timing. A cop car had just pulled into the lot and caught full blast of Jack's car blowing past. The lights flicked on immediately, and soon after sirens wailed.
Jack simply said, "Oh fuck."
Will heard the screaming sirens immediately and cursed. There were only two real explanations: Jack or Liz and Venice had gotten in some sort of trouble. Will preferred the former.
He bolted outside on his track-trained legs, stumbling through the glass doors out into the far end of the parking lot, which happened to be a shady park. It was from there that he witnessed the action.
His position was convenient, so to speak. He saw Venice and Liz hiding in the heavy undergrowth. Across the parking lot were Jack and, he assumed, Damian, with a police man coming up behind them in a slow drawl. Also, he noticed a black car parking by the park, and two heavyset men and a skinny man getting out and heading for Venice and Liz.
For some reason, Will was pretty damned sure that this had something to do with Venice's blue carvings.
Liz sighed as the yelling of the three guys finally evaporated behind them. Venice smiled softly and slipped her hand into Liz's. They kept walking towards the other side.
Soon, Venice began to look over her shoulder every few steps. She tugged her sleeves down and shrunk into her hoody, looking smaller than she already was. Liz noticed this pretty quickly.
"What's wrong?"
Venice looked up. "What?"
"I said, what's wrong? You seem nervous."
Venice's expression grew uncomfortable and she grimaced painfully. "I don't know. . . I just have a feeling that that black Ford Taurus has driven by us at least eight times."
"Maybe they're lost?"
Venice rolled her eyes. "Eight times?" Liz reeled back. Venice's tone had been harsher and more critical than she had intended. "I'm sorry. . . I just don't like being followed, or feeling like I'm being followed. Especially by those cars.. My sign doesn't get on well with Taurus's." Venice's porcelain face cracked in a smile, and Liz giggled.
Still, worry was etched in her eyes.
Damian and Jack hopped into Jack's car and began a search for the girls in the parking lot while Will searched in the Mall itself. Damian knew that Venice would take the most ridiculous route just to make sure she couldn't be found.
While in the car, they circled the parking lot, and it didn't take long for them to realize that they weren't the only ones. A black car also slowly circled half the lot, slowing for a little bit of the circle, then speeding up a considerable amount for the rest of it.
Jack decided to follow them a little.
Will was uncomfortable at leaving Jack and Damian alone together, but he knew that it made the most sense in the current set up. Will knew the mall best, Jack refused to let anyone else drive his car, and two people were not needed to search the mall, but may be needed to keep an eye out so the driver could focus on driving.
Not that Jack ever focused on driving.
"Ok, Liz, that was the fifteenth time I saw that damned car go around." Venice said, her voice trying to sound annoyed and not succeeding.
Liz nodded nervously. Thankfully, the duo was only a single row of cars over from the grassy park. . . and the secrecy of the trees. They speeded their walk up and dodged into the trees right before the black car came around for the sixteenth time.
From halfway across the parking lot, Damian caught two figures sprinting into the trees in the park on the other end of the mall. He also saw the black Ford they had been tailing finally park. Two figures in all black got out.
"Shit." Damian cursed. "Get over there, now."
Jack pushed the pedal down.
Unfortunately, Jack had rather inopportune timing. A cop car had just pulled into the lot and caught full blast of Jack's car blowing past. The lights flicked on immediately, and soon after sirens wailed.
Jack simply said, "Oh fuck."
Will heard the screaming sirens immediately and cursed. There were only two real explanations: Jack or Liz and Venice had gotten in some sort of trouble. Will preferred the former.
He bolted outside on his track-trained legs, stumbling through the glass doors out into the far end of the parking lot, which happened to be a shady park. It was from there that he witnessed the action.
His position was convenient, so to speak. He saw Venice and Liz hiding in the heavy undergrowth. Across the parking lot were Jack and, he assumed, Damian, with a police man coming up behind them in a slow drawl. Also, he noticed a black car parking by the park, and two heavyset men and a skinny man getting out and heading for Venice and Liz.
For some reason, Will was pretty damned sure that this had something to do with Venice's blue carvings.