Page 28 of Gideon

Gideon checked his watch. He was tempted to wait and see how this all played out. He didn’t trust Eric, buthe hated to think about the grief the crowd could give him.

He backed out and watched for another minute, but no one was getting rowdy, his dad was expecting him, and this wasn’t his fight, so he left and got the coffees he’d promised.

Before he reached the top of the stairs at his dad’s place, he heard the snoring.

“Geez, Dad,” he said as he pushed the door open, thankful he’d gotten a key so he didn’t need to wait outside with no idea where his dad was. “You could go up against Eric out there with the decibels in here.”

He set the coffee on the kitchen table, then went to the living room where he found his dad asleep on the couch, completely naked. He jerked back and covered his face. “You have got to be kidding me.”

He exhaled with his eyes focused firmly on the floor while he released his fists, stretching his fingers as he regained his composure. It could be hours before his dad woke.

In the bedroom, he found a blanket discarded on the floor and laid it over his dad, then went to the kitchen and washed the dishes before tidying the living area.

Once he’d finished, he leaned against the kitchen bench and sipped his lukewarm coffee. A wasted morning. They were supposed to go over some basic business plans. Gideon was sure his dad had gotten drunk and fallen asleep just to avoid it.

After dumping what was left of his coffee down the drain, he carried the trash with him outside and deposited it in the large garbage bin inside the workshop.

Before getting into his truck, he listened, waiting for another shout from Eric, but none came. He hadn’t looked like he was close to finishing, but maybe he’d finally decided the town wasn’t worth saving.

Isn’t it?

It was an odd question to surface in his mind. He was doing all he could for this town. There wasn’t much hope left for them.

Are you sure?

It would be perilous for him to care more than he did. And it was like Nikki said. She couldn’t rely on him because soon, he wouldn’t be there anymore.

As his thoughts drifted through questions that had no answers, he found himself rounding the corner. He looked toward the park where the crowd had dispersed. But now he heard a new sound coming from the nearby alley. It was a sound he knew all too well and had him hurrying to see who was in trouble.

“Hey!” he shouted as he sprinted toward them, his bad knee almost buckling, but he made short work of the distance.

Eric was on the ground, and three men, two of whom he recognized, looked up at him.

He focused on Cole, checking for the weapon at his hip. Gideon may not be the commando everyone thought he was, but he’d grown up fighting and had excelled in hand-to-hand combat while training.

The man Gideon didn’t recognize headed for him, but Cole put a hand up. “Hold on, Adrian. This guy’s on our side. Aren’t you, Gideon? You helped me out last time. I’ll assume you’re here to do the same now? You’re a smart guy.”

“You have a history of bullying those who are weaker than you. Three of you against one old man?”

“He was disturbing the peace. You weren’t there?—”

“I was, actually. I saw and heard what he was doing.”

“Good. Then you’ll understand why we need to take care of this before things get out of hand.”

“What things?”

“He’s getting exactly what he deserves.”

Eric pushed himself up, and Cole kicked him. That was enough for Gideon to spring. He yanked Cole around before punching him in the face, then ducked when Adrian swung and missed.

He barreled into the third, flipping him over his back, but Cole had gotten back on his feet and punched Gideon, causing him to stumble back before diving forward to catch Cole’s next punch. With a grip on his wrist, Gideon pulled him forward, punching him in the stomach before slamming his head down to connect with his knee.

Pain exploded in Gideon’s leg as Cole went down, unconscious, and the other two stood back, unsure whether it was worth pursuing this quarry.

“Get your friend,” Gideon said, “and get out of here before you two end up on the ground with him.” He moved away from Cole so they could collect him.

As they dragged him from the alley, Gideon dropped to the ground to check on Eric, who had crawled to the wall out of the way. He had one arm wrapped around his middle, and blood covered his face.

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