The Impossible Prize Read online

  CASS TELL

  Cass Tell is the author of eleven novels, numerous short stories, and novels for young readers.

  Find out more at his website at: www.casstell.com

  For more information on The Adventures of Amy and Jack go to:

  http://www.casstell.com/amy-and-jack.html

  The Dreadful Intimidator

  The Adventures of Amy and Jack

  Book 2

  CASS TELL

  Destinée Media

  Copyright Page

  The Adventures of Amy and Jack, Book 2

  The Dreadful Intimidator

  By CASS TELL

  Copyright © 2017 by Destinée Media

  Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Author’s website, www.casstell.com

  Published by Destinée Media, www.destineemedia.com

  Illustrations by Val McCall, www.valmccall.com

  All rights reserved by Destinée Media

  ISBN 978-1-938367-33-5

  DEDICATION

  To Eva who helped with this story.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  DEDICATION

  Table of Contents

  A Proverb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter5

  Chapter6

  Chapter7

  Chapter8

  Chapter9

  Chapter10

  Chapter11

  Chapter12

  Chapter13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter16

  Chapter17

  Chapter18

  Chapter19

  Chapter20

  Chapter21

  Chapter22

  Chapter23

  Chapter24

  Chapter25

  Chapter26

  Chapter27

  Chapter28

  Chapter29

  Chapter30

  Preview of The Wicked Storm, Book 3 of the Adventures of Amy and Jack

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  A Note from CASS TELL

  About the Author

  A Proverb

  The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

  Proverbs 11:3

  .

  Chapter 1

  Amy looked out the window of their second floor motel room. It was a sunny Florida morning. Across the road, a grove of orange trees stretched to the horizon. The calmness of the day caused her to relax.

  She shared a simple room with her brother. It had two single beds, a table, a chair, a bathroom and not much else. Rajiv Patel their taxi driver was in a room next door. They had asked Rajiv to drive them to Florida, but were not exactly sure where to go. It was a place where they could start new lives.

  She turned and saw Jack putting on his shoes. He was a curious and clever twelve year old, a year and a half younger than she was.

  She said, “Hurry up. I’m hungry for breakfast.”

  “I’m going as fast as I can,” he replied.

  “Today wouldn’t it be nice to have pancakes?” She exclaimed.

  He smiled the first genuine smile she had seen from him in a long time. He said, “I like that idea. Let’s have Rajiv drive us to a coffee shop.”

  Amy could not remember the last time they had pancakes. Mildred who ran the home where they had stayed never made them. With Mildred, it was always white bread with peanut butter. Amy had to think back to a year ago, to their mother who made pancakes every Saturday morning and her eyes became misty. It was agonizing to know she would never see her mother again.

  She glanced back through the window and noticed movement in the parking lot. Two men were standing by Rajiv Patel’s taxi and one was bending down and looking inside.

  Then she froze when she saw their faces. “Jack, come here,” she whispered. “But, be quiet and don’t make any fast movement.

  She stood back from the window and put her hand out to keep him from getting too close. “Look at the taxi, but go slow,” she ordered.

  Jack looked down and then took a step back. “It’s them,” he exclaimed. “Larry and Nalf.”

  “I know. How did they get here?”

  Larry and Nalf were the two bad men who had tormented them, kidnapped them, put them in a human trafficking sweatshop, and had threatened their lives.

  “It had to be Rajiv,” Jack stated. “He must have told them.”

  “But how would he even know them?

  “No idea,” he answered.

  “We should go. Quick, get our things.”

  She went back to the window and stood to one side of the curtain. Larry and Nalf looked at the motel building, their eyes going from room to room.

  Larry said something to Nalf while pointing to the front of the motel. Then they walked to the motel office and went inside.

  “Now, let’s go quick,” she exclaimed while moving rapidly to the table where she took the sport bag with the Northern Bank logo on the side. It contained two thousand dollars. She also picked up the canvas bag containing two Tasers taken from their kidnappers.

  Jack went to the door, opened it and looked toward the motel office. Larry and Nalf were still inside.

  They slipped through the door, crouched down and ran to the end of the upper walkway. At the end, they charged down a flight of stairs.

  Amy hurriedly looked at the parking lot and then in the opposite direction. “This way,” she said.

  They sprinted across an open area, charged into an orange grove and kept running.

  Chapter 2

  With all their strength, Amy and Jack ran a hundred yards between two rows of orange trees and then they slowed down.

  Amy’s heart was rapidly pumping, not only from the running but also from the fright of seeing those two men. They were evil.

  Two days before, Larry and Nalf had chased them into a forest and then they evaded the men in a swamp. Nevertheless, Nalf had caught them at a mobster’s house and Amy remembered the hopeless feeling of Nalf’s strong hands on her wrist.

