Page 163 of Affair
There were people after him, and he had to protect him at all costs. That overwhelming desire to protect the man was there, and it had him by the balls.
That was his mission.
When he rode Diablo up over the hill, he saw Poe standing on a rocky cliff.
Suddenly, he knew where he was.
He’d been here once before.
These were the White Cliffs of Dover.
That fear was there still, not shoving back the panic that had him in its death grip.
Why?
Why was he still scared?
All of this felt ominous.
What he needed was to reach the man as quickly as possible.
“Come on,” he said, kicking Diablo to get him to move, and the horse did.
They charged at him, trying to reach him.
The whole time, Poe was standing there, his back to the water as he was staring at him. The gaze was empty and void of any kind of emotion.
Like the man was hollow.
“POE!”he shouted, fighting to get to the man who was teetering on the edge.
He didn’t move.
He didn’t say a word.
The wind was whipping, and he was riding for all of their worth to reach him.
When Diablo stopped listening, he came to a full stop, and Gamble hopped off.
That wouldn’t keep him away.
Instead, he ran toward Poe, trying to get to him. When he reached him, he put out his hands.
“Please! Move toward me, not away,” he begged, and it was falling on deaf ears. “Poe, please. I’m scared that I’m losing you.”
Poe simply stared at him and said only one thing.
“You’re leaving me.”
At those words, Gamble’s heart raced in his chest.
“I don’t want to leave you, Poe. I can’t let my past hurt you,” he said. “You’re my peace. I have to protect that.”
It was clear he didn’t like the answer.
Poe stepped further back, closer to the edge.
“I’m part of that past, Gamble. If you leave me, what happens to me?”
