Betsy bent at the waist and stared Sierra in the eye. “You’re going down, squirt.”
Sierra taunted, “You can’t shoot what you can’t catch.”
My gaze unconsciously found Nicole’s, and I was surprised to see she was looking back at me. A sharp pain stabbed between my ribs.
She’s not your kid. You don’t get to look at her mom with a silent did-you-just-hear-what-our-kid-said look in your eye.
You’ll never get to share that look with someone.
My gaze fell to the floor, and I mentally kicked myself.
I’d learned with Veronica that some doors would remain shut to me forever. And it wasn’t like Nicole and I were a couple. She could barely stand me and had only called because she thought I was an immature creature who could get her daughter to laugh more. But that didn’t get me access to secret looks or a deeper connection to her or her daughter than she was willing to give.
The desk worker took our money and handed us vests with light up squares on the shoulders and chest, along with laser guns for each of us. We listened to the instructions and rules, then the attendant finally opened the doors and let us in.
I held my gun across my chest, bending my knees and crab-walking sideways. I swung dramatically left and right and was rewarded with another giggle from Sierra.
Black lights overhead made her white shirt glow, but the best part had to be her teeth shining behind a smile like a seventy-five watt bulb.
I bent to pretend whisper in her ear, having to keep my voice at a regular volume to be heard over the mood-setting music putting down a steady beat. “What’s the game plan, Captain?”
Sierra had always struck me as a serious kid. She turned her no-nonsense eyes to me that didn’t even hint at flippancy and said, “Win.”
I gave her a mock salute and pressed my back against one of the cushioned columns in the room to take cover. Sierra followed my example.
“Watch my six,” Amanda said as she stalked forward.
Sierra and I peeked out from opposite sides of the column to see.
The red square of the other team’s vest lit from around a barricade on the left side. “There.” I motioned to Sierra. “Do you see Jocelyn at the ten o’clock position?”
“I see her.” Sierra’s voice floated over to me from the other side of the column.
“Think you can make the shot?”
“I’ll try.” She sounded determined.
A beam of light, and Jocelyn’s vest flashed.
“You got her.” Unnatural pride thickened my voice. “Now she’ll have to go back to her base to revive.”
Amanda’s vest flashed, and she turned and staggered back to us, clutching her chest and reaching out with Hollywood flair. “I’m hit,” she croaked. “Save yourselves. Avenge my name.” She fell to her knees then twisted to lie on her back on the floor, pretending to die.
“Stop messing around.” Sierra sounded like Nicole. “Revive and get back in the game. I’m going to see if I can hit one of the targets to get us more points.”
“They don’t call kids mini-mes for nothing.” Amanda stood and walked back to where our team’s base was located.
Sierra went to the edge and started forward. I followed behind her on the opposite side of the room, watching for glowing forms and moving targets under the black light.
The point of the game was to accumulate as many points as possible individually and as a team by shooting targets placed around the game area as well as eliminating your opponents.
The game had a different objective for me this time, however. Namely, the Applegate ladies.
And I couldn’t wait to ferret out Nicole.
Somepew pewsounds came from my right, reminding me of the fight scenes from space opera movies. Sierra laughed, and I imagined she’d found one of the extra point targets.
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”
