Page 2 of Wicked Shadows
Unable to speak, she nodded her head enthusiastically.
“Then you should know I’ll take care of you. I’ll kick Jeff’s ass if he’s mean to you again. No more crying. Okay?”
That elicited a small smile from her, and shyness took over, forcing her to avert her eyes. "Okay."
“Whatever game y’all are playing isn’t bothering us. Go have fun, darlin’.”
“Okay, we will.”
Devon put her down, and Elle stood rooted to her spot for a few seconds before she tilted her head back to look up at him again. Even at sixteen years old, Devon was taller and thicker than any of Jeff’s other friends, but he never once made her feel like she was a nuisance to him. A small smile played on his lips while he waited for her to say what was on her mind.
“You’re my hero, Devon.”
“And you’ll always be my girl, Elle. You remember that when you get to be my age and all those boys are hitting on you.” Devon winked at her, causing the butterflies in her stomach to flutter and turn somersaults in her belly.
“Let’s go swim already,” Beth complained.
With her heart full and a smile permanently affixed to her face, Elle wordlessly grabbed Beth’s hand. The two rushed to the backyard to join Elle’s mom in the pool.
The scorching Georgia sun didn’t faze Elle at all that day as she and Beth jumped into the lukewarm pool water. Devon’s words kept ringing in her ears. “You’re my girl, aren’t you?”
“What the hell was that about?” Jeff’s tone was accusatory when he turned to Devon.
“She wasn’t doing anything but watching us, man. You’re way too mean to her. We did a lot worse when we were her age. In case you haven’t noticed, your little sister is already pretty for her age. She’s going to be a knockout when she gets older. And she’s smart as a whip.
“If you don’t quit being such a dick to her, she won’t come to you later when she needs your help. And believe me, she’ll have guys all over her when she hits our age. She’ll need you, and you’d better be there for her, or I’ll kick your ass then, too. You should be glad you have a little sister who even wants to be around you.”
“I fucking hate it when you’re right,” Jeff huffed.
“Then I guess you’re always hating on me, huh?” Devon laughed, lightening the mood.
“Hey, you weren’t right about that algebra test. I almost had to go to summer school over that.”
“No, my answers were right. You weren’t wearing your glasses and wrote down the wrong thing.”
The two best friends finished washing their cars before they joined the rest of Jeff's family in the pool. Jeff's parents, Danny and Tanya, best friends and long-time neighbors of Devon’s parents, were like a second mom and dad to Devon. Mark, Jeff's younger brother and the middle child, worshiped the older boys almost as much as Elle did.
Watching the interactions between the close-knit family was bittersweet for Devon. The shadows of memories from his childhood were always on the fringe of his happiness, waiting to bring him down.
* * *
“You’re doingwhat?” Tracey asked. Her hands dropped to her side, and she leaned toward her son.
“I’m joining the CIA. They offered me the perfect job, so I can’t very well turn it down.”
“You didn’t say it was just a CIA job. You said you were joining the black ops team. That means you’ll be a spy, doen’t it?”
“Among other things. Yes.”
“Why are you doing this, Devon? You just got out of the Army. How many tours did you do in the Middle East? I lost count! Now you’ll be permanently undercover, and I’ll have no way of knowing if you’re dead or alive. I’m your mother—I need more of a reason than it’s ‘the perfect job.’ You have to help me out here.”
He pulled a chair out and sat, joining his father Phil at the table. His fingers traced invisible patterns on the table while he avoided their heavy stares. His voice was uncharacteristically low when he spoke. “When Ava disappeared, I was supposed to be watching her. But I got distracted—I don’t even know for how long. When I looked up, she was gone. The whole time we searched for her, I wanted to tell you it was all my fault but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I figured when we found her, you’d be too happy to punish me for not watching her. But we never found her. And I’ve never forgiven myself. This is my way of helping other people, even if they never know I’ve helped them.”
Phil cleared his throat nervously, fighting the emotions welling up in his throat and constricting his ability to breathe. Tears flowed across Tracey’s cheeks as she rushed to her son’s side. She stroked his hair before holding his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her when she spoke.
“Devon, you were only nine years old. You were not responsible for watching your little sister. You were not responsible for Ava’s abduction, and you couldn’t have stopped it even if you tried. A grown man took her, and he could’ve taken you too. There isn’t a day that goes by your father and I don’t thank God to have you. You don’t have to do this to make amends for Ava. We love you. Ava worshiped you. We’ve never blamed you for what happened, and we never will.”
“I need to do this, Mom. It’s important to me. I’ll be okay—I’m a big boy, and I can take care of myself now.” He gave her a small, reassuring smile before standing and pulling her into his arms. “I love you both. Don’t worry.”
“Devon, I’m your mother. It’s my job to worry about you.”
“If I find the man who took Ava, we’ll never have to worry about him taking another child again.”
Tracey sank into his arms a little farther, half in hope and half in fear he’d do just that.
