Chapter Twenty-Five. Cat
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CAT
When I see the gun, my heart stops.
Someone gasps. The women around me stiffen, a subtle tightening that ripples down the row.
“Abel,” the sheriff says. He’s got one hand out, like he’s trying to calm a spooked horse, but his other hand lowers to hover just above the revolver at his hip. “Don’t do something stupid.”
My eyes fly to the stage, to Olivia, just a few feet away, but it feels like miles in this moment. I see the pulse at her neck, see the heartbreaking vulnerability of her.
Then, suddenly, Melanie rises to her feet beside me. “Stop it!” She is using the mom voice, the one that shuts up sibling arguments, stops children from doing foolish things, fills you with shame and the fear of retribution.
With her purse tucked tight under her arm, she strides to the center aisle, bumping chairs and brushing past knees.
“Melanie, get back,” Sheriff Ryan warns.
But she doesn’t flinch. Her fists are clenched, mouth set in a determined line, as she marches straight toward Abel. I’ve never seen her like this, taking charge without hesitation, without apology.
“Just go, Abel,” she says, shooing him out like he’s nothing but a nuisance.
He works his jaw, considering, bleary eyes sweeping over the room. But he lets her turn him and steer him out. “Fuck you, Sheriff,” he mutters over his shoulder, a last parting shot before Melanie shoves him out.
The door clunks closed behind him.
Melanie turns back toward us, shoulders straight, eyes hard.
“That was reckless, Melanie,” the sheriff says, as he pushes past her to follow Abel. “You could have gotten yourself shot.”
At first, no one moves. A stunned, uneasy silence lingers. Then Iggy steps forward. “Melanie, that was amazing.”
Color rises in Melanie’s cheeks. She ducks her head as other mothers start to stand, murmuring gratitude, admiration. Relief blooms through the room, shaking loose with nervous, grateful energy.
But I don’t join them.
I’m still staring at the door.
Because I know the truth about Abel Sherman. Know that he is a man with something to protect, and nothing to lose.
And I don’t think he’s giving up that easy.