Miles Away (Carrion #1)(58)

“Park! Park!”

“I always take you to the park, G! It’s Miles’s turn to pick.”

“Park!”

Miles laughed as the persistent little bugger continued to demand a trip to the playground.

“Calm your nerves. We’ll hit a park today. Jeez, he’s pushy!”

As G celebrated his small win, Miles contemplated Letty’s question. He hadn’t really put much thought into it. His mind was too busy thinking about the things he needed to take care of with his family. Miles didn’t really consider the fact that Letty would actually want to do something outside the house.

“I mean we could just rent movies, but I figured you’d want to be outside. I just gotta stop by your father’s to check in on him, then we’re free for the day. My dad usually babysits G on Saturday nights. Let’s go out.”

Miles shrugged as a smile tugged at his lips. “All right, let’s see where the night takes us.”

“Do you need to get anything else from the stores? Or are you set?” Letty asked.

“Need to go to a pharmacy and maybe hit a Caldor or a Kmart…”

“Oh, baby. You’re dating yourself. They tore those down about ten years ago. We have a Target and a Super Walmart.”

“What the f*ck is a Super Walmart.”

“Someplace you don’t wanna go,” Letty said with a laugh. Talking with her hands, she dramatically replied, “Trust me.”

“This I gotta see…” Miles said with a laugh.

“It’s the zoo. With clothes and appliances.”

Miles nodded as he perused his menu.

“Think I’m going for the steak and eggs,” Miles said as he laid his menu flat on the table. G immediately stole it and began to bang it against the table.

“Old habits die hard, huh?” Letty asked with a laugh.

Miles shrugged. “Guess so,” he replied.

A disgruntled-looking waitress named Rosa stopped by, took their orders and quickly brought them back their drinks. The bell over the front door rang again as a group of businessmen walked through the front door. Letty didn’t pay them any mind as she looked across the table at Miles.

The conversation continued at a steady pace. When there were lulls, they weren’t uncomfortable, and it felt like no time had passed at all between Letty and Miles. They were just as they had been when they were teenagers, only this time, they had the strength and resiliency to see through whatever struggles came their way. Miles reached for Letty’s hands across the table.

“Let’s go for a drive tonight. Maybe AC?” Miles suggested.

“That sounds like fun,” Letty said as she lifted her glass of water to her mouth. “We should take G to the park first, though.”

“PARK!”

“For sure…” Miles said with a laugh.

“Headed to the ladies’ room. I’ll be back,” Letty said as she lifted herself from her booth.

“Ma!” G yelled as Letty walked away.

“She’ll be back, little dude. Here, look,” Miles said as he reached for the kid’s menu and small pack of crayons. “Color something for your momma.”

With a set of the grabbiest hands Miles ever saw, G reached for the crayons and the coloring paper, excited for the activity at hand.

Letty peered into the mirror as she washed her hands. She quickly dried her hands on a paper towel and disposed of it before exiting the bathroom. With the lyrics of “American Girl” stuck in her head, Letty hummed along as she made her way back to her seat. Crossing the dining room, Letty had a smile on her face. She felt like nothing could wipe it clean from her face, but then, in that very moment, something did.

“MILES!!!!! NO!!!!!!”

Letty’s blood-curdling scream bounced off everything. From the floor to the ceiling in the restaurant, to everyone within two hundred feet of the diner. Standing just feet from Miles with his gun pointed at his head, Dante Sabotino had a look of pure vindication on his face. Everything was happening so fast. Miles saw the look on Letty’s face before he heard the shot cry out. With barely enough time to react, Miles ducked under the table, pulling G under with him, protecting the child from the blast of the shot. With his back towards the shooter, Miles held G under him, acting as a shield against the danger at hand. A bullet ricocheted off of the table just inches from where the child sat. It would have hit Miles for sure, had he not moved.

Dante didn’t have time to take another shot. As the shot rang out, a pair of cops walked through the door ready for their first coffee break of the day. Hearing the blast and Letty’s blood-curdling scream, the officers ran forward, service pistols pointed at Dante’s head.

“Freeze! Put the weapon down!”

One officer pointed at Dante while the other one approached him, ready to snatch the gun from him.

“Put down your weapon!”

G screamed in terror as Miles held him securely under the table, holding him tightly against his chest, their hearts thumping in unison.

“I’m not gonna ask again! Put down the f*cking gun!” the cop screamed.

Not waiting another second, the officers tackled Dante, knocking him to the ground as his gun went flying across the dining room floor. It lay just inches from where Letty stood in shock.

While the one officer cuffed Dante, the other bent down under the table to help Miles and G up, and make sure that they weren’t injured.