He grips my hands tighter until they feel clammy. I don’t know what the lead up is. He’s about to drop the other shoe, something that will bring my world crashing down like always. I’m not ready for him to hurt me, even if he’s doing it to get the treasure and help bring back the kids.
I see him reach for something in his pocket, but he misjudges and bumps the table. The plates rattle around, distracting me from the doom I’m feeling.
I watch as one of the candles twirls around before knocking over onto the table. A second later, flames dance over the tablecloth.
“Langston,” I say, entranced by the flame.
“You love it?” he asks. “If not, I can get you a different one.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about; all I can see is the fire growing bigger behind him. He has no clue. He’s focused on whatever annihilation of my heart he’s supposed to be doing to me.
“Langston!” I shout, still frozen.
The single word is enough to get Langston’s attention this time.
“Shit,” he curses as he drags me away from the table before I catch on fire.
He drags me into the house before running back outside.
I don’t watch him through the window. I don’t care that our makeshift date or whatever it was Langston was trying to accomplish got ruined. I’m relieved that we didn’t get to the hurting me part.
I walk into the living room, completely exhausted. I want the phone to ring to tell me that the kids are safe, but I’m more scared I’ll get a call to find out one is dead. So I’d rather not hear the phone ringing. I’d rather just stay in this moment of fearful pain.
I lie down on the carpet in the middle of the room. I don’t know why I do it. I just need to lie down fully, and I don’t have the energy to walk to a bed.
I hear a commotion outside before Langston finally walks into the living room. His shirt is gone. His chest is glistening with sweat and dirt. His hair untamed on top of his head.
“That was a disaster,” he says.
“I don’t know. It kind of feels like all our dates should be like that. It would be more us.”
His lip twitches as he puts one leg on either side of my hips before lowering himself until he’s straddling me.
“Which is why I’m not going to try to be romantic, not anymore.”
He was trying to be romantic? Why?
He grabs my left hand and pulls out a diamond ring. “This ring is yours forever.”
He starts to push the ring onto my finger. He doesn’t take the ring made of flowers off; he just pushes the new ring right on top.
“Just as I’m yours forever.”
His eyes pour into me, vowing his love. I can’t let him make such a promise. I can’t let him fall any more than he already has. I can’t destroy him any more than I already have. So I look at the ring instead.
My heart clenches when I see it. It’s a simple oval diamond on a gold band. Timeless, elegant, and exactly what I said I wanted when I was a kid.
He remembered.
4
Langston
None of them are safe.
That thought repeats through my head like a raging wildfire. We tried a simultaneous attempt to get them all back, but all of our intel was wrong. I thought for sure we’d get one, possibly even two back tonight. Then Liesel and I could meet up with everyone to go rescue whoever remained.
I never thought I’d have to decide which kid to save first. I hated making the decision, but one look at Liesel told me there was no way she was able to decide. Her body was shaking, and I’d never seen her so white. Even now, as we drive through to the German countryside, her body is still trembling. I grip her hand in the passenger seat next to me.