Page 40 of A Little Christmas Wish

“Why is that?” Ink asked.

“I brought all this trouble to you guys,” Zippy said.

“What trouble?” Betsy asked.

They both looked up at her. Oops. She winced, sending Ink an apologetic glance. She hadn’t meant to interrupt them.

Hopefully, Zippy didn’t clam up.

“Leon.”

“Oh, honey,” Betsy said. “That’s not your fault. You didn’t ask Leon to be such a . . . such a . . .”

“Poop face?” Zippy supplied.

Betsy had to hide a smile. “Something like that.”

Ink stood and took the hot cocoa from her, setting it down on the coffee table.

Betsy kneeled by Zippy and placed the ice pack on her ankle. “Is that better?”

Zippy sniffled. “You shouldn’t be nice to me, Betsy.”

“Why not?” Betsy asked, shocked.

“I told you. It’s my fault you’re in danger. Leon is after me, but if he comes here for me, he’ll hurt you too. I don’t want you to get hurt, Betsy. But especially not ‘cause of me.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Betsy said. “If Leon comes here and I get hurt that is in no way your fault.”

“Yeah, it is! He’ll come ‘cause I threatened to slice him with the knife. But he deserved it.”

“What did he do, Zippy?” Ink asked quietly.

“He was hurtin’ Amber,” she whispered. “He hurt her lots.”

Betsy sucked in a breath. “And you tried to protect her?”

“She always tried to protect me. She’d send me away when he got all mad. He didn’t touch me, though. ‘Cause he didn’t want the school or Liddy to find out.”

Liddy was her caseworker.

“You never told anyone what he was doing to Amber?” Ink asked.

Zippy shrugged. “People don’t always believe me. They might say I was making something up and call Leon. Then he’d hurt her more.”

Oh, God.

That . . . that asshole! Yeah, she’d thought it and she meant it! Leon was an asshole. How dare he threaten a little girl like that.

“But I’d had enough this night, so I grabbed a big knife and swung it around, threatening to hurt him. He just laughed until I stabbed it at him and got his arm.”

“He never told anyone that you actually go this arm,” Ink said.

Zippy shrugged. “I don’t know why. Maybe because he thought I’d explain what happened. I don’t know. But I do know he’ll hurt Betsy when he gets here. I don’t want Betsy to be hurt. I’ve got to protect her.”

Oh, Lord. Betsy could feel herself tearing up. Here she’d thought that Zippy didn’t like her, didn’t want to live with her. And all she wanted was to protect her.

“Where is she? What’s happening?” Baron barrelled through the door, making Betsy and Zippy jump.

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