Page 100 of Into The Light
I pause, shooting Felix a look. "Thank you for what you did."
He nods. "Glad we could have the best possible outcome from a shitty situation."
We make the twenty-minute drive in fifteen. Riley parks in the driveway of Noelle's house, glancing at me. "Not the time for the full discussion, obviously, but you should know I talked to Felix. About you switching crews, I mean."
My gut flips. "Riley—"
He grabs my shoulder and squeezes. "We'll figure something out, brother, alright? I hate to lose you, obviously. My productivity will tank without you. But you deserve it. You've worked damned hard to turn your life around."
My eyes burn—not so much at the praise as at the word "brother."
I can only nod, throat tight. "Appreciate you…brother."
Riley clears his throat, jerking his head backward at Noelle, who has nodded off, her head resting on Panzer's side, whose head rests in turn on her thighs. "Get your woman inside. Take care of her. She says she’s okay, but she went through a traumatic situation. She's telling herself it could've been way worse, which is true, but that don't negate what she did experience."
"Speaking from experience?" I ask.
He nods. "Long time ago, yeah." His expression is distant and troubled. "Something similar happened to someone I cared about." A sigh. "With a…slightly less favorable outcome for everybody involved." He waves a hand. "Forget it. Get outta here. I’ve got a bottle of Jack at home calling my name."
"Riley,” I start.
He shakes his head. "Don’t start, man.”
I can only nod—it’s not my place. "See ya tomorrow."
"Nope. You're taking the day off. So's Noelle."
"Alright. Thanks for everything. For showing up for her. For me."
He nods as I gather Noelle in my arm; Panzer, against training, hops down without being commanded, whining as I move Noelle away from him.
"I've got her, boy," I murmur to him. "C'mon."
Despite everything that happened, Noelle's purse somehow remained slung around her torso the whole time, even after her shirt was cut away. She's partially awake, groggy and mumblingincoherently as I set her on her feet long enough to rustle her keys out of her bloodstained purse and unlock the door. That done, I pick her up again and carry her inside. Into her room, lay her on her bed over the covers and toss a throw blanket over her.
"Bear," she mumbles.
I cup her cheek, standing beside her. "I'm here."
"Need you."
"Not goin' anywhere. Just locking the door. Right back."
Panzer slumps to the floor on her side of the bed, the side closest to the door, putting himself between her and the door. Dozing back off, she rubs her nose and then her hand tumbles to hang off the side of the bed. Panzer licks her fingers a few times and then rests his chin on his paws, ears alert, eyes watchful.
I crouch beside him, hugging him. "Good boy, Panzer." I ruffle his ears. "Good boy."
He licks my chin, cold wet nose nuzzling my cheek.
I check every room, every closet, even the small, low-ceilinged, unfinished basement. Lock the side door we came in.
As I'm heading for the bedroom again, a headlight swings around to shine in through the front bay window. I peek out—Noelle's mother and father.
I go out onto the front porch. "She's asleep."
Her mother stops at the bottom of the steps. "I need to see my daughter, Bear."
I cross my arms. "I'm sorry, ma'am. She's been through a lot. Not waking her up for anything."
