Page 63 of Puck Struck
Cam catches my arm. "Hey. Breathe."
I didn't realize how fast my heart was racing until he said that. I inhale deeply, trying to control the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
"They'll be okay," he murmurs. "We have time to figure this out."
"Two weeks." I nod. "We have two weeks."
"And a game tomorrow."
"And a game tomorrow." I nod, letting out an unsteady breath.
Ethan's voice carries from the living room, explaining something about dinosaurs to Tessa with the kind of enthusiasm only a six-year-old can muster. The normality of it, the innocence, makes my heart hurt.
"I won't let anything happen to them," I say, more to myself than to Cam.
"I know." His hand is still on my arm, warm through my sleeve. "And I won't let anything happen to you."
I look up, surprised by the fierce protectiveness in his voice. It's a side of Cam I haven't seen before.
For a moment, we just stand there, caught in some unspoken bubble. Then Ethan bursts into the room, and it just pops.
"I'm making a triceratops for science class," he announces, holding up a half-finished model. "I can't get the horns right, though."
"I'm not much of an artist," Cam admits, examining the model. "But maybe if you angle them more like this?" He gestures with his hands.
Ethan's face brightens to about a million watts. "That's it. That's exactly what I need."
I watch as Cam continues to offer suggestions. Tessa appears beside me. "He's good with him," she says quietly.
"Yeah." Watching them makes a strange warmth bloom in my chest.
"Now, do you want to tell me what's really going on?" she asks, keeping her voice low.
I hesitate. "It's complicated."
"Try me."
I weigh my options. She deserves to know why I'm suddenly going to install security cameras and hire guards to keep an eye on things. But telling her everything puts her in the middle of this mess.
"Someone's threatening Cam," I say finally. "And they know where we live."
Her eyes widen. "What? Who? Why?"
"It's a long story. But I'm handling it. We're handling it."
“Jesus.” She stares at me for a long moment. "Are you sure?”
I nod.
"Logan, if anything?—"
"Don’t even say it. I won't let anything happen to you or Ethan." The promise comes out fierce, absolute. "Trust me on that."
She sighs and bites down on her lip, turning her head to look back at Ethan and Cam. "Just be careful, Lo. Whatever this is, don't do anything stupid."
"That's the plan."
Later, after dinner and after Cam tucks Ethan into bed…at my nephew’s request…we sit on the porch steps, watching the quiet street.
