Page 40 of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

They’ll call the game off, and I’ll go home.Disappointment and relief mingled.

Miller’s admonishment from her dream:You don’t belong here, Adele. You know that.

She did know that. On some very basic level she knew that she had forced herself into a situation that was inorganic, untenable.

“Are you okay?”

She found herself face-to-face with Wild Cody, another person she’d only ever seen on a screen. Taller than she’d imagined, with a rugged, earthy look, rubbing at a chiseled jaw, he had a hand on her arm, as if to steady her.

“I think so,” she said, too stunned, too in-the-moment to be starstruck. “Whatwasthat?”

He shook his head, looked over at Maverick and Angeline, who were huddled, talking in low tones.

“Hard to say. Maybe theater?”

Malinka, who was holding out her phone, talking excitedly,had obviously gone live during the—what?—the attack? Yes, that’s what it was. Armed men, a physical fight, guns drawn. Not theater.

Real danger had not been part of Adele’s plan.

Her phone was blowing up with frantic texts from Blake and Violet, who had, because this was the way of it now, watched the whole thing live on Malinka’s WeWatch channel.

It’s good. It’s fine, she thumbed out.I’m sure it was just for show.

“These things are always…unpredictable. Cody,” he said and offered his hand.

“Adele,” she said, taking it. His grip was warm and solid, his skin slightly calloused. Should she tell him that she was a fan, that she and her son had watched every single episode ofWild Cody? He held her eyes, seemed to examine her, size her up. Something about his energy had her tongue-tied, awkward.

The sky had gone nearly dark with cloud cover, and Adele felt as though she’d been doused in ice water, every nerve ending tingling. She knew in her gut that whatever had happened, it was definitely not for show. The bad vibration still lingered. She glanced down the road. Those men—would they come back?

It looked real, texted Violet on their three-way text chain. She could imagine her kids sitting side by side at the kitchen bar, not speaking, just staring at their phones.

No way,wrote Blake.Obviously planned to ramp up views. Mom. Don’t freak out. It was just an act. They do stuff like that all the time. You’re good. We’re good.

Adele wrote back,Totally. It’s fine. 100%!

Then Maverick plastered on a big smile. Voice booming, he asked if they were ready to go live. There was a nonreality to it, a filtered strangeness, as if she were watching it all on-screen, not quite believing any of it.

What am I doing here?

She took a breath, pulled herself up tall. She wanted her kids to see her strong, ready for whatever came next. Not afraid and ready to bail,the way she actually felt. She wasn’t going to be another disappointment in their lives, another person who failed them.

“Did that just happen?” asked Malinka, coming to stand beside Adele and Cody. Mouth in a grim line, forehead furrowed, hair in tight braided pigtails, Malinka was just a few years older than Violet. But today the young woman’s eyes were as old and tired as any soldier’s. There was a mettle there, but also a sadness. For some reason, Adele’s mind flashed on the photograph she’d seen in Malinka’s tent.

Adele pressed back the urge to drop a comforting arm around Malinka’s slim shoulders, the way she would if Violet was panicking about whatever and trying not to show it.

“You took a video, right?” said Wild Cody with that enigmatic smile. “So it must be real.”

“Sheet,”Malinka said softly. Her English grammar was as perfect as any native speaker, but Adele found her accent somehow soothing.

They exchanged a look, and Malinka, maybe unconsciously, moved a step closer to Adele.

“Wild Cody,” said Malinka. Eyes wide, she put a hand to her heart. “I watched every episode of your show when I was kid. You probably inspired every single person here.”

He touched the brim of his leather hat, offered a grateful nod. He was an odd one, and Adele couldn’t stop looking at him.

And then Maverick approached, Gustavo holding the phone camera. Angeline raised her voice and announced, “We are going live in one, two, three…”

Mav seemed to grow an inch and come to life like some animated version of himself.

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