“This place is crawling with cops right now. Moses is too smart to try to make a move in a place where he’d be this exposed,” I say, then rethink it. “But, yeah. Find a place to park, and I’ll text you our location. I’m not taking any chances with either of them.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Maybe go inside first. It’d be harder for him to go unnoticed in there.”
I give him a nod. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Thanks, man. For everything.”
“It’s my pleasure. Be right back.”
I push off the car and head for Scarlett, who is standing in between two inflatable towers near the door, getting our tickets.
“I could’ve gotten those,” I tell her.
She swivels her head with a smile. “Not necessary.”
“She got me so many tickets, Gabe! I’m going to play all the games!”
If the woman at the ticket counter thinks it’s weird to hear a grown man sound like a child, she doesn’t even blink.
We head inside and follow the big red footprints stuck to the gray floor, toward a gymnasium filled with carnival games. The first thing Bump does is grab Scarlett by the hand and drags her along after him while he checks out every one of them and the prizes they offer.
I follow behind them, noticing kids in wheelchairs, and a few who look like they’ve had it rough, just like Bump. But every single one of them has a smile on their face right now.
Well, shit. Maybe Scarlett is right about wanting to see if Bump would like coming here. Maybe he’d be able to help keep those smiles on their faces. Maybe it would keep a bigger one on his.
Bump does have a gift for it, and sharing it would probably make him happy as hell.
Before I can think any more about it, Bump spots a basketball game in the corner. Four hoops are mounted on a plywood board, and there’s only one person playing.
“We can all play! Come on, guys.”
Bump’s enthusiasm is contagious. We all step up to the game and hand over the correct number of tickets.
“Is this a good time to tell you that I was never good at basketball in gym?” Scarlett asks with a giggle. “Because I wasterrible.”
“You don’t need to be good at basketball,” Bump says, bouncing from foot to foot as we watch the other player finish his game while the attendant sets up ours. “You only need to be good at shooting baskets. No dribbling. No other players. Just you and the ball. Focus, Scarlett. You got this. I believe in you.”
Scarlett’s chin trembles, and a sheen comes over her eyes. “Thank you, Bump. I really appreciate that.” I can hear the tears in her voice from Bump’s ardent faith and encouragement.
“I’m still going to win, though,” he says, shooting her a quick glance. “It’s just how it has to be.”
I look from one of my favorite people on earth to the other. This is what it’s all about. No matter what happens during the fight or after it with the club, as long as I have these two, everything else will be just fine.
Twenty-Six
Scarlett
“I’m trying really hard notto be stunned that you beat Bump,” I say with a pink stuffed bunny clutched to my side.
Gabriel glances at my prize. “It’s not a salt-and-pepper-shaker set, but it’ll do.For now.”
I grin at his mention of my salt-and-pepper-shaker addiction.I love that he remembers the little things.
Bump has Hal at his side, and the two men walk ahead of us. Bump declared he has to take another walk around the gym before he decides what to play next. He uses his hands as he talks to Hal, and warmth fills my chest. I’m so happy we came. I’ve missed Bump, and I know if I have, Gabriel must be feeling the separation acutely.
When we walk past a water-target shooting game, Gabriel pauses. “Do you see what I see?”
I jerk my head around toward the game and look. “What?”
He points to the upper right-hand corner. “There. It’s black and red and white.”