Page 34 of Vandal Unbound

Maren whispers something to Daisy, and Daisy nods before Maren stands. “Hey, Elsie. I was just thinking how I feel like a Coke float. You want one?”

She fidgets in my arms for a second. “What’s that?”

“It’s cola with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top,” Maren says.

She looks at Daisy, eyes wide. “Can I have one please, Momma?”

Daisy nods, and it clicks that Maren was asking Daisy if it was okay before she even offered. “Yes, you can. But use your manners.”

“Yes, please,” Elsie says, wiggling out of my arms.

Maren offers Elsie her hand, and Elsie takes it. “Havoc’s coming with us because he likes them too,” Maren says.

“He is?” Elsie says nervously.

Havoc looks up at Maren suddenly. “I do?”

“Yes,” Maren says, tipping her head between me and Daisy with wide eyes.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Fine. I do.” He stands and offers his hand to Elsie. She looks at it with suspicion and presses her closed fist to her chest.

“Got it. You only like Vandal,” he says as he dramatically pouts at her.

Elsie looks to me for reassurance, and she couldn’t have done more damage to my heart if she’d taken a knife to it.

“First, you don’t have to hold anyone’s hand you don’t want to,” I say. “But if you want to but you’re a bit scared or nervous,Havoc is my very best friend in the world, and I know he won’t hurt you.”

She glances up at him. “You promise?”

Havoc draws a cross over his heart. “I swear.”

Elsie looks at his hand and tentatively reaches for it. “Did you know Jodie wasn’t at camp today because she was sick?”

“Don’t even know who Jodie is, let alone know she went to the same camp as you. What’s wrong with her?” Havoc asks as the three of them walk off together.

Then it’s just the two of us.

I tug out the chair opposite Daisy. “It’s good to see you.”

It’s good to see you? Jesus.

“Daisy really wanted to bring you the picture.”

I rub my hand over my chin. “Heard you drove by the place three times before pulling over.”

She winces at that. “Damn, she noticed.”

“Andyou swore.”

Daisy threads a hand through her curls. They spring back when she lets the hair go. “Not my finest hour.”

I lean forward, placing my elbows on the little round table, bringing me closer to her. “You nervous about coming here?”

Daisy gestures around the room, and while I’d forgotten anyone else was here, the room crashes back in at full tilt. The music. The drinking. The smoke.

“Maren offered to take Elsie outside once she had her Coke float, and it’s taking awareness in every bone in my body to not run after her and take her out of here.”

I stand at that and offer her my hand. “Come on. Let me show you around. Maybe if you knew the place a little better, it wouldn’t worry you so much.”