Page 55 of Finding Forever
“Maybe.” Eric stared into his mug. “There’s another reason it was important for me to stay. When I was in high school, one of the boys in my class was always late. He’d fall asleep and pick fights with anyone who got too close. For some reason, we became friends. One day, he didn’t show up to school. By the third day, I was worried about him. I found out where he lived and went around to make sure he was okay. He wasn’t.” Eric’s hand trembled as he sipped his drink. “Tony didn’t want to see me, but I stayed until he came out. His father had beaten him so badly that he could hardly walk.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “What did you do?”
“I called Dad. He picked us up and took Tony to the hospital. After they patched him up, he came home with us and never left.”
“Your mom and dad adopted him?”
“Fostered. Tony’s dad wouldn’t let us adopt him.”
“Where’s Tony now?”
The hint of a smile softened the hard planes of Eric’s face. “Living in Brooklyn with his wife and son. He became a teacher.”
Fresh tears filled my eyes. Tony’s life would have been completely different if Eric and his parents hadn’t helped him.
I pulled out a tissue and blew my nose. “You made a big difference in his life.”
“He made a bigger difference in mine. I wanted to make sure other people didn’t have to live through what Tony did.”
I looked closely at Eric. His smile had disappeared. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be all right. How’s your mom?”
“She’s staying with her sister. I told her everything.”
“Was she annoyed we didn’t tell her the full story?”
I sighed. “She was more upset that I didn’t go home with her.”
“I don’t blame her but, now that Chapman knows about you, you’re safer with us.”
I looked at the stars. I thought I’d be safe in Sunrise Bay, but that hadn’t happened. “Why would anyone send you anonymous letters, then recreate the scenes in your books? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I have no idea, but we’ll find out.” Eric wrapped his hand around mine.
His firm grip reassured me, anchoring me to the here and now instead of what might happen. I took a deep breath and rested my head on Eric’s shoulder. “We can’t stay with Alex forever.”
“We won’t need to. Between Bryant Security and the two police departments, we should have some news about Chapman soon.”
“We keep telling ourselves that, but nothing’s happening.”
“It’ll be okay.”
The gentle kiss Eric placed on my forehead made me sigh. After what’s happened, I didn’t know if my life would ever be okay again.
forty
ERIC
Alex opened a map and pointed to a ridge. “That’s Lunar Peak. It’s the highest point on this side of the lake. The trail we’re on leads straight there.”
I leaned across Riley’s arm to get a better look. “How far away is it?”
“About an hour’s walk to the top, but we aren’t going that far. The cave we’re looking for is about forty minutes away.”
I studied the map, trying to focus. We’d left Alex’s home ten minutes ago. Apart from the sounds of wildlife and the occasional bark from Sherlock, the forest was deathly silent. I didn’t understand how Alex lived out here. Without the shopping trips into Sunrise Bay and his satellite phone, he was completely cut off from civilization.
Riley frowned. “Why did you decide to buy a house in the middle of the forest?”