“Hey, Val. Mind hanging out at the raffle table for a bit?” Fallon asked.
“Nope.”
“Great. But give me a second,” Fallon said. “Stand here with me while I send a couple of texts. Just chat away about anything.”
“I can do that. My dad says I’m a chatterbox, and…”
Val continued to talk about boys, and school, and, well, Fallon didn’t pay attention.
Fallon: Having a drink with an old friend of my dad’s. Name is Quincy Bellows. I’ll be over at the Crab Shack tables.
The reply arrived almost immediately.
Buddy: Do you know him? Recognize him?
Fallon: Familiar looking. But no, I don’t know him.
Buddy: I need you stay alert. Be hyper-aware of what he says, how he acts. Don’t trust anything.
Fallon: I know. I’ll be careful.
Buddy: Stay in sight lines. I’ll be close by. Some will always be watching.
She smiled to herself—not annoyed. Warm. Seen. Protected in a way that didn’t cage her.
“Thanks, Val. I’ll be back shortly.” She turned and strolled toward Quincy, tucking her cell in her back pocket.
He gestured toward the drink stand. “Shall we?”
She stepped forward—and the crowd surged around them, a sudden bottleneck of bodies squeezing through the walkway. People laughing, stumbling, shoulders brushing hers.
Quincy moved behind her slightly, hand pressing against the small of her back to guide her forward?—
Too familiar.
Too intentional.
Too much pressure.
Fallon’s breath hitched.
Then he leaned in, his lips almost brushing her ear.
“Nice jacket,” he murmured. “Makes an interesting statement, don’t you think?”
“Excuse me?”
He smiled. But it wasn’t friendly. “Wasn’t that the one your friend wore the night she disappeared? The one you lent her… because it should’ve been you?”
Fallon froze. Ice poured down her spine. Her knees nearly buckled. She didn’t turn. Couldn’t. Because she felt it. A hard shape beneath his sports coat. Pressed into her ribs. Cold. Concealed. Deadly.
“No sudden moves,” Quincy whispered. “Smile, sweetheart. You’re surrounded.”
Her legs went numb.
“You try anything,” he continued, voice soft enough to get lost in the noise around them, “and you won’t be the only one who dies today.”
Her vision blurred. “What… what do you want?”
