Page 50 of ILY
The important part is stopping what’s about to happen.
The only thing I can hope for in this moment is that Michael doesn’t have a weapon. I have no description of him, no idea what I’m about to face, but I’m ready for anything. Skidding out the open front door, I run barefoot into the dirt and follow the sounds of Leaf shouting. I can barely hear them, but I see a flash of movement and realize he’s by the barn.
Leaf’s got a flashlight in one hand and the mallet in another. He gives an inhuman scream and lifts the mallet above his head just as I shout, “Freeze!” and point my gun.
Leaf stops, standing with his hands in the air, his eyes swiveling this way and that.
And then I realize there’s no one else there.
Well, no other person, anyway.
Instead, I see a hole in the ground and a furry, brown little head sticking up. In its mouth is a fat zucchini between long rodent teeth. The creature’s beady eyes fix on my face, and then the squash falls out of its mouth. Between one blink and the next, it’s gone.
Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.
Michael reallyisa fucking groundhog.
A moment later, I’m blinded by a bright light. I blink wildly as a heavy silence falls over us. Slowly, Leaf lowers the flashlight as I do the same with my gun.
As my vision returns to normal, I see Leaf moving toward me. I tense up for a moment before realizing every single thing he’s told me is right.
He never lied.
Yes, he tried to buy illegal explosives from the web, but that was the worst of his crimes.
I see his chest expand, then deflate on an exhale, and his mouth twists into something like a mockery of a smile. He scratches the back of his head, then drops the mallet beside his feet on the ground.
I step closer to hear him when I see him open his mouth and take another breath.
“Well,” he says. I watch his lips carefully. He’s not signing. “I think we need to talk.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
LEAF
It takesa moment for reality to crash over me, but eventually, it does. Thorne’s staring at me, his whole body tense and braced like he’s waiting for me to explode, and eventually, I do.
“Is that agun? Why the fuck do you have agun, Thorne?” I ask, my hands moving in tandem. I want to make sure he understands everything I’m trying to convey.
“I—um—well.” He runs his free hand through his hair and huffs.
“Just spit it out, please. You had a goddamn gun aimed at my head just a minute ago.”
“Shit, Leaf. I’m sorry, but I thought you were going to murder someone.”
I stare at him, my hands on my hips before I lift them. “You thought I was going to murder someone.Really?”
His gaze flicks over to mine, and I bet to high heaven he’s blushing right now. He should be. I mean, yes, I’ve lost my mind and have been acting slightly psychotic, but did he really think I was going to bash a human’s head in? Who does he think I am?
“I did. Yes. Or, well, I also thought maybe Michael was trying to murder you. I wasn’t sure. You left in such a panic.”
“So you were half protecting me, then?”
“Yeah.”
“And half trying to blow my brains out.”
He winces at that. “I wouldn’t have shot you. I would have disarmed you.”
