Page 104 of Ezra
“That something wasn’t right?” He offers an ironic smile. “Yes. But I always have that feeling. It wasn’t enough to convince Deion this time because I had no evidence, and people have been away from their families for too long, working this case. He was right in trying to send them home early.” He sighs, bowing his head. “But if I’m honest, the reason I stayed above all is you.”
Hearing those words both exhilarates me and fills me with guilt.
Ezra offers his hand. I take it, realizing how starved I feel at this moment for his touch. He lifts my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles.
“Stay with me tonight,” I whisper. “Please.”
“I’ll be late,” Ezra replies. “But I will.”
“Katrina?”
My father stares at us with wide eyes.
I’m seized with a sudden realization—we’re being affectionate out here, out in the open, and I haven’t told him. I haven’t told anyone. After everything that’s happened, it was the least of my concern. Now, after seeing Ezra kiss my hand, I couldn’t deny anything even if I wanted to.
Ezra slowly lets go of my hand and steps slowly away from me. “Mr. Carson.”
Dad gazes at him, then turns his weary eyes on me. “You? And him?”
My heart thunders. This isn’t how I wanted to do this. I’m standing on the edge of the unknown with only two ways to go. Do I step back and lie? I’d rather do anything else. Downplay? I don’t want to. This is the truth. If nothing else came out of this night gone so horribly wrong, at least I can do one thing right.
Ezra and I exchange a glance. He’s neutral, but mirrored in his white eyes is concern, understanding. I see it in the way he withdraws from himself, hiding behind that professional visage.
Maybe he thinks I’m going to deny him. Maybe he doesn’t care either way.
But I do.
“Yes, Dad,” I say at last. “Me. And him.”
Ezra jerks his head toward me, looking at me in astonishment. I glance at him apologetically because I know this isn’t the ideal location or time, but I can’t keep denying this anymore. I can’t keep hiding this.
For a long moment, there’s nothing but silence. The world slows down. The tremor in my hands returns, and I clench them at my sides, trying to ignore them or at least hide them as I take a step toward Ezra. Ezra steps toward me too.
Until we’re side by side.
There are tears in Dad’s eyes. But I don’t see anger. Shock, maybe, but no rage. Not even disappointment. There’s resignation; a deer-in-the-headlights stare. Not the way I thought he’d be at this moment.
He doesn’t address it. He doesn’t scold me or praise me. He just nods, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as he swallows. “I’m taking your mother home.”
“Dad—”
But he’s already wandering off to meet my mother.
And I’m left wondering if I’ve just lost my dad forever.
[ 9 ]
Ezra
Deion and I bring up the rear of the caravan back to NCPD headquarters, keeping close watch on the cruisers ahead of us, which transport two of the four suspects. We breeze through stoplights, sirens blaring, not taking any chances.
“Should’ve listened to you, Ezra. I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing you could’ve done. We couldn’t have anticipated this,” I reply as I go over everything I know again in my head. “We checked them. We couldn’t connect them with TerraPura.”
These thugs are brash. Their actions don’t reek of PureEarth’s usual MO—explosive androids, an obsession with destroying the human race to save the earth, ascension, playing games in the shadows. Even as I turn over every piece of evidence I’ve got—from the museum bombing, to the attempted assassination, to the hostage situation—I can’t connect the latter two to the former.
“I don’t think they’re TerraPura at all,” I tell him.
