Splinter (The Machinists Book 2) by Craig Andrews Page A

bumper hung on the ground, and the vehicle was leaking a green, oily fluid that smelled like sweet candy. But the real damage was on the passenger side. The truck had hit them just behind Nyla’s door, and the impact had crumpled it, wedging it shut. Nyla’s window was shattered, and the rear tire leaned inward. Smoke escaped from somewhere inside the assembly.
    “Stand back,” Jaxon said. He was behind the car, trying to pop the trunk. Allyn barely had time to move before the trunk lid blasted open. Jaxon grabbed an emergency kit and threw it to Allyn, snatched a gallon of water, and slammed the trunk lid closed. Jaxon turned to Allyn and exhaled sharply. “I saw a couple houses under construction several blocks back. We can hide there until things calm down.”
    A car pulled up to the stop sign behind them. Allyn cursed under his breath, watching as the car turned toward them.
    The driver came to a stop beside Allyn and rolled down his window. The slender man with thinning dark hair and glasses wore a concerned expression. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
    “Yeah,” Allyn said. “We’ve got a tow truck on the way.”
    “Are you sure?” the driver asked. “I can wait until they arrive.”
    “That’s okay. They should be here any minute. I appreciate the offer, though.”
    The driver looked at him skeptically but gave him a small smile and nodded. “All right then. Have a good night.”
    “Thank you. You, too.”
    After the driver pulled away, Allyn turned to Jaxon. “We need to go.”
    They hastily made for the sidewalk where century-old maple trees lined the street in the small patches of grass between it and footpath. Their thick, twisting branches blocked the light from the streetlamps, keeping Allyn and his company in the shadows.
    Allyn stopped abruptly, cursing.
    “What’s wrong?” Nyla asked.
    “The computer,” Allyn said, grimacing. “It’s in the car.” He looked back at the old Lincoln. It was almost three blocks away and nearly out of sight. The computer had nearly got them caught once. Was it worth the risk again? They still hadn’t learned who was behind the video. And those folders. Who are those other people? Magi? Machinists? He had to know.
    Allyn turned back to Jaxon and met his gaze. “It’s worth it.”
    Without waiting for a response, Allyn broke into a run, racing back to the car. By the time he reached the end of the sidewalk, no one had stopped to inspect the Town Car. Waiting for another car to pass, Allyn fought every urge he had to run, instead casually strolling across the street and calmly opening the back door. The computer was on the floorboard, half-hidden under the driver’s seat. Allyn grabbed it and crossed the street again with his same nonchalant pace.
    When he returned, Jaxon and the rest were gone. Where did they—
    “Get it?” Jaxon emerged from the other side of a weathered cedar fence.
    Allyn held up the computer.
    “Good,” Jaxon said. “This way. We found a place to hide out.”
    Jaxon had chosen a new house still under construction. With a stone and vinyl siding exterior, the modern and elegant house didn’t fit in with the style of the neighborhood.
    The temporary front door, a plain white door without a knob, swung open without resistance, and Jaxon ushered them inside, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Nails and pieces of scrap wood covered the unfinished floors, and the walls were framed and sheet rocked but weren’t mudded or painted. The air smelled sweet, and their footsteps echoed as they made their way into what would eventually become the living room.
    Exposed wires hung out of open electrical sockets, and empty snack bags and soda cans littered the floor, mixing with sawdust and footprints from the day before. It wasn’t an ideal hideout, but it would keep them dry.
    Perhaps it was the loss of the car, or maybe it was the exhaustion from again having to run, but once they were situated, a gloom like an Oregon