The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

said when
they were out of earshot of the others.
    “He does seem to be a bit angry,” Christine
remarked. She located two pitchers of water and a stack of
Styrofoam cups. Jake picked up the metal bowl containing the
remaining sandwich rolls. Christine raised her eyebrows in
question.
    “Holly,” Jake said with a smile. “And yes,
Joey is an angry dude. He hasn’t been treated well by white folks.
You might be the first.”
     
    When they returned to the main room, Jake
dumped the bread rolls onto a table and filled the bowl with water
for Holly, who lapped greedily at it. She then sniffed at the rolls
and whined. Jake gave her one, then a second one when she wolfed it
down.
    Katie’s eyes fluttered open, momentarily
looking panicked. Christine wiped cool water across her face,
squeezing her hand as she had done before. Katie smiled, her
fingers signing at a rapid pace.
    “She said to say thank you, just knowing she
wasn’t alone made all the difference to her when she was buried,”
Joey interpreted.
    Christine smiled and leaned forward to kiss
Katie’s forehead. “I’m going to see if I can find the housekeeping
room and get some blankets. I’ll be right back,” Christine said,
heading back toward the hallway that held the elevators, the little
light bouncing off the walls.
    She discovered the four-story hotel had more
than a housekeeping room. There was a large laundry area and
individual rooms for sheets, blankets, and pillows. Christine
pushed on one swinging door and heard someone cry out in pain.
    “Who’s there?” she asked nervously.
    A young Hispanic woman peered out of the
round window set in the door. “Is it safe to come out now?”
    “As safe as it’s going to be. Why are you
hiding?”
    “All the shaking and people screaming scared
me. What are you doing here? Guests aren’t allowed in the employee
area,” the young woman stated, feeling suddenly brave.
    “I’m looking for some blankets… Anna,”
Christine said, glancing at the girl’s name badge. “There are
injured people in the lobby. Can you help me?”
     
    Anna produced a housekeeping cart and they
loaded up blankets and pillows, and with Christine leading the way
with the flashlight, they inched their way down the dark hall.
     
    ***
     
    “I need to get going. I think you two can
care for Katie now.” Christine stood to leave, tucking one of the
blankets around the injured girl. “Do you know where the nearest
gas station is? I’m on empty.”
    “Hey, white girl, don’t you know you don’t
drive around in the hood on an empty gas tank?” Joey smirked.
    “First of all, Joey , my name is
Christine, and I didn’t know I was coming to ‘the hood’,” she
snapped back. “Is there a nearby station or not?”
     
    ***
     
    In the now near empty parking lot, Christine
stood by her car while Joey headed to the scene of the car crash,
one of the empty water pitchers in his hand.
    “What are you doing?” she said over his
shoulder.
    “Jeez! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Joey
huffed. He took a screwdriver from his pocket and reached under the
disabled car. He hit the screwdriver with a brick he’d picked up
from the ground, and gas spurted out of the gas tank and into the
water pitcher.
    “You’re stealing gas?” Christine said
hesitantly. “I don’t know about this.”
    “You’re not going to find any open gas
station for at least twenty, maybe thirty miles. Think you can make
it that far?” Christine shook her head. “I’m only taking gas from
the wrecks, okay?”
    Joey poured four pitchers of gas into the PT
Cruiser, enough to fill the tank a quarter full.
    “Thank you, Joey. My dad always said I should
never let the tank get less than half empty. I should have listened
to him.”
    Joey turned to leave and stopped. “Thanks
again for helping my sister. Ya know, for a white girl, you’re
okay, Christine.”
    She smiled to his retreating back and then
sat in her car fiddling with the GPS,