Redemption Road (Vicious Cycle #2)(53)

But when the bright rays of the sun hit my face, I didn’t feel its warmth. Instead, I felt like my past was an anchor that would drag me down under the water until I drowned. Where was the peace Rev had spoken of? Sure, I had felt something when I was submerged, but it had all left me when I reached the surface again.

“Annabel?” Rev asked.

When I turned toward him, his face fell. My expression must’ve told him what I couldn’t. The next thing I knew, he was coming to me. When he reached for me, I thought it was to comfort me. I never could have imagined he would have grabbed the top of my head and dunked me.

I was submerged for only a second before I came back up, sputtering and hacking. Swiping the hair out of my face, I became enraged at the sound of Rev’s laughter. “Are you kidding me? You think what you just did was funny?”

Nodding his head, he replied, “I wish you could have seen your face.”

I huffed out an indignant breath. “You . . . *!” Then with a complete lack of maturity, I splashed water in his face.

“Easy now. Don’t get so riled,” Rev cautioned with a grin.

“You ruined my moment. Why would you do that?”

The amusement on Rev’s face slowly faded. He stared at me so intently that I almost took a step back from him. “I could see in your eyes that you were overcome with too much sadness and negativity. I wanted to show you that even in the middle of all that, things can change, life can be made better. There can be levity amid the desolation—a reason to double over laughing, rather than curling up and crying.”

My mouth gaped at his words. “Are you for real?”

He blinked at me. “What do you mean?” he questioned in a low voice.

With a tentative hand, I reached out to cup his cheek. His skin felt so warm under my fingers. “After everything I’ve been through, sometimes it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that a man like you even exists. One who is caring, compassionate, sensitive, but at the same time was willing to risk his life to save me.”

His expression seemed guarded. Whereas I freely spewed my emotions when I probably should have tempered them, Rev seemed to be trying to find just the right words to respond to me. “When it comes to me, I think your sweet nature is far too complimentary,” he replied. “You give me too much credit. I just did what I thought was right. I would do it again, for you or anyone else who needed me.”

“And you’re too modest,” I countered. I knew he had grown up in a rough, masculine world where feelings were squelched for fear of seeming unmanly. But at the same time, he had a wonderful bond with a mother who had taught him compassion and kindness above everything else.

Rev drew in a ragged breath. “I just want you to see the real me. Regardless of what you say, I still think you’re looking at me through rose-colored glasses.”

I shook my head. “The truth is the truth. More than anything, I wish you could see the real you, so you would believe me.” As I swept the wet strands of hair out of his face, I smiled. “Maybe I was meant to save you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I believe in my heart of hearts that you were meant to save me. So maybe in turn, I’m meant to help you by showing you what a wonderful person you are, regardless of what the negative voices in your head tell you.”

Rev smiled. “I’ll happily let you wear the hero hat if it gets you off my back.”

Once again, I splashed water at him. “You’re impossible, Rev Malloy.”

“I would say the same thing about you, Annabel Percy.” He held out his hand. “Come on. We should head back. Breakneck will have my hide for bringing you here when you’re supposed to be recuperating.”

As I slipped my hand into his, I smiled. “Thank you so much for bringing me here.”

“You’re welcome. Anytime you want to come back, I’ll bring you.”

Although it defied reason, my heart did a funny little flip-flop that was usually reserved for my latest crush. Instead of exploring that line of thought any further, I pushed it out of my mind as I walked out of the water.

THIRTEEN

REV

As we started our journey back through the woods, Annabel remained quiet and contemplative. Of course, there was already a noticeable difference in her—a peace that she hadn’t shown before she had gone into the water. I was sure she was trying to sort through her feelings. Even as a kid, I remember being overwhelmed by what I had experienced. Children seemed to be able to appreciate the unexplainable better than adults. I was sure that as a person of science Annabel was struggling very hard to find a rational explanation for what she was feeling.

Out of nowhere, a keening animal’s cry broke through the silence. It came from somewhere to the left of us. “What is that?” Annabel whispered.

“Sounds like a fawn.”

“Why would it cry like that?”

“It’s probably trying to find its mother.”

When the pitiful cry continued, Annabel shook her head and then started tramping through the brush toward the sound.

“Annabel, wait!” I called after her quickly disappearing form. While I wanted to argue with her that she shouldn’t be running, there was also another pressing matter. “The mother won’t come around as long as we’re close to it.”