Page 2 of His Reward
I’m getting hard from hugging Paul’s daughter.
I immediately release her, then grab her upper arms and push her back.
“Let me get a good look at you.”
June waves her arms in a flamboyant spread, then cocks her hip and plants her hands on her waist.Things worsen in my pants as I follow the curve of her body.
Jesus.I’ve been hunted, shot at, and stabbed, but I’ve never been more afraid than now, paranoid June will glance down and see the bulge forming in my khaki shorts.
She smiles.“What do you think?”
That my reintegration counselling didn’t prepare me for something like this.
I force a smile in return.“That you’re all grown up.The last time I saw you, I could fit you in my carry-on like you said.”
She laughs and presses her hand to the door, shutting it.
“You have a good memory.I forgot I said that.”She shakes her head.“I was really sad that my favourite uncle was going far away.Climbing into your luggage seemed like a great idea.”
“I don’t know whether to be proud I’m your favourite when I’m only one in spirit.I also don’t have any competition.”
She stares at the raised, six-inch long scar on my right arm, then lifts her gaze to mine, her eyes soft with gratitude.
“Even if I had ten actual uncles who all treated me well, you’ll still be my favourite.You saved my life.”
“You saved mine too.”
Her eyebrows rise.“I did?How?”
I hesitate, regretting what I said.Sure, the answer is pretty straightforward, but it’s opening a door to vulnerability.It’s been ten years since I last saw her, but her curious nature never went away.It’s alive in her eyes.If I admit the truth, she’ll follow up with more questions I don’t want to answer right now.
Footsteps thudding down the stairs saves me from coming up with a vague response.Daphne appears, her face lighting up when she sees her sister.She rushes over and pulls June into a tight hug.
“Sorry I took so long to come down.I just saw your text that you were at the door.”
June flashes me a smile.“It’s OK.I didn’t have to wait long.Mal came to my rescue.”
2
June
Something flops across my face.I jerk awake, breathing hard, reality wrapping around me like a comforting blanket.Thank god.I wasn’t actually being swept away in a river with no help in sight.
I blink as my terror fades and my breathing calms.The back of Daphne’s hand and fingers block the left side of my vision
Malcolm is staying in the room that used to be mine before my parents converted it into a guest room, so I bunked with Daphne.Last night, she rolled her eyes when I put a pillow between us to protect myself in advance, yet she still got to me.
My sister and I are only two years apart.When we were younger, Mom would make us share a bed on holiday trips.Daphne would knee, elbow, kick, and slap me while she slept.
She’s twenty-three now, and it looks like she hasn’t changed.I smile.Poor Jeremy.He’s going to learn his beautiful bride is a mean street fighter when she’s dead to the world.
“Whose ass are you kicking in your dreams?”I asked her once.She laughed and said, “Nobody’s.I don’t dream.”
Lucky her.Ever since the fire, sleep is less like a necessity and more like a prison.It traps my mind and body in an alternate universe that’s either creepy, scary, or paralyzing.At least my prescription sleeping pills help when I desperately need a good night’s rest, but I didn’t bring them with me.
I sit up and gently move her hand to her side.She continues snoring without a care in the world.Of course she doesn’t have any worries.She still lives at home, pays a pittance to Mom and Dad for bills, doesn’t have any student loans, and she’s engaged to a man from a wealthy family.
I’m happy for my sister, but there’s always a tightness in my gut when I think about Daphne’s fortunate situation.Once that wedding ring slides onto her finger, my sister will blissfully move from Mom and Dad taking care of her, to her husband’s support and protection.
