Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
I nodded.
“Okay, good. That’s what I thought too.”
“Hey, real quick, I want you to know that I would have explained that I was armed before I came into your house, had there been time.”
“What?”
I cleared my throat. “I would never bring a firearm into anyone’s house without them knowing beforehand.”
She nodded.
“I should have mentioned it at the airport, but I’m a little tired. And now, even though you know, I need you to understand that because I just came from being deployed, I am still armed with my service pistol. Also, once they clear my gun through ballistics, I’ll get that back as well.”
“So you’re saying you’ll have two guns in my house.”
“Yes,” I said flatly. “Now, I do have a lockbox for storage here with me, but I need to know that it’s all right with you—”
“My God, George, I have nothing to say about that. Without your weapon, we would be—I mean, I don’t know where we’d be.”
I shook my head. “The outcome would have been the same. It’s just quicker and cleaner with the gun. If I had to subdue people with my knife, your couch and rug wouldn’t have been the only things you had to take out of your living room.”
And with that, she caught her breath and flung herself at me, which hurt a bit, but she meant it from the heart. When she started to sob, I made sure to hug her tight.
Alone in my room after she left, door open, Geri came in to check on me, did that thing dogs do where they put their heads on your leg and look up at you, wanting pats. I complied, stroking his head, watching as he lifted it off me and turned toward the door. I did as well and saw one of the boys walk by the door, once, then again, and finally I got up, walked out, and saw it was Dennis, the younger one. He jolted in surprise.
“You’re haunting my door, kid. What’s up?”
Geri was beside me, eyeing the boy, almost squinting, and I had to wonder if he was as tired as I was. Watching people was a full-time job.
Dennis looked nervous and crossed his arms tightly, hugging himself.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “You can ask me anything.” But he didn’t speak, just stood there, staring up at me. At the rate we were going, I wasn’t going to get anywhere with him. “Come in here,” I directed him, then walked back into my room and took a seat on the end of the bed just like I had with his mother.
It took a few moments, as he clearly was unsure, but then he took a breath and followed me in. He didn’t sit down, but now we were at a closer eye level, which, at least from how he was standing, seemed to be better for him.
“Were you scared?” I asked, hoping to break the ice. “Because I sure was.”
His mouth dropped open. “You weren’t scared. I saw you.”
“I was afraid for you and your brother, and for your uncle Kurt and your parents.”
“Why?”
“Because if I didn’t move fast enough, maybe someone would have been shot.”
“Oh, I see. That’s why you shot at the window and came through that way.”
“That’s right.”
“Did you get glass on you?”
“No,” I lied because yes, there was some, but the pieces weren’t slivers or chips. Easy to see, easy to brush off.
“I never saw anyone get shot in real life.”
“Well, I’m very sorry you had to see that, and I want you to promise me that you’ll talk to someone about that, okay?”
“You mean like a therapist?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
He nodded. “I have Dr. Lee. Both me and Toby talk to him already about stuff.”
“That’s great.”
He was staring at my face as if searching for something. “You don’t think that’s whiny?” he asked. “Having to talk to a doctor?”
I shook my head.
The relieved exhale made me smile. “Okay, good, because Mom worries we’ll get messed up because she’s famous on TikTok and stuff, but I don’t care, you know?”
“Sure.”
“I know Dr. Lee will want us to talk about this.”
“I’m sure he will.”
He moved then, and sat next to me. “Are you gonna stay here?”
“For a while.”
“How long?”
“We’re leaving before New Year’s.”
He seemed to be absorbing that. “What if someone bad comes back?”
“Your mother said she’ll be looking into additional security for you guys.”
“That’s good, right?”
“It is.”
It seemed like he wanted something, but I wasn’t sure what.
“You know, when I get scared when I’m not at home, sometimes after things happen that are bad, one of my friends will sit next to me and put an arm around me until I feel better.”
He looked up at me.
“And that would be okay if you wanted that too.”
“It would?”
“Sure,” I told him.
He reminded me of his mother, the way he simply dived in to the deep end. One moment he was sitting beside me, the next he was leaning against my shoulder. When I lifted my arm, he sagged into my chest with my arm around him. If his sigh was any indication, he was content. So the two of us just sat there together in silence. Moments later, Kurt appeared at the doorway to find me holding Dennis, who had fallen asleep.