Page 101 of The Sound Of Us

“Step the fuck away,” Frank says.

“No.”

He steps forward. I take a step back, taking Axel with me, pressing him into the tree trunk.

Frank holds the gun loosely in his hand.

“Axel, show your fucking face if you don’t want someone to fucking die tonight.” Frank looks directly at me when he speaks.

Axel shoves me to the side with some impact, but not enough. I grab him, hauling him back. His wild eyes beg me to let him go, but there’s no fucking way.

He stands next to me, his hand trapped in mine and on full display for Frank to see.

Frank’s lips move too fast and he seems to have slipped into a dialect I’ve struggled with from time to time here. I don’t know what he’s saying, but Axel has one hand up and his face is contorted in fear.

I catch only a few sentences from Frank:

You’re fucking him?

You’re cheating on me?

Peter was right.

Axel keeps his face turned in my direction.

I’m sorry, Frank. It’s not what you think, he says.

Frank: He had you against the fuckin’ tree.

The headlights of a truck cut through the darkness, forcing us to shield our eyes when it rolls to a stop.

Mrs. Dalton rushes out of the passenger seat, followed by a uniformed officer.

Frank discreetly slips his gun into the back of his pants.

Mrs. Dalton stands between us and Frank.

Frank glares at her and she returns the favor.

The officer tips his hand to the side of his head and I dip my head, acknowledging. Axel is vibrating next to me.

The officer has words with Frank, who argues and points at Axel. His movements are aggressive and Axel can’t stop shaking. Whatever they’re talking about, he’s becoming more and more terrified by the moment.

Then he starts to move away. I grab him, causing him to bang into Mrs. Dalton, who also grabs onto him.

Frank shoves a phone into the officer’s hand. From here I can see it’s a video.

The officer looks at Axel and then at me. His face twists into a disapproving sneer and then he talks to Axel, who begins to nod his head.

My stomach churns.

I move so I can watch the officer’s lips.

“You comfortable going back home, Axel?” he asks. “We’ll get you guys to church first thing and talk everything out.” He gives me another disapproving look and then asks Axel, “He can lip read, right?”

Axel nods.

Mrs. Dalton holds onto him like he might run away at any moment.

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