Chapter 70

"We have to leave," John huffed, pacing around the makeshift bedroom and grabbing things anxiously. Billie stood still, watching him twirl around her.

"What?"

"We've gotta go. Pack your things."

It wasn't that Billie wanted to stay, but when John spoke like he were demanding things instead of asking for them she became agitated. Her arms crossed over her chest and she asked, "Why?"

He replied simply, "It's not safe."

Billie felt like she relaxed and then tensed. His sharpness was for her benefit- he thought there was something to fear and so his concern appeared aggressive. The twist of emotions could barely be recognized before Billie was contemplating his words fully, wondering what it was he did feel threatened by. What was he aware of that she wasn't? Her voice softened when she asked another question.

"It's not safe for what?"

He stalled finally, standing still, and she watched a ragged breath clench and escape his nostrils. A hand ran through his hair roughly and Billie realized she had never seen him so stressed. Ever since they had stepped foot in the theater John had been upset; his anxiety level always seemed exceedingly high. He had been uneasy the entire time. Looking into her cool blue eyes John knew he could only give her the truth. She seemed so pure; unaware. It bothered him to be the bearer of uncomfortable facts, but he had to share them.

In a quiet voice he told her everything- the disorganized robbery plans, the train, the risks, and above all- Alvin Karpis. He was the cause of everything. John did not trust him. He didn't like the way Alvin treated his men, and more importantly his woman. Billie had not thought too much about their confrontation earlier in the catwalk, but now that she knew about everything else going on it gave her a chill. She wasn't at all sure what Karpis' motives were, but John was sure he had some kind, and that was enough to frighten Billie. Karpis seemed more dangerous now that she knew his plans- or lack thereof one. Given all this new knowledge Billie felt guilty for initially judging John and his actions before knowing any information- and because it was John speaking to her she automatically believed every word of it.

"I'll get my things ready."

Billie then began to gather her belongings, her mind clogged. Where would they go now? Would the gang follow? Did it mean or change anything that John would not participate in the train robbery? She felt as though she were becoming an expert on trust- or rather, trusting John. In the current life she led sometimes there was no other option than to give your mind over fully to one idea. That alone, the silent nonverbal, nonphysical action was what really brought her and John together. She believed it was that trust that brought their hearts as close as could be, even more so than any physical act.

It didn't take long for word to spread through the theater. John was packing his things which meant he planned on leaving soon, and with John it was always a quick getaway. No one knew precisely when he planned on leaving or where he would go but he was preparing. This did not sit well with Alvin Karpis.

Several of the Dillinger Gang had not yet given him a solid answer as to whether they would be participating in the robbery. If John were to leave Karpis was sure his men would follow, or at least the majority of them would. He needed those men. If John disappeared the entire robbery would be foiled, and for Karpis there was too much at stake to allow that to occur. He simply had to get John to stay and fortunately he knew just how to make sure that would happen.

When John woke the next morning he stirred with a feeling that something was amiss. With his body lazy and eyes heavy it was difficult to pinpoint the catalyst for this sensation. He was able to notice that things were quiet- in an off putting way. He felt somehow abandoned or secluded from whatever else that was happening in the theater.

"Billie?" Rousing more, John sat up and understood his apprehension immediately- Billie was not there.

This didn't have to mean something was wrong but still John bolted up, throwing on pants and his overcoat, stuffing a pistol inside and exiting the room. Call it intuition. He had been too highly strung lately, too paranoid, to imagine that she were simply taking a walk or had woken up earlier. When he entered the shadowy hall with its autumn chill he called for her again.

"Billie?"

Nothing. He jogged to the door that opened to the auditorium and was surprised again to see there was no one there. Where had everyone gone? Was he there alone? Now he was almost certain something was going on and there was a reason why he'd been excluded. His anxiety for Billie had never been this high. He didn't know what to fear and so he feared everything. He couldn't focus on one horrible thought; his mind was bombarded with horrific images, a visual example as to the panic he felt. As he thundered down a hallway opposite the one he had come from John saw his first sign of life. It was a head hesitantly peeking around a wall. Pete.

"What's going on? Where is everyone? Where's Billie?"

Pete walked forward, revealing himself and the other members of the gang behind him. Pete held his hands up, a gesture John did not have time to calculate. Many male voices began to speak at once, drowning each other out, and Pete grabbed his arms as if in a gesture to restrain him from something. Really he just wanted John to calm down, but without more information he couldn't do that.

"Where's Billie?" he growled loudly over all the voices.

"She's okay, she's alright, she's fine…"

The information did little to comfort him. He looked Pete in the eye with a fierceness like a wild animal. He asked again. "Where is she?"

Pete paused, looking nervous, then finally answered a few seconds later that seemed like days. "He took her."