Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Alick didn’t give me any details about why things were weird. He just stood straighter and rocked back and forth on his feet. “I’m smart. I can do it.”
“I have no doubt about that.” What I did doubt were the details he seemed to be leaving out. “Let’s hop in the truck and you tell me which way to go first.”
Or I’d be driving in circles for the rest of the afternoon.
“Yes, Daddy.” He was still little, but he pulled some of it back as I grabbed my keys and made sure everything was put away safely. “Then I’ll show you my house and my yard and my toys.”
Nodding to himself, he went very quiet as I let us out of the trailer and took him over to the passenger side of the truck. “Wait. Your car. I forgot. How did you get here?”
Alick giggled as he hopped up into the seat, but he caught it quickly and went back to looking like he was playing grown-up. “We can come get pie later.”
We could come get dessert and his car later?
Assuming I’d guessed right, I nodded. “That’s a great plan.”
Clearly pie was a wonderful thing because his smile got wider and he even wiggled before he remembered he was playing grown-up.
We didn’t seem to have an audience that I could sense right off the bat, but from what I’d seen of the locals, I wasn’t going to bet on their good behavior. So I kept my hands and my teasing to myself as I buckled him in and went around to my side.
When we had at least a small amount of privacy, I whispered to Alick. “Where are they watching us from?”
He barely managed not to giggle and kept his hand low as he gestured around what seemed to be the main square of the town. “The library and the diner.”
Doing my best to glance around casually as I looked for traffic and slowly pulled out, I nodded. “The tinting on the windows. It’s making it hard to see them at first glance.”
It seemed like they weren’t all stupid…just some of them.
“Yes, and there are probably mages hidden somewhere but they’re harder to see.” Frowning, Alick glared at a tree and shook his head as we drove by. “We don’t have a tree there. I know trees.”
So that’d been a mage?
Hmm.
“How much trouble would I get in if I randomly taped up posters or signs on trees that might not be trees?” I wouldn’t use tacks or anything dangerous.
Alick laughed so hard his seat belt was the only thing keeping him in place. “Yes, I’ll tell and you tape. Yes.”
Well, it seemed like our sense of humor matched too…that was good to know as long as he didn’t aim it at me.
“Deal.” Carrick might like privacy and the deputy liked to glare, but I’d rather let everyone know I was more dangerous than they were.
“Yay.” Alick wiggled in his seat, no longer worried about looking little. “We’ll be scary.”
Trying not to laugh, I nodded. “Then they’ll learn to behave…or at least to eavesdrop on someone else.”
That had my mischievous boy giggling again and he seemed delighted at the prospect of terrorizing the town.
Before I could ask him if he had any ideas about how we should start, he reached out to tap my arm with his left hand and pointed right. “There, Daddy.”
Really?
“Okay.” A few more seemingly random turns had us driving behind all the main businesses in town on what seemed to be an almost empty street. But it wasn’t until Alick waved at someone standing by a mailbox I could’ve sworn hadn’t been there a moment before that I knew I needed to ask more questions.
“Baby boy, where did that mailbox come from and who was that person?” Having good reflexes when I was startled was the only reason I hadn’t run us into a tree…or someone that seemed to be one of his neighbors.
“Oh.” Frowning, Alick reached out and rested his hand on my arm again. “There, Daddy.”
And there was a whole fucking street of houses right in front of us.
“For fuck’s sake.” Bringing us to a stop, I took a deep breath and tried to remember to be reasonable. “Alright, baby boy, I’m not mad but you need to tell me when the mages have made something invisible.”
Like half the fucking town.
Alick looked sad and was back to pouting but shrugged as he scrunched his face up. “I forgot. Sorry, Daddy.”
Of course he had.
“Okay, um, you keep touching me and we’ll figure out how to get me a charm later.” Glancing down at his hand, I realized the small rope bracelet he had wrapped around his wrist wasn’t a friendship bracelet he’d gotten from a regular little friend. “I should’ve asked more questions.”
Running a finger over his bracelet, I could finally feel the magic coursing through it. “Yes, lots of questions.”