Laura almost moved to help him, but stopped. “Do you need to sit down?” He looked like he was going to passout.
King managed to look both incredibly tan and pale at the same time. He bent at the waist and descended another step. “Just do what I say…” His last word faded and he pitchedforward.
Laura snatched Faith out of the way, trying to save them both from being crushed under King’s massive frame. A flash of color buzzed past her periphery and Diggs was there, catching King before he hit theground.
Laura’s mouth hung open. “How did you dothat?”
Diggs grunted, backpedaling as he attempted to get his footing. “I was right behindyou.”
She glanced to the door, pretty sure he’d been all the way across the room. “Uh-huh.”
“You were distracted. It’sokay.”
King’s arm drooped to the ground, his hand swaying as Diggs struggled with his weight. A fast stream of blood plopped on the floor, pooling out in a scarlet puddle over the polishedgranite.
“Melissa!” Diggsyelled.
Laurajumped.
“I saw! I’m on my way.” A clipped, female voice came from the wall behind her. Laura spun, looking for the source. Faith tugged on her hand and gestured to King, “Is he dead likeDaddy?”
“What?” Laura franticallysigned.
“Did he blow up likeDaddy?”
“You think your daddy blewup?”
Faith nodded, hugging Kitty to her chest. Laura took her face in her hands and mouthed, “Your Daddy’s fine. He didn’t blow up. I saw him run away from thehouse.”
Faith continued to stare at her solemnly and the crushing realization that Laura had completely overlooked a huge part of her niece’s world crashed into her. She should have made sure Faith knew that John was fine—instead she’d been…inshock.
Laura caught the little girl up in a hug and then sat her back. “He is alive and he’s going to come getus.”
“Youpromise?”
“I promise.” Laura wiggled her pinky up between them. “Pinkypromise.”
Faith hesitated a second and then hooked her tiny pinky through hers, her solemn lips tilting up at the corners. A rush of tears pricked the back of Laura’s eyes, but she blinked them back.Keep ittogether.
“Is he okay?” Faith pointed to the very unconscious and bloodyKing.
Should she try to explain how King was injured and unconscious but not dead—like they’d thought her father had been twice now—or just tell a little white lie? Faith’s seven-year-old baby blues watched her with all the hope of the world and Laura didn’t have to think twice. “He’s playing a game. He’s pretending to be hurt and we have to find thedoctor.”
‘Operation’ here wecome.
“Laura, can you hit the intercom behind you and ask her to hurry, please? And ask for some backup?” Diggs’s knees bent, putting both him and King perilously closer to thefloor.
“Oh! Yes, of course.” She crossed the foyer to the wall and saw just wall. “Where?”
“Behind the plant. Goes to the wholecompound.”
Laura pushed the fake greenery to the side and found the tiny speaker, painted the same shade as the wall. “The button on the top orbottom?”
“Bottom,” Diggs grunted. “Hurry. He weighs aton.”
Her heart kicking up a notch, Laura hit the button. “Um, Diggs needs you to hurry.” She released the button. There.Done.
“Andbackup!”
