“No,” Chukwu said, putting the Jeep in park. “I’ll help. I’m stronger than you both. And you don’t know who these guys are, either. They won’t mess with me.”

“It’ll be fine,” Orlu said. “You need to stay in the car with Sunny and Chichi.” He paused. “Don’t worry.”

Chukwu started to open the door. “Let me just . . .”

“No, none of us can drive,” Orlu insisted. “What if another car comes and wants to get by?” He pushed Chukwu’s door shut. “We’ll be back in a second.”

Sunny turned to look back as Chukwu reluctantly drove the Jeep a bit down the road. She could see Sasha talking to the guys, but Orlu was still watching them go.

“Keep going,” Chichi said when Chukwu slowed to a stop about an eighth of a mile away. They rolled along a few more yards to where the road curved and they could no longer see Sasha, Orlu, and the guys.

“Okay,” Chichi said. “That’s good.”

Chukwu frowned deeply as he put the Jeep in park. He didn’t turn it off. “What are they doing?”

“Helping them, I guess,” Chichi said vaguely.

“How the hell can they help those guys? That car needed a tow truck to pull it out. A powerful one.”

Chichi shrugged.

“I should go and help,” he said, turning the Jeep off and making to get out. “You two stay here.”

“No!” both Chichi and Sunny said.

“Why? I’m the strongest and oldest. This makes no sense!”

Chichi quickly got out of the car and got into the passenger seat.

“They’ll be back,” she said. “No shaking.” She smirked coyly and leaned closer to him. Chukwu’s frown immediately began to melt.

Chichi was wearing one of her long, old-looking skirts and a T-shirt. She’d taken off her sandals and left them on the floor in the back. She was so small that she could easily and cutely curl herself into the passenger seat, pulling her long skirt demurely over her short legs.

“So how are you doing?” she asked, batting her eyes at Chukwu.

“Oh my God,” Sunny muttered, looking at the trees outside the window.

Ten minutes later, Sunny heard a car zooming up the road. Chichi was sitting on Chukwu’s lap telling him for the millionth time how amazing his muscles were and Sunny was outside the Jeep, leaning against her door. It was the car that had been stuck in the ditch, all right. But Sunny only recognized it from its color and shape. It zoomed past them at probably over ninety miles per hour. She barely caught a glimpse of the guys in the car, but she saw them, especially the driver. He looked terrified.

When she looked up the road she saw Orlu and Sasha coming, keeping to the side. She ran to them. A few cars passed, but otherwise the road was quiet. She was sweating by the time she met them. The day was growing humid.

“What’d you do?” she asked as they walked to the Jeep.