Page 23 of Single Teddy
“Even so, I tried to do what was best for my little Noah, but my family helped me see that Duke needed me just as much and that I didn’t need to put one over the other. That’s why they moved here with me. To help with NoahandDuke.”
“Okay. I get it. You fell in love?—”
“Head over heels, man. It’s… I still can’t wrap my head around it, but when you meet the right person, you know,” he said.
I simply nodded as if I understood. I didn’t. Or at least, I didn’t know what it was like for feelings to be reciprocated. I’d tried my hand at dating and hooking up before, but I’d been…all wrong. Something my girlfriends loved to remind me of, particularly when breaking up with me. So it was hard to understand how anyone could uproot their life for someone they’d just met. It simply didn’t compute.
“The good thing is that Slade has planted a virus on some very important contacts’ phones so he can keep track of movements and any potential attacks, although he’s trying to dig deeper.”
“He has? How?” I turned to my old teammate, puzzled.
He blew raspberries. “Beats me, man. I’ve got no clue. The man is a master hacker or something. I don’t understand half the things he says or does.”
I took a deep breath and leaned back in my seat.
“So you’re saying we’re not in any danger.”
Azrael pressed his lips and looked out through the windshield.
“It’s hard to say, but the way I see it, if anyone wanted to hurt us, they would have. We’ve brought down a few cells and made an enemy of Salieri, but he hasn’t retaliated. Not in a big way. Which probably means he’s either scared or doesn’t have the power to. It wouldn’t surprise me if we found out he’s in retreat mode since we took down so many of his men this summer.”
“When Duke was abducted?”
“And my family,” he nodded.
I winced. “How is that safe?”
“It’s not, man. But…we’re Silver Legends, aren’t we? That means something. This island deserves it. It deserves to be free and safe, as do the people who live here, so if we have to go to war, so be it.”
I shook my head and glanced at the house, blowing hot air in frustration and confusion. They were out of their minds. All of them.
A man walked out of the house, planted himself on a chair on the porch, and lit a cigarette. The house didn’t even have a front door. Just a beaded curtain. They couldn’t look more conspicuous if they tried. But the team had been watching them for a while now and hadn’t unearthed anything more sinister. Maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe the place was never a stash house, or maybe this Salieri guy dropped it ages ago, and Goodman was chasing a dead lead.
Whatever it was, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one bit. The worst part was I could already feel myself getting involved, whether I liked it or not, if only to ensure Bear and I remained safe.
A loud, piercing ringing interrupted the relative peace inside the car, and I turned to the culprit. My phone.
It was an unknown number.
I turned to Azrael, then back to my screen, and slid the answer button slowly, as if I were dealing with a bomb.
“H-hello?” I asked.
“Hello, may I speak to Mr. Olson?” said a very composed, formal voice, and I frowned.
“Speaking.”
“Oh, excellent. Hi, Mr. Olson, it’s Wesley Crawford, Bear’s teacher?”
I sat up and my throat tightened in an instant.
“Is Bear okay? What happened?”
“Oh no, Teddy. He’s fine. Nothing’s wrong. I just have my conference period for the next hour and a half, and I was wondering if you’d be able to stop by so we can…talk?”
His words might have come out well articulated and reassuring, but it didn’t ease the restriction on my throat that felt like a noose around my neck.
“Talk about what?”
