“Yeah, it was super weird. Just… poof, a child.” He chuckled. “We all think it’s strange to bring a young kid into the bar, but he owns the place, I guess. And she doesn’t seem to mind.”
She. It’s a girl.
My skin prickled with anticipation. “She…”
“Man, I’ve been talking so much. You’re probably like, doesn’t this guy ever shut up?” He laughed again. “My name’s Nate, by the way.”
I opened my mouth to return the favor, but realized I didn’t know how safe that was. Luce told us Halo wasn’t an uncommon name in his skulk, but the situation in Cinderhollow might have been different and I didn’t want to take any chances drawing Silas’s attention, no matter how nice this Nate guy seemed.
“Nice to meet you,” I replied. “I’m… Jason.”
“Right back at ya, Jason.” Nate must have noticed something from the corner of his eye because he grinned and said, “Speak of the devil. There he is. Do you think he’d open the bar early? I’m really itching for a drink…”
I didn’t hear the rest of what Nate said because my eyes locked onto the figures down the street heading in our direction. Three of them, two adults and a child in a carrier between them.
And the child was my daughter.
My breath caught in my throat, and I felt so far removed from my body that it felt like I was watching myself interact with the world. I kept waiting forsomethingto happen, but it didn’t. Of course not. Angel was too far away to notice me. Her eyes, bright and happy, gazed up at the two men carrying her.
I noticed them now for the first time. The older one had a strange limp, and it wasn’t until I looked more closely that I noticed his prosthetics - one arm, and one leg. He had a gruff appearance, one that might have been intimidating if not for the gentle smile across his face as he peered down at Angel.
The other man - I assumed he was the first man’s mate - was younger, with black hair and a kind face. Lithe muscles peeked out of his shirt sleeves. His expression matched the joy of his partner.
That’s them, I realized.Those are the men who are raising Angel.
As they approached, my body froze. I wanted to stand there, greet them, meet the men raising my daughter,holdmy daughter, kiss her forehead, tell her how much I wanted her back -
But it wasn’t safe. My selfish desire to retrieve Angel would ruin the whole effort of hiding her among Cinderhollow to keep her safe from Silas and whatever he was planning. My chest twisted in anguish, like someone was ripping my heart from my ribs.
Would saying goodbye to Nate make me look more or less suspicious? Quickly realizing I didn’t have time to decide, I lowered my gaze and flipped the hood of Kass’ jacket over my head before shuffling away, back into the alleys.
From around the corner, I heard a gruff voice - probably the man with the prosthetics. “What kind of ice cream do you think she likes? Do you think she’s lactose intolerant? Can babies eveneatice cream?”
I heard a sound like a chuckle, then a chaste kiss on the cheek. Carefully so as not to be seen, I snuck to the edge of the alley wall. The men stood closer now, with the older one holding Angel’s carrier in his arms.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” the other voice said, gentler and calm. The younger dark-haired man, I assumed. “Babies eat lactose all the time.”
“But - ”
“Andifshe gets sick,” the man continued in a tone that conveyed he clearly knew what the other had on his mind, “we can take her to Dr. Lynden. Okay?”
“Yeah…”
The familiar name made me jerk upright. Wasn’t that the name of the older woman we met earlier? A slight sense of hope kindled in my mind - if these men knew Dr. Lynden, and we knew the doctor worked at one of the clinics, then we could find Angel after the ordeal with Silas was over!
From my angle I could see the dark-haired man smile at his partner. “I love you, Scar. You’re a good dad.”
The other man - Scar - grumbled and replied, “Love you too, Ryu.”
My stomach tightened with gratitude as the men shared a brief kiss, then walked away away from the alley entrance.
Scar and Ryu… Thank you.
Excitement coursed through my blood. Knowing Angel was alive and well filled me with unimaginable joy. Tears welled in my eyes and I shut my eyes, pushing them back. I refused to cry. Crying alone in a back alley was pathetic.
Still, the incident shook me more than I thought it would, and I slid down to the ground. I sighed, then breathed deeply to try and regain my composure.
She’s alive,I thought again. Her face glowed, her eyes sparkled… She was happy and healthy andsafewith those two men.I made the right choice, no matter what Kass thinks.
