Page 38 of A Bear's Secret

Trevor felt rage flare through his body.

They left a gun where Tim could get it,he thought. I should just shoot Scarlet and Dad with this thing, see how they like it. How stupid can you get? Who leaves a gun out where an eight-year-old can get to it?

“Tim, were you touching this gun?” he asked, looking down at the boy.

Tim looked up, his eyes wide. Then he looked down at the ground.

“No?” he said.

“Really?” Trevor said.

“I’m sorry,” Tim whispered.

He’s going to die before his first shift and it’s going to be my goddamn idiot father’s fault, thought Trevor, even as he tried to push his fury down inside himself.

“These are very, very dangerous,” Trevor said. He knelt down in front of Tim. The boy’s misery practically radiated out from him. “I don’t want you playing with them because I don’t want you getting hurt, all right?”

“Okay,” whispered Tim.

“It’s up to me to keep you safe,” Trevor went on. “Because I love you, okay?”

Trevor knew it was a non-sequitur, but he didn’t know what the next hours held.

Unexpectedly, Tim wrapped his arms around Trevor’s neck, and held him for a few long moments. Trevor hugged him back, feeling the tears come to his eyes.

What have I done?He wondered. This is all my fault. I wish I’d never met...

The thought trailed off. He didn’t wish he’d never met Austin. That just wasn’t true.

I wish I had a different family,Trevor thought. I wish Papa and David were still alive.

Tim pulled back, and Trevor mussed his hair. The kid had the exact same gray eyes that he had.

“Are grandpa and Aunt Scarlet in the back?” he asked.

Tim nodded.

“Go play outside,” Trevor said. “It’s a beautiful day.”

Obedient because he knew he’d gotten off light, Tim ran outside. Trevor figured he’d check on him in a few minutes.

In the meantime, he grabbed the rifle by the barrel and shoved open the next door. The meeting room was empty, but when he shoved open the office door, he found his sister and his father in there, huddled over something.

The moment he came in, they flipped a piece of paper over and both glared.

Trevor held the rifle up, his hand still wrapped around the barrel.

“I just found Tim playing with this,” he said.

Scarlet and his father just looked at the gun, then back up at Trevor.

“You just left this where he could get to it,” he explained. His voice started rising.

“He knows not to touch guns,” said his father.

“He is eight,” said Trevor. He could feel himself losing control and starting to shout. “He doesn’t have a lot of self-control, because he is eight years old. You can’t leave guns out where he can get to them, because he is eight.”

Blank stares.

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