Sensing I needed to do what he told me to do, though I’d do that anyway because I needed to go get my kid, I got in my car.

I pulled out and headed down the alley. Merry’s lights already on, he pulled out right on my ass.

He stayed on my ass all the way to Mom’s.

I jumped down from my car and he was at my side.

“Merry, what’s goin’ on?” I snapped, hiding anxiety behind anger as he took my hand and yanked me toward the hood of my car, his attention not on me but on the night.

That was not good.

“Let’s get inside,” he ordered.

“Merry—”

He looked down at me, his face set in stone. “Fast.”

Fuck, fuck…shit.

We got inside, fast, but I didn’t have a choice since Merry all but dragged me there.

By the time he closed the front door, Merry had rearranged his features, but not by much.

Mom took one look at us and came right off the couch, face lighting up, mouth smiling, eyes darting to Merry, Merry’s hand in mine, to me, then back to Merry.

“Well, Garrett, this is a lovely surprise,” she declared.

“Yo! Merry!” Ethan greeted, jumping up from an armchair, his face just as surprised and excited as his gramma’s.

“Grace,” Merry muttered to my mom, letting me go to move in, bend down, and touch his cheek to Mom’s. He turned to Ethan and stuck out a hand. “Hey, man.”

Ethan stared up at him, his excitement at seeing his cool, grown-up, badass friend fading as he took in Merry’s manner and he also stuck out his hand.

Merry shook it like they were adults and let him go.

Then he looked to Mom. “Grace, gonna get Cher and Ethan home, but before I do that, me and Ethan are gonna walk through your house, make sure windows and doors are locked. You got a back door light?”

Mom was also cottoning on to Merry’s look and demeanor, so she just nodded.

Merry looked down to Ethan. “Check windows, buddy. I’ll do the back door.”

I knew Ethan wanted to ask. I also knew Ethan was a good kid. So, being a good kid, he didn’t waste time asking. He took off to check windows.

“All my windows are locked, Garrett,” Mom told him.

Merry turned back to her. “Let’s just make sure.”

He didn’t even finish saying that before he moved toward the kitchen.

I made my way through the living room, pushing curtains aside and checking windows.

By the time Merry got back, I was done and Ethan was coming back into the room.

“Get your stuff, Ethan. We gotta get you home,” Merry ordered.

Ethan went directly to his backpack by the armchair.

Merry looked to Mom. “Your front light is on, Grace. Keep it on. Okay?”

“What’s goin’ on?” she whispered, hands up at her chest, one folded over the other.

“I don’t wanna alarm you but want you to be smart and safe.” He looked to me. “You too, sweetheart.” His eyes went back to Mom. “Man tried to rob the Shell station. He took off, evading officers. There was gunplay. He’s armed and on foot. Men are huntin’ him and I need to get in that hunt. But he was last seen in the backyard of a house on Fontaine.”

Mom gasped.

Ethan’s eyes shot to me.

I clenched my teeth.

Fontaine Street was two blocks from my fucking street, which was mere blocks away from Mom’s fucking house.

“Should I warn my neighbors?” Mom asked.

“No need to alarm anyone, Grace,” Merry told her. “But I want you to keep your lights on, curtains closed, doors locked. In this situation, a runner shies from light. He’ll keep to the dark.”

“I…okay,” she nodded.

“We gotta go,” Merry said.

Mom kept nodding.

Merry looked to me and jerked his chin to the door. “Hoof it, Cher. You and Ethan get in your car, lock it.”

That was when I nodded.

I forced a grin at Mom, reached out, grabbed her hand, and gave it a quick squeeze.

“Be careful, Garrett,” she called after us as we headed to the door.

“Will do,” he muttered, moving behind Ethan and me, crowding us both.

I separated from my kid at the passenger side door but only because Merry was there, holding it as Ethan got in.

Demonstrating possible superhero powers, even after waiting for Ethan to pull himself in and close the door behind him, Merry still got around to my side and had his hand to my door by the time I’d hauled my ass to my seat.

“Lock,” he growled, slammed the door and jogged to his truck parked behind us.

I locked the doors and put the key in the ignition, eyes to the rearview mirror, asking, “You okay, kid?”

“Merry and Colt and Sul and Mike’ll get ’im,” Ethan declared casually.

I glanced at him.

The cab was filled with the light from Merry’s headlights.

“Go, Mom. Merry needs to get out there,” Ethan ordered.

Shit, exactly when did my little man grow up?

I put the car in gear and went.

There was a repeat of what happened at Mom’s when we got to my place, including Merry taking my hand as he rushed me and Ethan to the house.

Ethan and I checked the windows. Merry walked around, turning on lights, inside and all the ones I had out, and he did this also checking windows and doors.

This didn’t take long before he was at the front door, ready to roll.

“Gotta go,” he stated and ordered, “Lights on all night, Cher.”

I nodded but moved quick when it seemed he was going to take off.

I caught his hand.

He looked down at me.

I repeated Mom’s words quietly, but mine were shaking.

“Be careful, Garrett.”

He held my eyes, looking like he was going to say something or do something.

He checked it and whispered, “I will, baby.”

He gave my hand a squeeze.

Then he was gone.

Chapter Six

Eternity

Cher

I sat curled up on my couch.

The front light was on. The side light was on. The back light was on. The kitchen lights were blazing. And I’d left a lamp on in my bedroom.

The first time I’d checked, Ethan was in bed but awake. Same for the second and third.

The last, he was out.

So it was late, just me on my couch, the gun I’d bought the day after I hightailed my and Ethan’s asses to Ohio when I found out who Lowe actually was was on the seat of the couch by my toes.

My phone was in my hand.

Obviously, I’d unblocked Merry.

And I’d opened my curtains, just a couple of inches, so I could see out.

As I watched, to occupy my mind, I found it fascinating in a vague way that our street went dead after midnight on a weeknight. Completely dead. No cars at all.

I also thought on the fact that I was lucky to have the next day off, since right then I was wide awake and in it for the long haul.

I hoped Merry would think of me and text or phone to tell me things were okay, they got the guy, he and all the boys and girls who worked at the station were all good.

But I was where I was only partly due to that.

Mostly, a man was out there who was desperate enough to rob a gas station (for fuck’s sake) and, in more desperation, engage in gunplay with cops. He’d been seen in my ’hood. And my boy had only me to make sure we stayed safe.

So I was on my couch, awake, on the lookout, my son asleep, my gun close.

I caught light reflecting on the quiet, dark houses across the street and looked from the window across the room to my cable box.

It was one thirteen in the morning.

Maybe a neighbor just got off a late shift.

My back went straight when I found it wasn’t a neighbor but instead Merry’s Excursion pulling to a stop in front of my house.

Okay, I’d hoped he’d call or text.

But him showing in person was way better.

I jumped off the couch but kept an eye on him and saw him get out of his truck and round the hood.

I’d noted long ago the chief of police had no dress code for his detectives. Some, like Colt, wore jeans and sports jackets, making both look nice and professional just because he had that ability. Others wore nice slacks and jackets.