The Outliers (The Outskirts Duet #2)

“Thank you. Now, back to your story. Short-version. Go.” He snapped his fingers and closed his eyes.

“Well,” I thought for a moment on how to shorten my story and not drag my new friend into the heaviness of my life. I liked having someone new ask me about my relationship with Finn it reminded me that we were still new. It was like having a secret that only I got to decide how much or how little of us I would share with others.

“I needed a change so when I found out that my mother owned land here I decided that I wanted to come check it out for myself. I took her old camper and truck and I’ve been here ever since.”

“I have a feeling your short version is like the CliffsNotes of the CliffsNotes of your story.” Wilfredo wiped the sweat beading up on his forehead with a handkerchief from his pocket.

I leaned forward and whispered. “I would say you’re right.”

“You got yourself a man, Red?” Wilfredo asked. “I know the pickings are slim around here but…” he paused when he saw my hand drop to my burgeoning baby belly.

He gasped. “Spill girl. Who is he?”

“If you’re from here then you probably know him," I said, biting my lip. "Finn Hollis?”

Wilfredo’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. He squealed so loud I had to cover my ears. He then hurriedly made a backward sign of the cross. “Sweet baby Jesus, you bagged the lord of the swamp?”

“Uh, he’s. Well, We…”

“He knocked you up. OMG I would KILL for that man to knock me up." He held out his hand, palm side facing me. "No, my sweet red one, not another word. I just need to sit here and let all this sexiness sink in for a moment.” He closed his eyes continuing to fan himself with the paper turned fan in his hand until his phone rang. “That’s my sister I’ve got to help her back into the car before she tips over." He removed his legs from the table and stood up. "It was nice to meet you Sawyer, I hope to see you again before I go back to Cali.”

“I’d like that very much.” I said, and I meant it. Wilfredo brought with him a bright light I wouldn't mind having around more often.

“Are you still working at Critter’s?” he asked. “Josh said you guys were helping him out a bit.

“Yeah, sure am. Dinner shift tomorrow if you want to come by.”

“I’ll be there!” Wilfredo looked down at the paper in his hands like he was just remembering something. He set it down on the table. “Here, I almost forgot, this was in your door when I got here, but I’ve been using it to fan myself. It’s as hot as the bowels of hell in this town. I guess some things never change. See ya, Sexy, Sawyer! Take care of that baybay! See you tomorrow. Save me a place under the Sandy Bennett.”

Did he just say what I think he just said?

The bells above the door chimed again. Wilfredo was gone just as quickly as he appeared. Blowing through like a multicolored tumbleweed of fun.

I was rolling around his words in my head when I went to toss the flyer Wilfredo had handed me. I’d just released it into the trash when my heart seized.

It wasn't just a fan or a flyer. It was thee flyer. The one for God's Light.

A shiver of dread rippled through me. The sharp spike of dread pinched my spine, the one I’d always felt when my father was near.

I covered my mouth in a silent scream as my blood ran cold. My head spun. It wasn’t the flyer itself that had me holding onto the table for support. It was the note on the inside, handwritten over the print in thick bright red ink.

Like mother like daughter. -Ezekiel 16:44





Chapter 20





Sawyer





In the animal kingdom, when a mother feels like her young is in danger, she does whatever it takes to keep them out of harm’s way. Even if that something seems ridiculous or illogical to anyone on the outside looking in.

Even if that means sacrificing her own life for theirs.

A giraffe will try to ward off a hungry pack of lions by kicking and attacking.

The usually docile elephant will suddenly and aggressively charge at a human for getting too close to her baby while it drinks from a stream.

An alligator will carry its young in its mouth for up to a year to keep them safe and make sure they will survive to adulthood at all costs.

A brown bear will raise her cubs near populations of humans, their biggest enemy, to ward off adult male bears who are known to kill cubs who aren’t theirs.

Human mothers are very much the same. We are animals after all. Our very nature screams at us to protect at all cost.

Call it hormones.

Call it instinct.

It’s nature— written in our very DNA, it surfaces once we become mothers. We will do impossible, sometimes crazy things to keep our children safe.

But what those on the outside don’t understand is sometimes that kind of protection comes with a whole lot of crazy. Because if crazy is what it takes to protect my child.

Then so be it.

If it came down to it I’d be the giraffe charging at the lion.

Which was why I felt an eerie sense of calm washed over me as I made my way over to Critter’s Bar and scanned the thousands of picture frames covering the walls. When I didn’t find what I was looking for I dragged out a ladder from the store room and began to read every single ting hanging from the ceiling. It took me an hour before I found what I was looking for. Two tings, with strings a little lower than all the others, hanging directly above the big corner table in the back corner by the window.



I had a date with Sandy tonight. I think she’s the one.

-Bennett



This might go down as the worst date in history.

-Sandy



Not knowing what I was searching for I stood on my tip toes and poked my fingers around on the rafters. Sure enough, sitting on the top of the rafter between the two tings was a cell phone. I turned it on and almost fell off the chair at what popped up on the screen.

“What are you doing up there?” Finn asked, as he came in the door. He grabbed me by the legs and lifted me off the chair. Gently setting me on my feet. “You could hurt yourself.”

I held up the phone.

“What is that?” he asked.

Knowing that what I just saw could change everything when it came to Richard, I handed it over to Finn carefully like it was a precious stone although in my eyes it was much more valuable. “I think I just found Sandy Bennett.”





Chapter 21





Finn





I was going to be a father. I was already so in love with a child that I'd never even met yet because it was mine.

Even better, it was ours.

Which was why I had to have patience and standing there on the Brillhart County fairgrounds under the tent was proving to take every ounce of patience I had and more.

There I was. Standing beside an open tent flap, looking right at the man we'd all spent way too much time fearing. Hating. I couldn’t say that I was nervous. It was more like I was nervous for him. He was only a few feet away. All I had to do was close the flap, reach across the desk and wrap my bare hands around his…

"Can I help you?" Richard asked, finally acknowledging my presence.

This man had laid hands on Sawyer.