Free Gifts and Consequences by Daniel Coleman Page B

interests you personally.” 
    Paul turned to Dave and said in a mocking voice, “You know?  He’s right.  I’m going to walk away right now and dedicated myself to personal projects.  World hunger and strife between nations will end within months!”
    Dave chuckled and said, “Your advice is easy for someone who’s worth a billion.”
    “You’d be surprised,” said Jonathan.  “But the more you have, the harder it is to walk away.”
    “What I wouldn’t give to have your problems, Jonathan,” said Dave.
    Jonathan sat back in his chair and collected himself.  Dave knew very little about Susan's condition and didn't mean anything by it, but it still hurt. 
    “I’d be satisfied if we could get the America West deal to go through.  I’d retire and start ten scholarship funds!  Twenty!”
    Jonathan sat up.  “Now you’re talking my language.  We may be able to do business after all.”
     

 
Chapter Fifteen
     
     
    It was a muggy Sunday evening, even for July in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  Sylvester Prime parted the bushes and surveyed the landscape.  Two weeks of planning came down to the next five minutes. 
    The guards were nowhere to be seen. 
    Now or never , he thought, and plunged through the underbrush.  He was out in the open and making a run for it. 
    Fred’s diversion had been perfect; all the guards ran the other direction, giving Sylvester the chance to use the stolen code on the keypad at the gate.  Just in time, too.  They changed the codes every Monday morning. 
    Sylvester was only a third of the way across the parking lot, using cars for cover when possible, but he was already out of breath.  He paused behind an old Lincoln and thought, In my younger days I could’ve been home free by now .
    Through the windows of a Town Car he thought he saw a white shape trying to flank him.  He watched it silently and realized it was just a minivan passing behind two parked trucks.  He moved away from the facility again at his measured pace telling himself, Damned white uniforms make everyone think they’re the good guys .
    The edge of the parking lot was only ten yards away, and beyond that: freedom.  This wasn’t Sylvester’s first escape attempt, but it was the closest he had been to liberty in over a year.
    Five yards.  Five feet.  Freedom! 
    He blended into the foliage, congratulating himself on flawless execution of the plan.  Just when he resumed his escape he heard sounds of pursuit.  Even worse, the noise came from ahead of him. 
    Trapped ! 
    He stood in a clearing the size of a small dayroom—ten feet from safety in any direction.  The footfalls and voices got closer.  He backed toward the clearing’s edge feeling exposed by the moonlight, but didn’t reach the trees before a boy and a girl stepped into the clearing. 
    Sylvester froze.  His only hope of avoiding detection was to stand still.  The young pair held hands.  The dark-skinned girl giggled as the boy whispered in her ear. 
    Sylvester held his breath at the edge of the clearing.  Keep walking, love birds.  Nobody here but you.  
    They were halfway through the clearing, walking at an angle to him.  The humid air began to taste like liberty again.
    The boy dropped his hand from the girl’s waist to her bottom and gave her a little pinch.  She squealed and turned to face him, bringing Sylvester directly into her view.  She screamed in earnest, jumping behind her would-be protector.  The boy spun and took a defensive stance with his hands out, ready to perform a karate chop.  His spiky hair bounced as a result.
    “You’ll have to catch me first!” yelled Sylvester.  He turned and fled.  One slipper didn’t make it through the brush.  Low limbs and underbrush scratched his exposed ankles, but Sylvester pushed through. 
    “Sylvester?  Is that you?”  It took less than ten seconds for the athletic kid to catch him and block his way.  He put his hands on the front of Sylvester’s