Page 41 of Redemption

Thank God that my crew is digging up the lines at the clubhouse for the next few days, because I don’t think that Vector had any intention of letting me leave.

By lunchtime, the crew has figured out that I’m dating someone involved with the Grizzlies and the teasing has started. I know I could shut it down, but considering how they all razz each other, it’s nice to be included in the camaraderie.

“We’re damn lucky they agreed to trenching through their property,” Benny says, pointing to the ancient pipes that had been replaced earlier. “That one is about ready to crumble and would have been a mess if we had been boring …”

“Folly!” I turn away from the work in front of us to look for who called my name and see the team lead walking my way. “Who the hell are those guys and what are they doing here?”

Following the direction of his finger, just past the section of the fence we removed, I see a van with the cable company logo on the side.

Two of the three men in the familiar uniforms are standing over one of the holes our contractors had dug up earlier, while the other one seems to be grinning in our direction.

Turning my head at the sound of a child laughing and screeching, I see Evon running around the side of Bridget’s house.

“All the valves are off, right, Benny?” I ask my co-worker as a horrible feeling wells up from my gut.

“Huh? Yeah, from the main box at the … Those guys shouldn’t be there.” The panic that crosses his face mirror what I felt a moment earlier, more so when he bellows: “Get away from there!”

Without hesitation, I turn and sprint faster than I knew I could in Evon’s direction, frantically waving at her to turn around. Unfortunately, probably thinking it’s a game, she continues toward me.

With all the shouts and yells around me, Swann and Vector come around the side of the house, each with a gun in their hand.

“They’re going to blow it!” I scream, gasping for breath.

Reaching Evon, I pick her up, surprised at how solid she feels despite her size. Looking around, I immediately cut right in an attempt to get as far away from the gas lines as I can.

The sound of the initial explosion is followed by a second, louder one, and for some reason the third explosion is either further away from us or Evon’s screams are just drowning it out.

I finally stop running and sag to my knees, clinging to the little girl as tightly as she is to me.

“I want my daddy,” she cries against my shoulder and I nearly laugh, thinking the exact same thing.

Thankfully, Swann is nearly to us, his long legs clearly having the advantage on me.

“Here he is, baby,” I murmur, trying to get her to unclasp her legs from around my waist. The look on Swann’s face is that of a wild animal, trying to recover their stolen cub—even though I know his anger isn’t directed at me, it’s frightening, nonetheless.

Without a word, I lift her from her hips as he pulls her up for a bear hug. Swann gives me a single nod before he sinks to the ground beside me and lets out what sounds like a sob. Placingmy hand on his shoulder, I use him for balance to get back on my feet.

Vector isn’t able to run as fast, but that I’m his first priority makes me smile as he wraps his arms around me.

“I’m alright,” I say, trying to reassure him.

“You’re alright,” he repeats, shifting his hands up to kiss my forehead then my mouth.

“The seals held,” I say, more to myself than to him but I continue when I see his confusion. I turn and point to the affected area. “The new equipment has valves, to stop explosions from traveling up the line. We were testing them and the ones leading up to the house were closed, so just the ones out near the road blew up.”

I belatedly remember the three men who were responsible for this and crane my neck to look for their van, which is speeding away.

“Maybe someone got a better look at them,” I say and try to take a step toward the site, but Vector isn’t releasing me. “I have to check on my team.”

“You’re staying right here until I know the area’s safe,” he growls at me.

“Hey! I’m alright, if anyone’s wondering,” Bridget speaks up from just behind Vector. “I try to take a napone timeand someone tries to blow up my house.”

When I start to reply to Bridget, I feel Vector shaking and realize that he needs me more right now than my crew does.

“Come on, let’s sit down and wait,” I whisper to him.

“No, we have to go after them,” he counters, although his feet seem to be planted in the ground. “I don’t know if I can.”

---