“Wanda?” Kyle’s voice carried across the noise again, and I looked up to see his deep blue eyes locked on me. “There you are! Could you please come and give me a little help here?”

CHAPTER 55: Attached

CHAPTER 55

Attached

Jeb cleared a path for me, pushing people aside with his rifle as though they were sheep and the gun a shepherd’s staff.

“That’s enough,” he growled at those who complained. “You’ll get a chance to dress ’im down later. We all will. Let’s get this sorted out first, okay? Let me through.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sharon and Maggie fall to the back of the crowd, melting away from the reinstatement of reason. Away from my involvement, really, more than anything else. Both with jaws locked, they continued to glare at Kyle.

Jared and Ian were the last two Jeb shoved aside. I brushed both of their arms as I passed, hoping to help calm them.

“Okay, Kyle,” Jeb said, smacking the barrel of the gun against his palm. “Don’t try to excuse yourself, ’cause there ain’t no excuse. I’m plain torn between kickin’ ya out and shootin’ ya now.”

The little face, pale under the deep tan of her skin, peeped around Kyle’s elbow again with a swish of long, curly black hair. The girl’s mouth was hanging open in horror, her dark eyes frantic. I thought I could see a faint sheen to those eyes, a hint of silver behind the black.

“But right now, let’s calm everybody down.” Jeb turned around, gun held low across his body, and suddenly it was as if he were guarding Kyle and the little face behind him. He glared at the mob. “Kyle’s got a guest, and you’re scarin’ the snot out of her, people. I think you can all dig up some better manners than that. Now, all of you clear out and get to work on something useful. My cantaloupes are dying. Somebody do something about that, hear?”

He waited until the muttering crowd slowly dispersed. Now that I could see their faces, I could tell that they were already getting over it, most of them, anyway. This wasn’t so bad, not after what they’d been fearing the last few days. Yes, Kyle was a self-absorbed idiot, their faces seemed to say, but at least he was back, no harm done. No evacuation, no danger of the Seekers. No more than usual, anyway. He’d brought another worm back, but then, weren’t the caves full of them these days?

It just wasn’t as shocking as it used to be.