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Oh, my God.
“What is that?” Damon yelled.
“It’s near the Cove,” I said. I knew exactly where it was, and the only thing that it could’ve been.
People started running, and I grabbed Em’s hand, all of us racing out of the gazebo. I searched for the kids, Misha, Ryen, and Alex, but then something caught my attention, and I narrowed my eyes, spotting the little girl from the Cove the other night. Still dressed in her dirty black clothes and the beanie on her head. She was staring at us.
“What the hell?” I growled. “Michael!”
“What?”
I pointed toward the cars at the curb in front of Sticks. “Get her!”
Was that what Rika meant when she said she thought she saw something?
“Oh, shit,” he exclaimed.
Keeping Emmy’s hand in mine, I hurried with her through the crowd, the little girl spinning around and trying to get through the people as a car tried to exit the alley, and a food cart blocked her other way out.
She slipped through a patch in the chaos, but I lurched forward, catching her arm just in time.
I hauled her back to me, her arms flying out and trying to hit me.
“Let me go!” she yelled.
I wrapped my arms around her as she thrashed and kicked, and her head hit my nose, pain shooting up into my head.
Fuck.
“Hey, hey,” Rika said, pulling her out of my arms. “It’s okay. No one will hurt you.”
She fell to her knees in her red gown, looking up at the little girl and taking her hands in hers.
“I promise,” she told her. “No one will hurt you. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she barked and tried to pull away. “Let me go!”
Damon grabbed her, keeping her there.
But Rika looked up at him. “Let her go.”
He frowned but did it, and Rika smiled up at her, trying to soothe. “I saw you watching the wedding,” she said as people ran every which way around us. “Did you like it? My mom says I should’ve worn white.”
The little girl scowled but didn’t move, her eyes trailing over Rika’s earrings and hair.
I rubbed my hand over my face. Jesus Christ. We didn’t have time for this. The Cove blew up, the townspeople were in a frenzy, most of them probably loading up to go check out the trouble for themselves, and this kid just happened to be there the other night and now here tonight? This was connected.
“I like red, though,” Rika teased her. “Do you like red?”
The girl just stared at her, and after a moment, reached out and touched Rika’s earring, enamored.
“Do you know what that was at the Cove, honey?” Rika asked.
The little girl looked around, fear etched in her eyes.
Rika tipped her chin at her. “It’s okay.”
The girl swallowed, finding her words. “No. I left the night you guys came and set the fire.”
