The theory comforted her. She was not on the brink of ruining one of the best things that had ever happened to her.
She wasn’t being duplicitous with Bo. Or with Michael.
She was just learning how to have—and be—a friend.
And she was trying to do so without leaning on Lacey. She’d spent so many years letting Lacey be the wind beneath her wings. She had a major debt to pay for her own single-mindedness. The only way to do that was to be a sister, not just have one.
As the evening’s light grew dim, the few people on the beach had dissipated with it. She could still see a couple of figures ahead of her. Took comfort from their presence. No, not two, three of them. Even better. It wasn’t a couple looking for intimacy.
They were messing with each other. One threw a playful punch at his companion. She could hear their laughter. Male. And young.
Local kids, she was sure.
Levi in ten years. Man, she loved that kid. More than she’d known you could love a kid. He was so innocent and wise at the same time.
Would she ever have a Levi of her own?
The boys were headed the way she’d come. There was nothing open down there, but she remembered being that age. You made fun out of nothing.
She couldn’t make out their features, even as they drew closer. Average height and build. Athletes, probably. Jeans and long-sleeved shirts. If she was from town, she’d probably know them. Be able to tease them. She wanted that. To belong to a town, not just a tribe. To have ordinary conversation because that was what people did.
They were walking right toward her. Confidence of youth, she knew. Remembered walking with it herself. Even as they drew closer, they didn’t move over, giving her room. The one in the middle elbowed the one on the left.
“Hey!” she said, grinning, as they came upon her.
Two were smiling, one was not. She caught a glimpse of something...fear?
And then...
“Hey!” she cried out as the other two linked elbows with her, one on either side. “Umph.” She heard her voice as her back hit the sand with such force it knocked the wind out of her.
You took my air.
She looked at the faces looming over her, ready to let them know she wasn’t enjoying their game.
And that’s when she knew.
They weren’t playing a game.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MIKE DID NOT get so deep into the work that he forgot to call Willie. Every forty-five minutes to an hour he had the kid on the phone, getting updates from him on the video game.
Ron had joined him and was playing under Mike’s account, the kid gleefully told him. Ron wasn’t nearly as good at world building as Mike was. His brother assured him he’d be ahead by the time Mike got back.
At which point he told them they better be up when he got home. He was going to show them who was champ. He also told Willie his buddy could stay over for the night.
Funny, how much he was looking forward to getting home to them.
* * *
THERE WERE THREE of them. Three sets of eyes peering down at her. Two had hair long enough to hang over their cheeks. The third’s was curly.
“Come on, Mama, what you got for us, eh?” The guy in the middle reeked of alcohol as he bent over her. He had her right arm pinned with his shin, his knee on her shoulder. And was undoing his pants.
Turning her head, she couldn’t think where he was going with that.
“Wait, man,” the kid on her left arm said. “It’s so much better if you take your time...” She felt a hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. It moved to her thigh, trying to pull her legs apart. The third kid—he’d dropped to her feet, was holding them tightly. Together...