  They were faster than Larry and Nalf, but definitely not stronger. The two men did not seem very smart, but Amy knew not to underestimate them.

  She and Jack now had weapons, two Taser-sticks that sent thousands of volts of electricity into someone. At least that was a defense and they were not afraid to use them.

  Their goal was to get away and find a town somewhere in Florida where they could blend in and live normal lives. Money was not a problem. They had received a significant reward from Northern Bank for finding stolen goods, more than enough money to start over. They just needed to find the right place to do that.

  “I think the road is that way,” Amy said, motioning to the west. “Maybe we can flag down a car.

  “Okay,” he agreed. “But we have to be careful. We don’t know what kind of car they drive.”

  They headed west and found a dirt road going through the orange grove. After walking for ten minutes, they came to a paved country road and began to walk along it.

  The road made a turn, Amy looked ahead, and
her heart dropped. In an open area beside the road was a yellow car. It was Rajiv Patel’s taxi.

  Rajiv stood next to the car while holding his right hand against his head, and then he leaned back against the fender of the taxi.

  “Let’s get into the trees and hide,” Amy whispered.

  Jack darted behind an orange tree and Amy followed.

  Then, Rajiv’s voice rang out, “I saw you.”

  Chapter 3

  Jack stayed still and asked, “Shall we go deeper into the orange grove?”

  “No, wait a second,” Amy said. “We can always out run him.” Amy took a breath then cried out, “Why did you bring those two men?”

  “Go away,” yelled Rajiv. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

  “Why did you bring those two men?” She repeated.

  “I don’t know them and never saw them before. I knew you kids were trouble.”

  “You don’t know them?”

  “No. Just stay out of my life. You bring me misery.”

  Amy walked into the open where Rajiv saw her.

  “Go away,” hollered Rajiv. He was still leaning against his taxi.

  Jack came from behind the tree and took several steps toward the direction of the taxi.

  Amy warned, “Wait. Be careful. This might be a trap.”

  “I don’t think so,” he replied. “Something’s wrong with him.”

  “Don’t get to close.”

  They slowly walked toward the taxi. Rajiv had his hand on his nose and he moved his hand away. There was blood beneath his nose, his left eye swollen.

  Rajiv said, “You see. This is what you brought me. I should never have agreed to take you in my taxi.”

  “What happened? Amy asked.

  “There was a knock on my door at the motel and when I opened it two men rushed inside. They pushed me to the ground and then a big one jumped on me.”

  “That’s Nalf,” Jack said.

  “I don’t know his name, except he was big and strong. Then the smaller one asked me where you were. I said I didn’t know and then the big one hit me here below my eye.”

  “I’m sorry,” Amy said.

  “Then the smaller one said you weren’t in your room and they asked me where you went. Of course, I did not know, so I said you went to get breakfast at the restaurant down the street. Then the larger one hit me again. Only this time it was on the nose, it hurt, and I almost passed out. They said you had their money and they wanted it.”

  “What then?” Jack asked. “Where did they go?”

  “They left my room to go to the restaurant. They said that if you were not there they would come back and break my bones. And, they told me to stay in the room.”

  “Did they come back?” Amy asked.

  “How do I know? As soon as those two brutes were out of sight, I went to my taxi and drove away, not taking the main road but this country road. Then I stopped here because I wasn’t feeling well.”

  “We’re sorry about that,” Amy said. “Are you sure you never saw them before or didn’t lead them here.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then how did they find us?”

  Rajiv put his hand back to his face and he touched his swollen eye. His head bobbled back and forth and he said, “There’s only one thing I can think of.”

  “What’s that?” Jack asked.

  “The taxi has a Global Positioning System, a GPS so our dispatcher can know our location when customers call him.”

  “Is the GPS on right now?” Amy asked.

  “Yes. It is on at all times,” Rajiv answered.

  “So they know where we are.” Jack stated. “And they’ll be coming here.”

  Chapter 4

  Fear coiled around Amy like a snake squeezing its victim. Larry and Nalf had been chasing them for two days and it did not seem to end.

  She looked at the orange groves on both sides of the road. Would it do any good to run?

  Jack was peering at the trees and from his stiff body she knew what he was thinking, for they often thought alike. They were both tired because of the evil men chasing them. It wasn’t only Larry and Nalf. There were others in California.

  “Where is the GPS in this car?” Jack asked.

  “It’s an antenna on the driver’s side,” Rajiv answered as he opened the driver’s door and pointed to a small antenna above the dashboard close to the window.

  “You better get rid of that,” Amy exclaimed.

  “I can’t. How will my dispatcher know where I’m at?”

