Page 32 of Edge of Steele
Avery scrunched her eyes. “You mean the bomb that went off today. The one at your work.”
Finn grimaced. “How did you hear about that?”
“I heard a couple of teachers talking about it when I was coming back from the bathroom. They didn’t know I was there. I was worried that…” She shrugged.
“That I was there and might’ve been hurt?” Finn squatted next to her.
She nodded.
Finn rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Peanut. I wasn’t anywhere near the bomb. If I’d known you heard about it, I would’ve made sure you knew that.”
She lifted her pointed little chin. “But otherwise, you weren’t going to tell me, were you?”
“No. No point in you worrying for nothing.”
Wow, that was honest. Ryleigh would probably have tried to sidestep the question.
Avery’s chin wobbled. “Will this investigation be dangerous?”
“Not likely.”
“Willshehelp you stay safe?” She jerked a thumb at Ryleigh.
He nodded. “She used to be an FBI agent.”
Avery’s eyes widened, and she looked up at Ryleigh. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Do you have a gun and everything?”
“Yes.” Ryleigh stopped short of telling her that she was carrying right now.
“Did you shoot anyone?”
“No.”
“How come?”
A question Ryleigh had gotten all the time as an agent. “I never found myself in a situation where I needed to.”
“I would’ve shot someone.” Avery turned and climbed into the truck then slid between the seats and shed her backpack to scramble into her booster seat.
“Spoken like a seven-year-old.” Finn grinned.
Ryleigh laughed and got into the truck as did Finn. Avery’s seatbelt clicked, reminding Ryleigh to put on her own, something she never failed to do. Ryleigh didn’t know why she was so frazzled over meeting Avery, but maybe it made her think about what it might be like to have a child with Finn.
Not a place she wanted to go.
She turned to look at Avery. “What was the best part of your day today?”
“I dunno.”
“You always like the art projects,” Finn said as he backed out of the space.
“It was okay.”
“What did you make?” Ryleigh asked, trying to keep the child engaged.
