Page 100 of Gideon

Nikki touched his arm. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make this harder on you. Take your time.”

Gideon sucked in a breath of the night air. “You stay here. I need to go myself.”

“No, you?—”

“You’re going to have to trust me.” He shifted on to his knees.

“I’m coming.”

“Please.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Please. I need you to wait here. I have to do this on my own.”

“Okay.” She must have heard the urgency in his voice. “I’ll wait here. Promise.”

“Thank you.” He waited a beat before moving away—sensing more than feeling the loss of her body heat close to his—and hurried down the hill.

There was one other window that was lit up, but the blinds were drawn, so he couldn’t see inside. Now thathe was crouching beside it, he could see a sliver of the room. It was enough to catch a glimpse of movement. But he couldn’t tell who or how many were in there.

He stood, trying to get a better perspective, when a shadow moved near the window and the drapes were thrown open. He dropped to the ground, his back scraping the side of the house. The thudding in his heart was louder than the crickets chirping nearby.

The window slid open, and he held his breath.

“I’m sorry, but it’s too stuffy in here with that fire lit. I can barely breathe.”

Gideon recognized the voice as Deputy Cole’s.

“You’ve got the most sensitive thermostat of anyone I’ve ever known,” Fairfax said. “How did such a sissy get a job working in law enforcement?”

“You tell me,” Cole retorted. “You’re the one who told Peters to hire me. And it wasn’t for my sensitivity.”

“Boys,” Peters said. “Can we cease with the bickering?”

“What do you need a fire for anyway?” Cole said. “It’s summer.”

“I like the ambiance, and it’s a cool night,” Fairfax said. “Besides, it’s my house, and I can do what I want. You don’t like it, you can go.”

Cole scoffed. “I would if you meant it. But you need me now more than ever.”

“If I recall, I did fine running this place without you.”

“Yeah, but the times are changing, and your threats aren’t good enough anymore.”

“Oh, no? Then why is the whole town running scared?”

“They’re running back to church.” Another voice. This one Gideon recognized as Phineas.

“That’s on you,” Cole said.

“Oh, I see. It’s my job to doallthe heavy lifting around here?” Phineas said. “I can’t do everything.”

“You do alright for yourself. Taking money to tell people made up stuff. They love you for it. If only they knew they were being swindled.”

“I mean every word I say, and they rely on me because I rescued them from the lies of that church.”

“Then why are they going back?”

“Nikki,” Phineas spat. “She’s feeding them the same crap her dad did.”

“And they’re lapping it up because you haven’t done your job properly,” Cole said.

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