Credence

I nod, my heart still hammering. “I’m fine.”

I think. I don’t know, everything hurts, but I can’t tell what exactly.

I pull away, looking at Jake glance between Holcomb and me. “Tiernan, I’m sorry,” he says. “You’re okay? Really?”

“Fine.”

“I didn’t think.” His hand goes to his head. “We shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“You heard the call?” I ask.

“Yeah.” He smiles weakly. “We sped here the whole way.”

I knew they’d come.

“You’re sure you’re fine? He didn’t…try anything?”

“He tried a lot.” I don’t know if I want to laugh at how miserably he failed or cry at how relieved I am. “I’m perfectly fine, though.”

Holcomb groans on the floor, and Jake shoots him a scowl, taking out his phone as he walks away. “I’m calling Benson.”

The sheriff. And since they visited him once tonight, and Kaleb is still here, then I guess no one’s pressing charges like Terrance threatened.

“Hey, you didn’t miss, at least?” Noah tries to joke.

I feign a laugh. “It was at close-range.”

He smiles. Then he presses his foot down harder, grinding his boot into Holcomb’s back. “Motherfucker,” he taunts. “You just made my day.”

Yeah. Kaleb might be in the clear, but Holcomb just took his place with the sheriff.

I look up at Kaleb.

But he’s not looking at me anymore.

He stands a few feet away, looking over at my suitcase by the door. His eyes turn to me, suddenly hard.

I swallow through the tightness in my throat.

“Were there others?” Jake asks as he comes back in the room.

It takes a moment to tear my eyes away from Kaleb.

Finally, I nod. “There were. They scattered. I didn’t recognize them. I can describe one of them, though.”

Kaleb walks outside with his father to check the property, and I sit down on the stairs with Noah, resting my head in my hands for minutes and minutes to try to calm down.

After a while, the sheriff arrives, the ambulance not far behind, and they load up Holcomb on the stretcher while Benson takes my statement. I tell them about the fire last winter and Holcomb’s confession when he didn’t know I was listening, and he tells us they passed his car on the road on the way up here. They guess he parked off somewhere quiet, so he could come onto the property undetected.

Kaleb and Jake come back in, Kaleb staring at me the whole time from across the room like he’s scared and sorry, but his distance is scarier. Why won’t he come over to me?

He’s so far away all of a sudden. Every once in a while, his eyes go to my suitcase.

The cops and ambulance finally leave, and Noah heads outside to secure the stable and check the animals, while Jake stands on the porch, finishing up with Benson.

I walk into the kitchen, seeing Kaleb sitting in the dark at the table. His elbows rest on his knees as he leans forward, bows his head, and locks his hands together.

He raises his eyes, looking at me.