“My dad’s name is Jack,” she replied. “Jack Warden.”
“How about you come out of there, and we call your dad. Would that be okay?” Gabriel coaxed Lily out. “That’s right. Good girl. Now. What’s his number?”
Lily called out a string of numbers but trailed off. “I think that’s when I dial from Cape Town.” She tried again, but her face fell. “I’m not sure what the rest of it is. My mummy always dials it for me.”
“That’s okay. We’ll call the operator. She’ll be able to tell us.”
It was amazing how calm Gabriel was with her. Mo knew that it was taking everything for him not to swoop her up and carry her outside, kicking and screaming. It would be too much of a risk though, especially if she tried to break loose and got caught in the line of fire.
Mo glanced at her watch. It seemed like they’d been there forever, and yet it wasn’t long at all. Everything seemed to stretch out—each breath, each word, each tense, weighted moment, as Gabriel tried to get through to Jack. Mo knew the exact moment when Gabriel decided they were wasting precious time. His eyes changed as he spoke into the phone.
“Yes, operator. That’s him. Can you please put me through?” He waited a while before continuing. “Hi, Jack? I’m in the mall with Lily. She’s waiting for you to come and get her. Where are you? I see. No, she’s fine. Of course. I’ll let her know. We’ll see you soon.” He ignored Lily’s attempts to grab the phone and hung up. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. We don’t have time for that right now. You can talk to him soon. You were right. He’s on his way. He’s almost here, but he said it will be faster if we meet him at the safe place.”
“The safe place? Where’s the safe place?”
“Come with me. I’ll get you there.” He held his hand out to Lily. She stared at it for a few beats and then looked at Mo.
“I’m right behind you,” said Mo. “We’ll all go together.”
As soon as Lily placed her hand in Gabriel’s, everything changed. Everything slow became fast again. It was like they had slipped through another dimension. They were back in the midst of chaos, except there was less of a crowd now. Those who hadn’t fled were sprawled on the floor, hurt or dead—it was hard to tell—while the two parties continued exchanging fire.
Gabriel spun around when they got to the escalator. “It’s been blocked off.” He picked Lily up and made a dash for the lift. “Come on, Mo!” But there was a stack of tables and chairs blocking it too. John Lazaro’s enemies had used his own gathering against him. All the exits and stairwells had been blocked.
“Shit!” exclaimed Gabriel.
He scanned the lower level. John Lazaro was holed up behind one of the fast food counters, flanked by his men. They were shooting blindly in all directions. Bullet holes sprayed the walls. Bits of mortar flew into the air.
“The parking lot,” said Gabriel. “It’s our only way out.”
“But his car’s in there.”
“We either stay in here or we go out there. Either way, we’re taking a chance.”
“Keep going!” said Mo, following closely behind him.
“Is my daddy going to be there?” asked Lily.
“Yes,” replied Gabriel. “We’re meeting him at the safe place. Remember?” He let her down and knelt before her. “Now, I want you to run as fast you can, okay? The faster you run, the faster you can see your daddy.”
Lily nodded and held her hand out to Gabriel. “Can I run with you?”
There was something about Gabriel that drew her to him. Maybe it was because he was a father too. Whatever Lily sensed in him, it seemed to soften his heart. Mo’s heart caught in her chest as Gabriel took Lily’s small hand in his.
“I’ll try to keep up,” he said.
And then they were running through the parking lot, toward the ramp going up. Their footsteps bounced off the concrete walls, echoing with their breath. They were halfway up the first ramp when they heard the throttle of an engine revving up. There was a loud screeching, a spinning of the wheels as the car reversed out of its parking spot. The sharp, zing of bullets on metal followed, and then the sound of a car driving toward the ramp.
“What’s the matter?” asked Lily, when Gabriel stopped in his tracks. “Let’s go! We need to get to the safe place.” She tugged his hand.
Mo and Gabriel exchanged a look. If that was John Lazaro’s car, about to come around the bend, they were out of time.
Suddenly, a deep calm settled over Mo. For the first time in her life, she just wanted to stand still—for these last few seconds. They were hers, and they were glorious. She could feel the thunder of her heart, the air rushing in and out of her lungs. It was beautiful—being alive. It was enough to know and to have known.
Together, Mo and Gabriel ushered Lily to the corner, where one ramp met the other.
“This is it,” said Gabriel. “This is the safe place. I’m going to call your father and let him know, okay?” He punched in some numbers. Mo held Lily’s hand as he spoke into the phone. “Hello, Jack? We’re here. Yes, Lily’s right here, too. She’s a very brave girl. You must be so proud of her. Hold on, I’ll tell her . . .” He turned to Lily. “Your daddy says he’ll be here very soon, and he loves you very much.”
“Can I talk to him now?” she asked, holding her hand out like she was claiming a prize. There was no one at the other end of the line, but Gabriel let the phone slip from his hand.