Page 79 of Ramshackle
Boots thump behind me. Jackson stops next to me, his head cocked to the side as he regards the girl. “Do you know her?”
Shame burns in my chest with the memory of what I’d done for her. And then in front of her. It wants to put the blame on her. Tell everyone that all the bad things I did for Gordon this time around were her fault. I thought I’d been saving her, but I was the fool being played.
It would be so easy to tell Jackson that version of the story. It might absolve me of the guilt that’s been eating me up inside.
So easy.
No.
I don’t make choices based on whether they’re easy or not. I can’t shift the blame to her. She’ssix. A child. I’m the adult. It was my gift. My training with Gordon. My choice.
Jack looks my way, and I realize I haven’t answered him yet.
“Yes.”
“She’s scared of you,” he comments mildly. It’s not a question. He’s not asking if that’s the case because he can see it clearly. The reason she’s crying and trembling in that corner is because of me.
“She is,” I agree anyway.
He nods and squats within reach of her. I tense, afraid that she’ll scream at the scary man, and prepare to intervene to give her some space.
But she doesn’t cry.
She…smiles?
Jackson must be whispering something to her because she nods and wipes snot from her nose with the back of her hand. He holds his hand out, and there’s a piece of candy sitting in the center of his palm.
Where did that come from? Does he carry candy on him all the time, or did he bring it specifically for this mission?
Mallory takes the candy and gives him another short nod. Jackson turns his back to her, still squatting, and she wraps her arms around his neck. Jack’s arms loop around her legs, and then he stands.
What in the actual fuck?
Jackson smirks at me and motions with his head to follow.
I do, only because I want to know what the hell is happening and how he made that terrified girl smile at him.
Fully grown Guild members? Terrified of him.
But children? Apparently, not a problem.
Jack jumps at the tub, and they fly over the edge before he touches inside. He kneels for her to dismount, but I can’t hear anything they’re saying this time because all the other kids are chiming in about that being unfair or cool.
Another batch of kids clamor down the stairs, and I hurry back to my post to guide them to Jack. It’s a smaller group this time. After a dozen or so kids, Tinsley and Evie follow behind them.
“That’s everyone,” Evie announces, stopping with me at the door. Her gaze slides past me to Jackson, then jumps back to me. “Have Reid and Kellan come back yet?”
“I’ll go find him!” Tinsley shouts. My mouth opens to stop her, but she’s gone in a flash with her super speed.
Evie sighs, but her smile returns by the time she faces me again. “Everything go smoothly down here? It looks like they’re all in.”
I follow her stare to the tub. There aren’t any other kids milling about, and Jackson’s leaning against a nearby wall with one foot kicked back and his hands in his hoodie pocket.
“Yeah, we’re good,” I answer.
“—waste…dammit!” Kellan’s voice appears mid-sentence, then pauses and shifts to a curse when he drops to a knee to catch himself. He glares at Reid, who’s standing next to him while Tinsley’s arms are wrapped around his neck. “We weren’t that far away and could have walked.”
“Don’t get mad, big grumpy dragon,” Tinsley teases with a smile. “This was faster.” She turns her face to Reid’s. “Is it time now? Are we going back? If it is, can you put me in that big plastic box?”
