Page 25 of Stalk the Dark
What the fuck was going on here?
Ordell made to step around her, but she grabbed his hand, her expression suddenly fierce. “Remember our deal.”
His throat bobbed. “I remember.”
She released him and gave me a nod, permission to follow him, no doubt.
The interior of the house was beautifully kept—warm redwood and gleaming cream accents with enough modern touches to elevate the space from austere to homey. There was no time to take in much detail because Ordell was a man on a mission, striding quickly up the stairs and down corridor after corridor until we came to a partially open door with a golden plaque fixed to it which saidSchoolroom.
Here he took a breath. “Remember, no questions till after.” He opened the door, releasing the sound of a masculine voice reciting poetry.
Someone shrieked, “Uncle Odi!” Then three golden-haired children body slammed Ordell.
He let out a growl, scooping them up one by oneuntil he had them hanging off his large frame and in fits of giggles as he tickled each one.
Infectious laughter swelled to fill the air as Ordell dropped to his knees, tamed by the children’s wrestling moves. There were two boys and a girl, all looking to be around ten or eleven years in age.
The other occupant of the room stood by a whiteboard covered in neat script, hands in the pockets of his navy pants, eyes dark with an undecipherable emotion. This must be Dash. He smiled stiffly at me. He was a tall, athletic guy, nowhere near as big as Hemlock or Ordell but handsome with a wide, generous mouth and sandy tousled hair.
“That’s enough, kids,” he said. “Let your uncle get a breath.”
The children climbed off Ordell reluctantly with a chorus of, “Oh, do we have to?”
“Yes, you do,” Dash said. “You have work to finish.”
“But Uncle Odi has been gone forever,” the girl whined. “Surely we can get a day off to visit with him.”
Dash’s mouth tightened. “If Uncle Odi had called to make arrangements, then we could have done so.”
“Oh, come on Dash,” Ordell said. “Half hour?”
Dash’s gaze went cold. “Not today, Ordell. Let’s talk outside.”
He held the door open, but Ordell lingered, his heart in his eyes as he looked down at the children, and oh my word…The children…with their white-gold hair and their hazel eyes and…Fuck…
“Please!” One of the boys grabbed hold of Ordell’s hand. “You promised to come back, and you were gone ages. You said we could play hunter.”
Dash’s jaw flexed. “Next time. Now back to your seat.” There was a definite edge of desperation to his tone now.
The boy looked torn, and Ordell ruffled his hair. “I’ll be back soon and we can play. I promise.” Dash exhaled sharply, a sound of impatience, and Ordell’s shoulders stiffened. “You best get your work done now.”
The boy joined his siblings behind a row of desks, and Ordell turned away, his eyes bright with a cacophony of emotions.
I followed the men into the corridor, then down the hall to the stairs where Dash finally spun on his heel to confront Ordell.
“We have an arrangement. You can’t just show up when you please.”
“I know. I’m sorry, I just…I’m sorry.” His shoulders drooped.
He’d instructed me not to ask questions till after, expected me to mind my business, but seeing him like this, so deflated, so…sad nudged the hidden darkness inside me. That sharp, wicked side that I preferred to keep suppressed. That voice that told me that Ordell could crush this guy. Grab him by the throat and shake sense into him. And words I had no right to say came spilling out.
“You can’t stop him from seeing his kids.”
Dash’s eyes flew wide, his nostrils flaring with each panicked breath. “Youtoldher?”
Ordell growled, the sound one of conflict and displeasure. “I didn’t say a word.”
“He didn’t have to. One look at them and it’s obvious.”
