Finding Sadie (Los Rancheros #0.5) Read Online Free PDF

the quiet.  Batty just nods and moves away again.  We follow his lead, rushing across when he signals until we’re in the boys’ toy aisle.  There are a million different kind of guns, but Batty goes directly to some that look to be already out of the box.  Some are Nerf guns that automatically load; some are laser guns that don’t shoot anything physical.  We’re loading the wheelchair down with ammo when we hear another sound.  It freezes all of us.
    Who the fuck is in here?
    Jayden and I lock eyes, and I silently get behind him again.  Batty signals for us to cross and I see a shadow at the far end of the store moving the opposite way.  Jayden sees him, too.
    “There!” he yells and begins shooting.  I stand behind him and open up on the guy.  Our foam bullets are glow in the dark and create a huge amount of noise as they shoot without having to be cocked.  Seriously, kid’s toys are the shit.  Little green streaks go after the bad guy but he’s gone.  We have little option but to follow him around.  The aisles are always clear, though we can hear toys going off and shuffling every once in a while.
    We’re almost out of ammunition when we round a corner and the guy is there.  Batty pulls the guys back to his chest and looks to Jayden.  I’m puffing, sweating, and Jayden’s little shoulders are drooping.
    “You got him Jayden.  I knew we could do it with you,” I say with a hand on his bony shoulder.
    “This is your operation, Jayden.  What do you want to do?  It’s your call,” Batty says from behind the guy.
    Little Jayden’s chest puffs out behind is own Batman shirt.
    “Lock him up, in some super secret basement where he can never hurt anyone again.”
    Batty nods once, pushing the man out the front door.  I push Jayden to the cash registers and grab a couple of sports drinks.  Jayden’s hands are shaking so I help him hold the bottle to his lips, then put it on a counter.  Batty’s back as we finish up, and I toss him a drink.  He drinks deeply before looking at the boy.
    “What do we do now, Jayden?”
    Jayden looks around, clueless before shrugging.  “Celebrate?”
    I turn in a circle, tapping my lip before nodding slowly.  “What do you do when you have a toy store all to yourself? It’s almost Christmas.”
    Jayden’s eyes lose some of their light.  “I won’t be here on Christmas.”
    God, I’m such a bitch.  Why did I bring that up?
    Batty sits on his heels in front of Jayden.  “What would you want if you were?”
    Jayden studies him.  “Anything?”
    “Yeah.  In the whole store.  Tell me where to go and we’ll get it.”  Batty takes the handles and follows his directions to the toys he thinks are the coolest.  I follow behind and realize that the doc was so right.  About everything.
    When we collect more toys than I have ever seen any one kid own, including girly toys because Jayden knew they weren’t going to be his and didn’t want to leave anyone out, we exit the store.  Jayden’s parents are hugging by the entrance against the wall.  Both of their faces are swollen from crying, but they smile that fake smile when they see their boy.
    “Hey, superhero!” His mom comes over to hug her baby.
    The dad holds up his phone.  “Can we get some pictures of you guys together?”
    “With the car!” Jayden speaks up, making us all laugh when it should have been impossible in that moment. 
    We all move over to the car that’s in the fire lane directly in front of the doors.  Jayden pulls the tubes from his face and Batty picks him up silently in one arm.  I go to Jayden’s other side and give my best badass look to the camera phone.  Let’s face it, I nailed that shit.
    We pose for different pictures, endlessly, patiently.  Jayden behind the wheel, Batty riding shotgun.  Jayden pointing at some enemy with Batty behind the wheel.  All of us holding our laser guns that Batty insisted Jayden keep.
    Finally Batty tosses his keys in the