Free A Girl Undone by Catherine Linka Page A

we can do this even if you have to lie.”
    Luke glanced past me to the officers, then took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “All right. We can do this. We’re going to do this.”
    Back in the RV, Selena had freed the perritos from their crates. Twelve tiny dogs were bouncing from the floor to the seats, yapping and begging for treats. A few had sweaters on and dragged leashes behind them.
    The coffeemaker was choking out the java and Selena was stacking paper cups beside it. “Immigration comes,” she said, “you don’t run. You run, and they know: illegal. So you smile. You give them coffee.”
    It was the same lesson Ms. Alexandra had taught me: be audacious when you break a rule, and people will assume you have permission.
    The troopers were now two vehicles ahead. If they discovered Luke and me, we could not leave Selena holding the evidence.
    I crammed my phone into my back pocket and knotted the wall hanging around my neck like a scarf, glad Vera and I had bleached it to a nondescript off-white. “Do you have the thumb drive?” I asked Luke. He hooked his finger on the chain around his neck. “Right here.”
    Showtime.
    I snapped up three leashes. Bruno, Hernando, and Felix wore their red and blue sweaters. “I’m going to walk some dogs.”
    “I’ll come with you,” Luke said.
    “No,” Selena told him. “You stay. Maybe she can—” Selena batted her eyes, and swept her fingers down her hair.
    Flirt for survival.
    Vera had pushed me to wear a short skirt and tights, and now I knew why. I walked up the shoulder toward the line of patrol cars, my heart pounding, and a hot-pink-lipstick smile on my face. The dogs tugged at their leashes.
    The man in the truck ahead rolled down his window. “Hey, baby, I’m freezing. How about you come warm me up.”
    Drop dead . I kept going. Up ahead, a young officer wearing body armor, tall, freckles all over his clean-shaven face, guarded an older man and his shivering wife.
    I scooped Felix into my arms and sashayed up to the officer, noting the words U.S. MARSHAL on his bulletproof vest. “Hey, Officer, what’s going on?”
    He smiled at me, before he remembered not to. “Miss, you need to return to your vehicle.”
    “Is there an accident? Is anybody hurt?” I stepped closer to the marshal and Felix stretched out to sniff him.
    “No, miss. We’re trying to apprehend some felons. For your safety, we need you to return to your vehicle.” He tried not to smile at Felix, but couldn’t help it. “What’s his name?”
    “Felix. And that’s Bruno and Hernando. I thought I’d walk them as long as we were stopped.”
    The marshal petted Felix. “I’ve got a Lab at home.”
    “Oh, I love Labs.”
    “Officer Barton!”
    Officer Barton snapped to attention. “Yes, sir.”
    An older officer glared at him. “Escort that civilian back to her vehicle.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Barton winked at me as soon as his boss wasn’t looking. He walked me back, handing me the dogs after I’d climbed into the RV. I gave him a big smile. “Thanks for your help.”
    Selena had stripped down to a rhinestone tank, and she leaned over Luke, her breasts inches from his face as she scrunched his hair. I threw off my down jacket, and peered at Luke. “Are you wearing eyeliner?”
    “So what if I am?”
    “No big deal. Just asking.”
    A knock hammered the door. Selena straightened and put on her game face. Luke moved toward the door. “I’ll get it.”
    He set two dogs on the steps by his feet and opened the door. Whoosh! Cold air poured in and the dogs leaped out and dashed between the legs of the officers gathered outside. The men split apart, letting Luke tear after the escaping dogs. Through the back window, I saw Officer Barton jog after him.
    The ten other perritos yelped and snarled as four officers climbed into the RV. I read the law enforcement division names silkscreened on their bulletproof vests: Sheriff, ATF, FBI, U.S. Marshal. The government wasn’t