I swallow hard, trying to steady myself, nodding even though my skin feels electric, every nerve on edge. “Yeah. Just . . . thought I saw someone.”
His body tenses beside me, his fingers pressing a little more firmly against my back. “Who?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice quiet. “He was . . . I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. He’s gone now—or maybe he wasn’t even there.”
Hopper’s jaw tightens, his eyes scanning the crowd like a predator sizing up threats. He doesn’t look convinced. And honestly? Neither am I.
Because I know he was there.
And he wanted me to notice him.
Maddie tugs at my sleeve, oblivious to the tension building between Hopper and me. “Can we go to the big slide, Nysa?” she asks, her wide brown eyes full of excitement.
I force a smile, willing the unease to recede, at least for her sake. “Of course, sweetheart.”
Hopper doesn’t move right away, though. His eyes keep sweeping the crowd, a tic in his jaw as his free hand twitches at his side, like he’s fighting the urge to reach for something.
I place my hand lightly against his chest, my fingers brushing the fabric of his shirt. “Hop,” I murmur, keeping my voice soft. “Let’s just . . . enjoy the festival, okay?”
He looks down at me, his blue eyes burning with something that makes my stomach flip—not fear, but something else, something deeper.
For a moment, I think he’s going to argue, but then he exhales, his shoulders relaxing just enough to look convincing.
“Yeah,” he says quietly. “Okay.”
But I know him.
I know that look, the way his mind never stops working. He’s not letting this go.
And neither am I.
We make our way to the giant inflatable slide, Maddie practically vibrating with excitement as she watches the other kids climb to the top. Hopper crouches down, lifting her effortlessly and setting her at the base of the steps.
“Hold on tight,” he says, his voice warm but firm, and for a moment, the tension between us melts away.
Maddie scrambles up the steps, her giggles trailing behind her. When she throws herself down the slide, her laughter rings out, bright and full of life, cutting through the unease like sunlight breaking through clouds.
For now, I hold onto that sound. Because whatever’s coming? I know it won’t wait forever.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Nysa
This ended up being a good idea. The festival is alive with sound and color.
Music plays from the town square’s bandstand, children run past me, their faces painted with butterflies and tigers.
Everything feels loud, overwhelming, chaotic. But despite the crowds, the noise, the lights, I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. Like that the same guy I saw and disappeared is still watching. The sensation has been crawling up my spine since I saw him, but I’ve been trying to disregard it.
Though, now?
Now it feels closer.
Too close.
Maddie is clutching my hand, sticky fingers squeezing mine as she hums happily, swinging her arm back and forth.
Hopper is just ahead of us, talking to one of the security guys, his broad frame tense—always scanning, always watching, always ready for something to happen.
