Page 93 of North

“You okay, tough guy?”

He glanced toward the voice, smiled. Selah had come out, dressed in a flannel shirt, her jeans and Cons, her hair loose. She almost looked like a cowgirl.

“You know that fight I had in fifth grade? The kid who beat up Kurt Morris?”

“Bobby Jenkins?” She reached up and touched his chin. “The one with the ring?”

“Yeah.” He caught her hand, met her eyes. “He came back.”

She frowned. “What?”

“Yeah. So my dad was…mad. Really mad. Said I’d set a terrible example for the family—Baptist preacher’s kid brawling in the playground⁠—”

“But—”

“I was grounded for a month, after school. And that’s when Bobby found Kurt again, and this time…” He let out a breath. “Kurt was in the hospital for a couple weeks. Bobby had hit him with a metal bar—so Kurt had a head injury.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah. As it turns out, Bobby had a beef against Kurt, something about Kurt’s dad and his dad—I don’t know.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Bobby went to juvie. And Kurt was never the same. And…for a long time⁠—”

“You blamed yourself for not being there.”

He nodded. Sighed. “Unfinished business.”

She cocked her head. “Alan Martin.”

He shrugged. “He’s…well, he’s like Bobby Jenkins. A terrorist. And the last thing I can let him do is hurt more people. Even the ones I don’t know and love.”

She stepped up to him. “Of course not.” Then she wound her hands around his waist. “Listen. I have this summer camp I’ve committed to, and frankly, I can’t abandon them any more than you can abandon your mission. I’ll finish the summer.”

“And I’ll finish this with Alan Martin.”

“And then?” She lifted her face.

“Then,” he said, and lowered his mouth to hers. Kissed her sweetly.

And she kissed him back, lingering.

Then.

“North!”

The shout came from the porch door. Dakota, waving. “Ham and Logan are on Zoom. They want a sitrep.”

“You did say you were in charge,” Selah said, lowering herself down.

“Regrets,” he muttered.

“Hardly.” She put her hand in his as they walked back to the house.

In the den, a computer sat on the desk, turned to face the group—RJ, Dakota and West, Ford and Scarlett, and North, who walked in holding Selah’s hand.

Ham smiled, nodded.