So far my plans had gone even better than I’d expected. The sliver of light under Lottie’s door had turned dark a little earlier than usual, and when I had finally tiptoed downstairs and slipped out the back door near midnight, C.B. hadn’t even bothered to roust himself out of my bed to follow me. But now at least ten minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of the others. Maybe Beez’s older brother had backed out on his promise to provide taxi service and the getaway car for the evening. He’d probably decided it wasn’t worth it, even though Beez had supposedly bribed him with a whole month’s allowance, plus threatened to spill the beans about some wild party his brother had hosted when their parents were out of town. A thick veil of clouds drifted past the moon. I tugged the collar of my jacket up around my ears and bounced on the balls of my feet to keep warm. The temperature must have dropped at least ten degrees in the last few hours. I jogged up Claiborne Street a little ways, then jogged back, trying to distract myself by thinking about the next step in my training plan.
