Page 96 of Firefly (Redemption 2)

“Hell, my little trippy hippy is just all about world peace, aren’t you, baby?” Diggs asked. “Don’t hurt the environment. Hug trees and all that. I’ll let you hug my—” His gaze slid my way when a growl sounded in my chest, then he dropped his head to stare at his sugar pile. “I mean, I bet Dare will let you hug his tree.”

“Food,” Maverick suddenly shouted, pointing at a waitress who was walking our way. “For the love of God, we need food at this table before everyone starts killing each other.”

I cut my eyes to Johnny. His were narrowed into slits as he studied the girl in my arms.

Johnny pinning Elle up against the wall, blood dripping down their arms flashed through my mind, quickly followed by the vision of her lifeless in my arms, both of us covered in her blood.

I shook my head trying to force the images away, trying to separate them, then looked down at Elle as she listened to Libby.

We didn’t need food.

I needed to take Elle someplace where nothing in my world could ever find her. Including Johnny.

Breakfast passed without incident.

If you don’t count Diggs throwing a sugar packet in Einstein’s eye when she tried to snatch her phone mid-meal and Johnny trying to stab him with a butter knife in turn as an incident. Which I don’t.

Though I would’ve bet money the girl tucked into my side would have.

But Elle hadn’t so much as flinched as she’d watched the entire thing unfold in front of her before I could force Johnny to sit down and drop the knife. Granted, it had been over in less than five seconds, but there hadn’t been a single reaction before she’d turned back to Libby to continue their conversation.

And it was eating at me still, long after.

Considering Johnny had been attacking her just over a week ago, there should have been some reaction. Some hint of fear, at the very least. But there was nothing.

The guys and Einstein abruptly stopped talking, catching my attention. Their gazes were fixated on the table except Einstein’s. Hers was wide and unyielding as she stared at the girl next to me. I turned my head, slowly following their line of sight until I found what had halted their conversation.

Elle, absentmindedly drawing our symbol in the middle of Diggs’s sugar pile while listening to Libby.

Elle noticed our silence before Libby, her eyes dragging from my sister to meet mine. Her brow pinched and she started to sit up as she looked around the table at where everyone was now staring at her. “What—?”

I gripped her hand gently to lift it from the table, my eyes never leaving hers as she looked down at the sugar.

It took less than a second.

Her breath hitched and pulse quickened beneath my fingertips. Her eyelids fluttered and she swayed toward me, and for a second, I thought she was going to faint.

But just before she hit me, she stopped herself. After another second, she slowly let herself lean against me for support.

“What?” she finally asked, her voice lacking any of the warmth I was used to from her.

“Uh, just watched you trace that without a second thought, newbie,” Maverick said.

“And? It’s some lines and a circle.”

Johnny slapped his hand against the sugar pile, sending most of it flying and the symbol into distorted chaos. “You know what that is?” he asked, his tone all growl and pure challenge.

“I know it’s on Dare’s back.”

I bit back a curse as soon as the words left her mouth.

Of course she knew that. I should’ve known she would see it, but I hadn’t been thinking. If I had been able to think around her, I would’ve been more careful. Gia hadn’t seen it, hadn’t known, for years. One night with Elle and I’d apparently lost my fucking mind.

Johnny’s hardened gaze flicked to me before going back to Elle. “I asked if you knew what it was.”

I didn’t miss the way Elle flinched each time he spoke, but if I hadn’t been wanting to know the answers to his questions too, I would’ve kissed her when she lifted her chin slightly in response. “To be honest,

I think most of Wake Forest does even if they won’t admit it.”

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