  “You should think about that,” Jack challenged. “It’s probably your dispatcher who told Larry and Nalf where you are. He’s been tracking us all the way from Raleigh to the bank in Charlotte, and to the motel in Florida. And, then he told those two morons.”

  “He wouldn’t tell them,” Rajiv exclaimed loudly.

  “Then, how did they find us this morning. Do you trust your dispatcher?” Amy asked.

  “Ah, maybe, sometimes, but not always.”

  “Would he take a bribe?,” She asked.

  Rajiv was quiet for a moment. “Yes. I think so.”

  “Do you want to get hit again?” Jack asked.

  “No,” Rajiv said, rubbing his swollen eye.

  “Then get rid of that antenna. They know where you are as we speak.”

  Rajiv nodded and reached into the car and pulled the antenna away from the window. Attached to a wire, he unscrewed it.

  “Give it to me,” Jack said.

  Rajiv handed over the antenna and Jack threw it into a ditch.

  “Are you crazy?” Rajiv exclaimed, “That cost me money.” He walked to the ditch and shuffled through some weeds until he found the small metal antenna. Then he put it in his pocket.

  “You better not screw that back on,” Jack ordered.

  As Rajiv awkwardly came out of the ditch, Amy asked, “Can you take us away from here?

  “I’ve had enough of you,” Rajiv said.

  “Okay, then go on your own, but we aren’t paying you,” She declared. “We had a deal that you would take us to where we want to go in Florida. You didn’t fulfill your side of the bargain, so we aren’t going to pay you.”

  Rajiv paused and hissed, “I have already driven over five hundred miles for you. You must pay me for that and then I’ll go.”

  “No,” Amy insisted. “A deal is a deal.”

  “You have to pay.”

  “No. Just remember that Larry and Nalf are heading here right now and they know you lied about us going to the restaurant for breakfast. Who knows what they’ll do to you?”

  Rajiv looked behind the car toward the bend in the road. His hand went to his face again and he growled, “Get in.”

  Chapter 5

  Rajiv gunned the engine of the taxi and spun the tires, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. He sped down the country road for several miles until it intersected with the freeway.

  “Which way do you want to go?” Rajiv asked.

  “South,” Amy answered.

  “To where?”

  “We’re not sure. Just go south. For now, we need to get away from Larry and Nalf.”

  Rajiv took the onramp and headed south. “Why don’t you know where you want to go?”

  “It’s complicated.” They were near Jacksonville a town in Florida just across from the state of Georgia. She asked, “What cities are south of here?”

  “The big cities are Orlando and Tampa, and Miami.”

  Jack patted Amy on the arm and said, “We need to get as far away as possible from Larry and Nalf.”

  “Take us to Miami,” She ordered.

  “That is five hours away,” stated Rajiv. “Can you pay for that?”

  “Yes, just take us there.”

  “So what will you do when you get there?”

  “Get a new life,” Jack said.

  Rajiv laughed. “I know all about that. I left northern India because life was not easy. I have many family members living in America so I
managed to get a visa. Then I got a new life as a taxi driver. In India I worked in the office of a company.”

  “We can’t drive a taxi,” Jack stated.

  Rajiv smiled. “I know. You can do many things, but first you should go to school.”

  “That’s what we want to do,” Jack said. “To live normal, again.”

  “Again?” Rajiv asked.

  “Yes, but it’s complicated,” Amy replied. “Don’t ask about our private life.”

  “Who are those two men?”

  “We were put in a foster home by the social services and Larry and Nalf tried to sell us to a sweat-shop but we escaped.”

  “That’s horrible. Why do they try so hard to find you? They said you have their money.”

  “Maybe we know something about them and they want to stop us from telling anyone.” Amy answered.

  “And, what do you know about them?”

  Amy was getting tired of Rajiv’s barrage of questions. She said, “They are thieves and kidnappers and that’s it. Tell us what you know about Miami. Is that a good place for us to go?”

  Rajiv was silent for a moment and he said, “Miami is a big city with tourists and immigrants and retired people. My sister lives there. Like me, she emigrated from India so she would know what it is like to start a new life in Miami. Would you like to talk with her?”

  Amy looked at Jack and he raised his hand and shoulders. It was uncertain if they could trust Rajiv. Was he working with Larry and Nalf in some way? Maybe they instructed Rajiv to take them to Miami.

  Larry and Nalf surely knew about a reward paid because the dispatcher must have told them where the taxi had been. They stopped for several hours at Northern Bank in Charlotte. Now they would be after the reward money.

  Jack moved close to Amy, held his hand up to Amy’s ear and whispered, “I don’t know what we should do? Can we trust him?”