The Art of Being a Con: A Guide by the Lion and the Fox | COMPLETE

Chapter Twenty-One: A Text Message

They have been on the run again for about a month.

Nate and Riley continued to argue, and were both kind of sex deprived since the five of them opted for sleeping in the van in case there were any wanted posters put out for them. It would prevent them from being able to stay at a hotel.

They were now at a gas station, filling up the tank and getting snacks.

Nate and Vinícius were getting the snacks inside the station and were checking out when they saw that the television behind the counter was set to the news. Nate started to get nervous. Then his nervous turned to terror when an image of himself and Riley appeared on the screen.

"Nathaniel Cooper and Riley Swanston—also known as the Fox and the Lion—are on the run from the police and FBI. If anyone has any information, please contact the authorities," the news anchor said.

The cashier looked up and raised an eyebrow at the two on the other side of the counter.

"Hey," he said. "You look familiar..."

"No. No I don't!" Nate stuttered.

"Yeah," the other man said. "You do. Are you an actor?"

"No."

"You sure? Because you look like Josh from It's About Time."

"I get that a lot, but no. I'm not."

"Oh, 'scuse me," Vinícius cut in. "We also got gas. Pump three."

"Alrighty," the cashier said. "Just let me get more change."

"That," Nate said a little too loudly, "won't be necessary. Keep the change."

"Okay, but I have to get it anyway, for the next customers."

"Shit," Nate muttered.

The cashier turned and bent down to find coin rolls. When he stood back up, he caught sight of the TV and pointed.

"Hey, isn't that..." He turned and saw the men were gone, along with their bags. All that was left was a twenty-dollar bill on the counter and a sheet of animal-themed stickers on the floor.

"Dammit," he said. He caught sight of them out the door getting in a van and speeding off. He grabbed the phone and started dialing.

***

"We've got 'em!" Agent Raney entered the office. "They were spotted at a gas station in Norman, Oklahoma."

"Are they still there?" Johnny Yonder asked.

"They're on the move again," Jameson said as he entered the office.

Johnny stood and made his way over to the two, Greer Grant right behind him.

"Did they con anyone?" the woman asked.

"No. They left a slip of stickers, however," Jameson explained.

"The local police aren't trying to track them?" Johnny asked.

"They called us," Raney replied. "They're looking for any traces of the van."

"Did the witness catch the plates?" Greer asked.

"I'm afraid not," Raney sighed.

"But they described the vehicle? Does it match the description from the Hanks and Winchester cons? And Florida?"

Jameson and Raney looked at each other, then Greer and Johnny, and nodded.

"It does," Jameson said.

"Looks like we're going to Oklahoma," Johnny sighed, closing his file.

***

Libby looked up from the back seat of the rental car she and her mom and Jameson were in. They were busy talking.

She leaned down and picked her backpack up from the floor and unzipped the front pocket and pulled something out: An iPhone. Mr. Nate—er... her dad— had sneaked it into the bag before she and her mom had left his and Miss Riley's house. He had made sure to turn off the sound and vibrations on it so her mom and Jameson wouldn't find out about it. There were five phone numbers in the contacts: Her dad, Miss Riley, and their three friends.

Her dad had texted her once they had gotten back to the hotel room, apologised for not telling her sooner and giving her an explanation on everything. She had to hide in the bathroom to be able to text him back. She unlocked the phone and glanced up once again to make sure her mom and Jameson were still distracted, then brought up the Messages app and opened the one conversation listed.

"Are you okay?" she typed, then hit send.

She didn't get a response, or even a mark labeling it as 'Read.'

She waited a moment longer, then put the phone away.

"Are we there yet?" she asked Jameson.

The man shook his head. "Not yet, sweetie. Almost, but not yet."

"Are you going to try to find my daddy?" she asked.

He glanced back at her in the rear view mirror. "Uh... Yeah. Yeah, I am. I just want him to be safe."

Libby was silent for a moment, looked at her mom, then back to Jameson, then out the window. "I hope you don't catch him."