Page 27 of The Spirit Key
“Yes. I didn’t know how he felt, but I’ve always loved him.”
Tim sat next to me, placed a hand on my bouncing knee, and grinned at Ryan. “He’s a little skittish, but I think one day I’ll break him.”
Fortunately, Noel came over and took our orders right then, so I didn’t have to splash cold water on my face to get it to stop flaming.
The three of us sat in that booth and talked. Ryan showed me the pictures of his kids and his wife and told me he hoped one day I could meet them. It tugged at my heart, knowing that even though I ran, he still wanted me to be a part of his family’s life. I wanted nothing more than to be a part of—
“Can you help me?”
I closed my eyes, trying to blot out the voice. She sounded young, maybe twelve, and scared.
“Sir? Can you help me? I don’t know where I’m supposed to be, and I’m afraid.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.I reached for Tim’s hand and squeezed sharply. “I have to go.”
“What? Why do you—oh. Here?”
I nodded. “Behind us.”
He spun around. “I don’t…. No, you know what? Let’s go.”
“What’s going on? Where does he have to go?” Ryan’s voice cracked, and I knew he was pissed.
“We’re going over to sit in the park. It’s a nice day out, and Scotty needs some sun. He’s shut himself away for too long.”
There was confusion on Ryan’s face. “But what—”
“We have to go.”
Tim slid out of the booth, with me right behind him. I turned for the door, and that’s when I saw her. She was barely a preteen. Her blonde hair was down to her shoulders, and her big blue eyes were filled with tears as she reached for my hand.
“I’m scared.” Her words were little more than a whisper.
The pain in her voice ripped through me. I actually reached out to take her hand, but then Tim was there, a solid presence next to me.
“Scotty, move.”
A big hand on my back propelled me forward toward the door. As soon as he got me outside, Tim turned back to the diner. “I’m going to ask them to wrap our food to go. I’ll meet you over in the park. That’s okay, right, Scotty?”
I nodded.
Ryan’s gaze darted between me and Tim. “What the fuck is going on? Why are you so scared?”
Hell if I knew. She was nothing more than a baby, and she was alone and afraid. Then I’d seen the marks on her throat, red and harsh against her pale skin. As much of a fuckup as I felt with my family, running from that little girl was infinitely worse.
My mind drifted back to my younger self, sitting on the floor, playing with my Superman and the blond boy who’d appeared in my room. We played together and had fun. When Mom came into the room and I asked him about getting cookies with us, he said he’d only wanted someone to play with, and then he disappeared.
I never saw Jeff again, even though I looked for him when I was alone and wishing I had someone to play with.
“Scotty!”
Ryan’s grip on my arm was punishing. I turned toward him, and the look on his face had me freaking out.
“You almost walked right into that car. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Pulled from my thoughts, I realized how busy the traffic was on the street. If Ryan hadn’t stopped me, I would have been a splat on the pavement.
But with what happened in the diner and what happened all those years ago, a new line of thinking was starting to form.
