Eye of the Sh*t Storm by Jackson Ford (most romantic novels .txt) 📕

The relief has turned my legs to jelly. Jesus, where the hell is Annie?

Leo must hear Nic behind him, because he turns around mid-stride. “Go away!” he yells, his little boy voice cutting through the night air.

“Just stop for a second,” Nic shouts.

“I said go—”

I know what’s going to happen before it actually does. And there is no time to shout a warning.

Kids are not very coordinated, and most four-year-olds don’t run well. The only reason Leo got so far away is because we were too busy arguing, and despite his twitching leg, he’s built up a good head of speed. So when he half-turns, running on one good leg, right on the edge of the deep-running channel…

His eyes actually meet mine as he falls. Just for a split-second. The look in them is one of total surprise.

Then, with an enormous splash, he topples into the LA River.

“No, no, no!” Nic sprints faster, reaching the spot where Leo fell.

Leo’s head and two waving arms explode above the surface. He shrieks, hands flailing – and immediately goes under again.

“Leo!” I shriek. I can use my PK – if there’s something to grab, I can lift him right out. But he’s panicking, and he might not know to hold on. I’m going to have to dive in after him—

Nic gets there first. He kicks his shoes off in mid-run, doing an exaggerated knees-up manoeuvre. The left one doesn’t come off all the way, and he has to hop on one leg for a second or two while he yanks it away. Then he takes a leaping stride, and plunges into the water.

It’s flowing fast. I hadn’t realised how fast. I can’t see Leo at all. Nic is already damn near fifty yards away, his muscular arms swinging through the air as he paddles.

I claw at my dirty FBI windbreaker, hurling it to the ground. There’s actually nothing nearby for my PK to use, no handy pole or carelessly discarded life raft, so I’m going to have to swim for it.

Annie grabs me by the arm, so suddenly that I nearly topple over backwards. I didn’t even realise she was there.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she hisses.

“Going in after him!”

“Your man’s got him already.”

“What?”

Annie points. “There!”

Nic is swimming across the current now, heading for the shore. He’s on his back, using one arm to paddle. His other holds a very small, very still figure.

I shake off from Annie, start running again, ignoring her shouted warnings. She curses, sprints past me, reaching the shore just as Nic does. As I get there, she skids to her knees, reaching in and hauling him and Leo out of the water. They both flop onto the riverbank.

And Leo…

He’s alive.

Gasping, coughing, sobbing, shivering… but alive.

Jesus Christ.

I sit down on the dirt. Hard. Hang my head.

I am the worst kidnapper ever.

Annie mutters something that I swear is Should have let the kid drown. I want to tell her to shut the fuck up, but I just don’t have the energy right now.

Nic holds on tight to Leo, his big arms wrapped around him. “It’s OK,” he’s saying, over and over, rocking the boy back and forth. He gets to his feet, legs shaking, still holding Leo in his arms.

“No, it’s not.” Leo’s leg and arm are still jerking. “She said we was gonna get my dad but the Zigzag Man came and she…”

You want to feel helpless? You want to feel like a terrible human being? Look into the face of a child who realises you weren’t able to protect them.

Nic pulls Leo into a huge hug, wrapping his arms around the crying boy.

“Leo, right?” he says, after a few moments.

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, that’s kind of weird.” Nic has an odd smile on his face.

“Weird?” Leo looks suspicious, but he’s distracted now, his attention no longer on me.

“Because that’s my name too. Well, my middle name. Nicolas Leonardo Delacorte.” He smiles. “Like the Ninja Turtle.”

“And like the painter.”

Nic makes an impressed face. “That’s right. Like the painter.”

“I was named after him, but I don’t really like that stuff.”

“Not sure I do either.” He gestures to me. “Give me your jacket.”

I strip it off, handing it over, and Nic wraps it around Leo’s shivering shoulders. Above us, the clouds give out a gentle burp of thunder.

“Hey, listen,” Nic says to Leo. He doesn’t put a hand on his shoulder or anything, just looks him right in the eyes. “You can’t run off like that. What if we hadn’t been there?”

“I didn’t wanna fall in,” Leo mumbles.

“Well, you kind of did.” Nic smirks. “Now I’m all wet too.” He gives an exaggerated shiver.

“I have to find my dad.”

“I know. But—”

Leo looks at me. “But the Zigzag Man came, and he made her see stuff and she couldn’t do anything. I don’t like her.”

OK, enough’s enough. I open my mouth to defend myself, but Annie stops me with a look.

A half-smile plays around Nic’s mouth. “Yeah, well, I don’t like her much either.”

“Um, hi?” I wave. “Standing right here, dude.”

“I’m scared,” Leo says.

“I know, my man.” Nic tells him. “I know. But right now, we can’t link up with your pops if we’re having to fight everybody.” He leans in. “It’s not just the… what did you call him? The Zigzag Man? With what you can do, there are a lot of other people who want to take you. They aren’t like bad, really, but they won’t want to find your dad. I can tell you that much.”

Leo is still shivering, but he’s calmed right down. “OK.”

Fine, I admit it: Nic is much better with kids than I am.

Annie shakes her head, muttering something. The look on her face is one of utter disgust. I stare at her, my mind in turmoil – surely she didn’t want Leo to drown? No way she’s that cold.

“If we’re gonna do this,” she says, resigned, “we gotta stay on the river.”

I push back the ugly thoughts. “Wouldn’t a car be better?”

“Not with Reggie watching the roads.