Free The Project by Brian Falkner Page A

said, “You don’t reckon Claudia Smith is involved in this, do you?”
    “The librarian lady?” Tommy said. “Can’t see why.”
    “What are they doing now?” Luke asked.
    “He’s shaking her hand—looks like he’s getting ready to leave.”
    “Let’s go,” Luke said. “Try and follow him, find out what he’s up to.”
    They raced down the stairs and were on their bikes on the street as Mullins emerged. They acted casual and were careful to keep a parked car between them and the library.
    Mullins got into the backseat of a large silver car, which immediately signaled and pulled out.
    Luke and Tommy took off after them.
    Iowa City is actually a small town, especially the downtown area, which is arranged in neat rectangular blocks with lots of traffic lights. Tommy knew all the shortcuts and the alleyways and the diagonal pathways that cut across the city blocks, so Luke was pretty sure they could keep up with the car, unless it got on a highway and headed out of town.
    The car stopped at the intersection of East Washington Street and indicated a right turn, toward the city center. Luke and Tommy cut up the sidewalk opposite the library and arrived on Capitol Street, outside the Old Capitol Town Center, before the car arrived at the lights. The car went straight ahead.
    “We’ll have to race around the back way,” Tommy yelled, taking off in that direction.
    “No time,” Luke shouted back. “Let’s go through the mall!”
    “You can’t ride …,” Tommy started, then gave up and followed him.
    Luke skidded up to the automatic doors to the mall, and they slid open. Then he stamped on the pedals and shot through into the main thoroughfare.
    There were people everywhere, but Luke didn’t care. He was in a hurry.
    Shoppers jumped out of their way as they raced rightthrough the center of the mall. One lady screamed, although they were nowhere near her at the time.
    A man standing at the pizza counter, a big tray of pizza slices in his hands, turned right into Luke’s path. He spun out of Luke’s way just in time, the tray flipping and the slices of pizza flying into the air. Luke looked back to see him manage to catch the pizza slices with the tray as they started to drop—all except one slice, which flew toward a couple sharing a romantic moment at one of the food court tables. They leaned toward each other, and the girl closed her eyes for a kiss, but instead she got a face full of super supreme.
    A beefy security guard patrolling the far side of the mall saw them coming and moved directly into Luke’s path, holding up his hands to grab him as he neared.
    Luke dodged past a lady drinking from a large plastic water bottle and snatched it out of her hands. He hurled it at the security guard, shouting, “Catch!”
    The guard caught the bottle, then watched helplessly as Tommy and Luke sped past him to the doors on the far side of the mall.
    A college student holding a Starbucks cup was opening one of the automatic doors. He saw them coming and whipped out of the way with a huge grin and a whoop of excitement.
    They shot out onto Clinton Street just in time to see the car turn right, heading straight for them. Luke ducked his head and did his best to lose himself in a crowd of pedestrians until the car had driven past them and turned onto East Burlington Street.
    “This way!” Tommy cried, and sped off into an alleyway, pedaling furiously.
    Workers were unloading cardboard boxes from a van in the alleyway, but there was just enough room to slip past, with only a slight scrape of Luke’s handgrip against the brick wall of the alley.
    The silver car passed in front of them as they neared the end, and Luke slid to a halt alongside Tommy at the mouth of the alley.
    The car pulled into the loading zone outside the Central Hotel and stopped. A large, bulky man got out of the passenger’s side and trotted into the hotel. Mullins stayed in the car.
    Luke and Tommy waited, watching, trying to keep out of