Page 25 of Burning Truth

8

They arrived at the food truck festival three hours later. Parker had arranged a vendor pass for them, so they managed to pull into one of the closer parking lots.

“This place is crazy,” Addie breathed, glancing around at the flowing crowd.

There had to be at least fifty food and drink trucks parked along the streets and through the park. The air was crowded with smells that made her mouth water, and she could hear live music in the distance. She loved doing festivals and hometown fairs like this. If only it wasn’t to draw out a killer this time.

They posed in front of the main entrance, and she snapped a photo of them to post.“I’m going to be stuffed when I leave...lol! #Columbusfun #WNBC4 #newboy #Columbusfoodtruckfestival

Immediately, likes started rolling in. She shoved her phone away. She didn’t want to just wait for the attacker to respond. When she was ready, she would start going through the comments.

Severn was still wearing his t-shirt, but he’d added a light over-shirt to the ensemble to hide the gun she’d felt nestledat his waist. The thought that he was going to these lengths to protect her chilled her. Despite his reserved demeanor, she would never want him hurt or uncomfortable.

The sweet and savory aromas wafted through the air, mingling with laughter and chatter echoing from excited festival-goers. The vibrant colors of the food trucks popped against the deepening twilight, creating a festive atmosphere that should have been exhilarating. Yet, the weight of the plan they’d concocted loomed heavy on Addie’s shoulders. She didn’t want any of these people to be hurt.

“Stick close to me,” Severn instructed, scanning the crowd with calculated intensity. “And try to act natural. No looking around for anyone suspicious, just... enjoy yourself. I’ll be on lookout.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she was momentarily distracted. They fit together perfectly, and their steps even synced as they wandered through the crowd. Her hip brushed his, and it was a very nice feeling, despite what was going on.

She swallowed hard, this time for an entirely different reason. Severn Moran intrigued her like no one else ever had, and being this close to him was totally derailing her thoughts. Even though it was a warm night, she didn’t want to move away from him.

As they wandered through the colorful maze of trucks, Addie noticed the energy of the crowd—families, couples, and groups of friends—excitedly waiting in line, eagerly chatting, and sampling everything from gourmet tacos to artisanal lemonade. She felt an odd sense of longing wash over her. Here they were, amidst all this joy, and yet her life had transformed into something scary. She wanted to be done with this mess.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head. The stalker wasn’t going to get her down or deny her fun.

“Look! That one has deep-fried cookies!” she said, pointing toward a food truck adorned with twinkling lights.

Severn snorted, the sound low and inviting as he turned to her. “Deep-fried cookies? I don’t know about that...”

With a grin, she bumped his hip and guided him toward the line forming at the truck, the smell of sweet dough and cinnamon drawing them closer.

As they joined the line, she pulled out her phone, glancing impulsively at her social media account to see if anyone had started trolling her post yet. “Better get a picture, or we’ll lose our credibility in the foodie world,” she murmured, lifting her phone for a selfie with Severn.

“Say ‘yum’, Addie,” he teased, leaning in closer, warmth radiating off him as he wrapped himself around her from the back. He slipped his glasses off, revealing his beautiful eyes. She felt her heart race, his expression making her think he was actually having fun. Or was he just a good actor? He did this stuff for a living, right?

“Yum!” she echoed, her laughter ringing true even as she snapped the picture. Scanning the comments, her heart sank again when an instant message popped up, issued just seconds before: “You’re going to regret this, you little actress.”

They’d been there less than an hour, and he was already commenting. Or was he close enough to actually see her?

Before he could pull away, she pulled Severn’s arm tight across her chest and angled the phone so that he could see the message. He gave her a squeeze to let her know he had seen and repositioned himself at her side, his arm around her waist, to move forward.

“So, he’s watching us,” Severn said, and she knew it was for the other’s listening in on Severn’s earpiece. “Gabbie, did you get that?”

“I did,” she said, her voice strong.

Addie had an earpiece as well, hidden beneath her curly hair, and she could hear Gabbie’s fingers pounding on the keys of her computer.

Addie forced a smile onto her face as she turned to Severn. “Hey, look, it’s our turn! What kind do you want?”

Once they had their treats in hand, they made their way toward a quieter area near the festival stage, where live music floated through the air. The laughter and music helped mask her anxiety as they settled onto a concrete step in the amphitheater, munching on the indulgent deep-fried dessert—equal parts crispy, gooey, and entirely too good to be legal. She’d gotten vanilla ice cream with hers to cut the sweetness.

“This is insane,” Severn remarked, shaking his head in disbelief. “These are not bad.”

Addie simply nodded. “Right? I could eat these every day.”

Actually, probably not. The sugar content had to be astronomical.

Her eyes danced around, bouncing from face to face as she tried to spy the malevolent nature of the person after her. No neon sign was just going to pop up and point to them, so unless he wanted her to know, his identity was going to be secret. Severn had mentioned that it could be a man that had asked her out, and she hadn’t really registered the invite. Or he’d made some other advance toward her. She talked to so many people in her job, though, that it was hard to remember every little interaction. He said it may be someone she knew.

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