Addie shifted in her sleep, and I froze. Nosy time was over.
“Addie,” I said quietly.
“Mmmmm,” she mumbled as her eyes fluttered open.
I couldn’t stop my chuckle.
She blinked a few times, trying to bring me into focus. “Hi.”
“Hey. Long day?”
“The longest.”
“I think it’s time to make your way to bed. I didn’t want to leave you down here and turn off the lights.”
Addie pushed to a sitting position, shutting her journal with a snap. “My neck thanks you.” She rolled her head back and forth until a pop sounded.
I offered Addie a hand. She stared at it for a count of five and then slipped her small hand into my larger one. Her skin was smooth as silk, yet calluses dotted that smoothness. Just like Addie herself. Toughness to protect the softness underneath.
“I feel like I could sleep for a year.”
I led the way towards the stairs, flicking off lights as I went. “Good first day?”
“Mostly. It was a little overwhelming.”
“It’s a lot to take in, and something you’ve never done before. I think that’s understandable.”
“I keep telling myself to take things one step at a time.”
I came to a stop at the top of the landing, Addie pausing with me. “One step at a time sounds like a good philosophy to me.”
Her mouth curved. “Thank you for leaving the lights on for me, Beckett.”
“Always.”
Blood pooled on the linoleum floor, tracking closer and closer. People screamed. I rolled Adrian to the ground, shielding him with my body as more shots rang out.
As I looked down at the little boy in my arms, he morphed into someone else—Shiloh when she was just ten years old. She stared blankly at me. “Why didn’t you save me?”
“I’m sorry. I—”
“You left.”
My throat constricted as I tried to get words out.
Suddenly, Shiloh wasn’t in my arms anymore. She was walking away. Towards the gunshots.
A crack sounded, and she crumpled.
I jerked up in bed, coming awake with a yell. The sheet clung to my bare chest, now slick with sweat. My heart pounded against my ribs as I sucked in air.
My bedroom door burst open. Addie charged in, something raised over her head.
The image was so startling, I let out a choked laugh. Determination filled her expression, yet her hair was in disarray all around her, and her pajamas were rumpled and askew.
Addie’s gaze darted around the room. “What happened?”
“Is that a bat?”