Hiding from Victor, probably. God. How many times did we all fail her?
All of us except Hart.
“She wouldn’t come out for me,” Case says. “She’s bad scared.” He shakes his head. “Couldn’t get her to come out for nothin’。”
I turn toward Hart. “She’ll come out for you.”
“If I get her outta there, can you take her back with you?” Hart takes a step toward Case. Wrynn cringes and whimpers. “Her and Grey both?”
Case shakes his head. But I already knew it.
“I can bring Wrynn, ’cause she has a bit of that gift, too. Same as me. But it’s like I told Evie’s mama; I can’t bring nobody else. It just don’t work like that.” He looks at me. “I wish it did, chere.”
“You’ve gotta go get her anyway,” I tell Hart. “At least with us all together, we have a chance. If the water doesn’t get too high, we might make it. Up on the second floor. Or on the roof.”
“Fuck!” