Page 59 of Chasing Shelter (Sparrow Falls #5)

TRACE

Kye grabbed my shoulders and shook me from behind as he laughed. “You’re looking a little green just watching.”

I shrugged off his hold, scowling. “You know they assemble and disassemble these damn things countless times every year, right? Then they cart them around from state to state. The fact that I don’t want to ride around in one of those tin cans just shows I have some sense.”

Rhodes grinned at me. “Never been a risk-taker, but we love you anyway.”

Anson wrapped his arms around my sister and pulled her gently against him. “Not everyone’s as much of a daredevil as you are, Reckless.”

A familiar figure caught my attention behind them, and the moment his gaze locked on me, an ugly smile twisted the man’s lips. Rainer Cruz. Jasper’s best friend and the one person who might be darker and more twisted than my father.

“Well, lookie here. We got a real live traitorous pig,” Rainer said as he ambled up.

He tried to appear as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but I could see otherwise.

His blond hair had turned a dull gray and was patchy in spots.

His teeth had yellowed the way Jasper’s had, and he was far too skinny to be healthy.

I knew the look—the impact of drugs over years and years of use. I would’ve felt bad for the man if I didn’t know what evil lived below the surface.

Kye stepped forward, his shoulders straightening. “Keep moving.”

Rainer snickered. “Jas told me you had a bodyguard. Still can’t fight your own battles, pipsqueak?”

I waited for his barbs to land, but they didn’t.

Nothing caught hold beneath my skin and ate away at my insides.

Because I could see how ridiculous Rainer’s statement was now.

The same as my father’s had always been.

I’d been a twelve-year-old kid, scared out of my mind, and had asked for help.

I’d reported a wrong I’d seen—one I’d been forced to participate in.

It didn’t make me weak. It made me a survivor.

So, instead of clapping back or rising to the bait, I simply smiled at the pathetic man opposite me. “It’s good to see you, Rainer. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Rainer’s expression turned to confusion as he simply stared at me, clearly unsure how to respond. Anson snickered. He understood the game I was playing by throwing Rainer off and confusing the man.

The moment he heard Anson’s derisive sound, Rainer’s eyes narrowed. “You got somethin’ to say?”

Anson sent him an easy grin. “Nope. Just enjoying the show.”

Rainer’s brow lifted, and he seemed to realize something. “You’re that freaky psychic, ain’t you?”

Rhodes slipped an arm through Anson’s. “Baby, you didn’t tell me you could see the future. Why haven’t you given me the winning lotto numbers yet?”

“You know what I mean,” Rainer ground out. “You see in people’s heads. ”

Anson gave him a long look. “That’s one way of putting it. And I’ll do you a solid and perform a parlor trick for free.”

“Ooooh, goody,” Fallon cheered. “I love when he does this.”

Rainer bared his teeth at my sister like some sort of animal, but Kye stepped in front of her, blocking Rainer’s line of sight. “You don’t look at her. You don’t even breathe her air.”

It was Rainer’s turn to snicker. “Strike a nerve, delinquent?”

“You were abandoned by your father,” Anson cut in.

“Likely between the ages of five and seven. Your mother was neglectful at best. My guess is she had a revolving door of men in and out of her life. They didn’t treat you well.

It’s why you have a problem with authority, even now.

But what you don’t like people to know is that all you yearned for was their approval. ”

It was as if Rainer had been struck by a bolt of lightning. His body jerked, and then his spine went ramrod straight. “You don’t know a damn thing you’re talking about.”

But the way his face went white told me that Anson had hit the nail on the head.

Rainer spat on the ground the same way my father liked to do. “Keep your freaky family away from me.” And with that, he took off.

I turned, following him with my eyes until Rainer was as far from us as he could get while staying on the fairgrounds.

“Did you see how he went all pale?” Fallon all but cheered.

Kye swiveled around to glare at her. “You do not shit-talk a man like that, Fal. He’s dangerous and could hurt you just for shits and giggles.”

She frowned back at Kye. “We’re in public.”

“That doesn’t mean a damn thing. I need you to be smarter than that.” Kye stalked away without another word.

Rhodes reached out for Fallon’s arm. “Are you okay?”

Fal shook her off. “I need to go after him.”

Hell. A reaction like that meant Kye’s demons were working overtime .

Anson wrapped an arm around Rho’s shoulders. “She’s who he needs right now. They’ll work it out.”

I knew they would, but I was still worried about my brother, and it was time for us to have one hell of a heart-to-heart.

Luca raced toward our group, Cope following behind at a more sedate pace. “Keels is up there now,” Luca yelled. “Get a video!”

I tried to shake off the encounter with Rainer and Kye’s reaction and grinned at Luca. “You didn’t fall out?”

Luca grinned widely. “Nope. I even put my hands up like this!” He shot his hands into the air.

Cope squeezed his shoulder. “A certified bad?—”

“If you finish that statement, I’m grounding you,” Sutton cut in.

“Dude,” Luca muttered. “Don’t get grounded.”

We all laughed, and I slid my phone out of my pocket as the roller coaster pulled out of the station and started up the steady incline. Hell. Maybe I would upchuck just watching.

“Someone get the barf bag,” Rhodes called.

I flipped her off.

“That was uncalled for. And from our sheriff, no less,” she said with mock affront.

I recorded every painful dip and roll. The only thing that kept me from tossing my cookies was the fact that I caught Keely’s and Ellie’s shouts on the air every so often. When the coaster parked back at the station, I breathed a sigh of relief and put my phone back into my pocket.

I tried to see through to the other side of the coaster to track Ellie’s and Keely’s movements, but I lost them in the throng of people. When they didn’t round the roller coaster right away, a hint of unease slid over me.

“Do you see them?” I asked.

Everyone turned in that direction, but I was already walking, then picking up to a jog. That’s when I saw her. Keely. She had dirt smeared across her cheek, and her hair was askew. And she was running.

Steps from me, Keely launched herself in my direction. “Daddy!” she wailed. “He took her! The man took her!”

The whole world dropped away. Blood roared in my ears as sheer panic grabbed hold. “Who?” I croaked. “Did you see who?”

Tears rolled down Keely’s dirt-streaked face. “He had a scar. Here.” She pointed to a spot below my left eye.

The same place Jasper had a scar. My father had Ellie. I’d failed to do the one thing I’d promised.

Keep her safe.