Page 87 of My One and Only

“No, she’s taking Fiona to the playground.”

“Got it,” Howie said, stepping aside so Cam could walk into the school.

When Cam looked back at her, she jerked her head up, acknowledging him. Then he disappeared around a corner, and she slumped against the brick wall.

A few minutes later, the bell rang and the kids poured into the hall. Jo took a few steps back so they could spill onto the sidewalk, then watched for Fiona.

When she spotted the girl, she edged closer to the door. Fiona was walking with Mina again, and the two girls were chattering away. “Hey, Fiona,” Jo said quietly as she walked through the door.

“Jo!” Fiona’s face lit up, and the ache in Jo’s chest from the argument with Cam loosened. “What are you doing here?”

“Your dad is talking to Ms.Morrison. I’m going to wait on the playground with you.”

“Yay!”Fiona cried. She turned to her friend. “Mina, can you come to the playground, too?”

Mina shook her head. “I have to go to the doctor today. Maybe another day?”

“Yeah. Another day.” Fiona watched Mina run to her mother. Nahid glanced at Jo and Fiona and gave them a wave and a tiny smile. Jo waved back, then watched them walk away.

“Ready to hit the playground?”she asked Fiona.

“Yes!”the girl said. “Let’s go.” She held out her hand to Jo, and a lump formed in Jo’s throat as she took Fiona’s hand. She curled her fingers around the baby-soft skin of Fiona’s hand, shocked at how touched she was by Fiona’s gesture.

Jo sat on the same bench that she’d used the other day and watched Fiona. A different girl was already on the playground, and Fiona seemed to know her. Before long, three more girls showed up, and soon all of them were laughing and playing some hard-to-decipher game.

Behind Jo, a car door slammed. She wondered who it could be, since all the other kids had been picked up. Sliding her hand under her jacket, she rested it on the grip of her Glock, then glanced over her shoulder. She was shocked to see Don Kincaid walking toward her.

“Hey, Jo,” he said when he was close. “Fiona. How are you guys doing?”

“We’re fine, Uncle Don,” Fiona said. “Did you come to play with me on the playground?”she asked eagerly.

Don had kept his right hand in his pocket, and Jo had no trouble seeing the outline of a gun there.

“Sorry, Fee, I can’t. I need Jo’s help with something.”

Jo swallowed and let her hand rest on her hip. She wanted easy access to her gun, but she didn’t want it to be obvious.

“I’m not allowed to be on the playground by myself, Uncle Don. So can I come too?”Fiona asked eagerly.

“Sure,” Don said easily. “There’s plenty of room in my truck for you.”

Jo glanced at Don’s black truck. “He doesn’t have a car seat, Fiona,” she said. “You go into the school and have them find your dad. Tell him I left with Uncle Don.”

Don’s jaw tightened as he studied Fiona. “No, I think you need to come with us,” he said.

“No, Fiona,” Jo said sharply. “Run into the school. Right now.”

The girl studied Jo’s face for a long moment, then turned and began running toward the front door.

Don started after her, and Jo stuck out her foot to trip him, then began running for the school door. As Don was falling, he pulled the gun out of his pocket. Jo sprinted for the school door, but Don called, “I’m a damn good shot, Jo. Stop right there.”

She glanced over her shoulder, then stopped. The gun was steady in Don’s hand. He switched its target from her to the girls on the playground.

“You come with me right now, without any fuss, or I’ll start shooting those kids.” He gripped the gun with both hands, moving it from her chest to the playground. Back to her chest. Over and over.

“What’s it going to be, Jo?”Don called. “You come with me, and those girls live. You refuse?” He mimed pulling the trigger, and Jo’s stomach churned.

Jo shifted her gaze from Don to the laughing girls on the playground. She believed him when he said he’d start shooting them, and she couldn’t let that happen.

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