Page 85 of Wrap Around
It’s something about the way she stresses the word friend that makes me pay closer attention. A million things flash through my mind, and the blood rushes in my ears. I look at Zac, the way he looks at my sister like she’s some kind of deity, with admiration and reverence. Then I look back at my niece. Then back at him.
Her darker, messier curls. Her cute button nose that’s slightly upturned at the tip. The funny way she purses her lips that accentuates the dimple in her chin.
My body moves before I can think better of it, before I really give it permission to. I’m in his space like I’ve transported there in a blink. My fist connects with his jaw. His glasses clatter to the ground.
I draw my arm back again…
CHAPTER 31
SILAS
I’ve been driving for over an hour, and I still haven’t found them.
The first place I went was the trailer, but no one was there. I circled the Shepherd property twice, ran halfway to the lake to look for any sign of them. I passed the church, the little house they used to hold Sabbath school in, the playground at the school. Nothing.
Now I’m crawling through downtown, eyes flicking from storefronts to alleys. It’s a quiet stretch of street, the kind where time feels slower and everything closes by six. There are only so many places they could be.
Then I see them. Or rather, I see bubbles. Floating across the narrow street, catching the sunlight in pink and blue sheens. I follow the trail of them to a small courtyard surrounded by small businesses.
My rental car lurches as I slam on the brakes.
The first person I see is Gideon. His shoulders are tight, jaw locked as he stomps across the square towards someone. I recognize the back of Lily, standing next to a man with brown hair, notmuch taller than her small frame. Whoever it is, I don’t recognize him, at least not from behind.
What I do notice is the way he doesn’t move, doesn’t flinch fast enough. Too quickly, Gideon’s fist connects with the poor guy’s face, and his head snaps back.
Throwing the car in park, I abandon it there in the middle of the street. I’m out and running before the car behind me can so much as honk.
Gideon is holding the guy up by the front of his shirt, otherwise he likely would have collapsed by the look of his weak knees. I can only see him in profile, and I have no idea what he did to piss Gideon off, but I’m running at full speed to get to them. Gideon’s other fist rises again, clenched and shaking with fury.
“Gideon! No!” I yell.
He doesn’t hear me. Doesn’t see me. He barely reacts when I grab his arm mid-swing and yank him back.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Gideon fights it at first, twisting hard like he means to throw me off, then he sees my face and he stops.
He drops the man like he’s forgotten he was holding him, turning towards me with wide, astonished eyes.
Lily is next to the man in a flash, dropping to her knees to check on him. He groans and pushes himself to sit upright, but I’m not paying attention to anyone but Gideon and the wild look in his eyes.
“Jesus,” I breathe. “What is happening here?”
My eyes flash quickly to the edge of the courtyard, where Addy is standing with her little hands fisted in her dress, crying. Her face is blotchy and panicked.
Like he’s been knocked out of a trance, Gideon turns towards the sound of his niece. All the tension drains out of him like a punctured tire. Without another word, he rushes over to her.
“I got her,” I say, jogging after him.
There’s no part of me that thinks Gideon would ever hurt Adaline, but I don’t want her to be afraid of what she just witnessed, either. She doesn’t protest when he scoops her up, murmuring apologies into her hair and peppering her with kisses. She sniffles against his shoulder, and after a moment, he hands her off to me.
I take her gently, heart pounding.
“Hey, baby girl. I missed you,” I say, holding her against my chest and squeezing gently. Her little heartbeat thrums against my sternum, twisting me up inside. And then Gideon wraps his arms around both of us.
“What are you doing here?” he asks into my shoulder.
I don't answer right away. I’m too busy trying to keep Addy calm. But when he pulls back, I meet his eyes. “What’s going on?”
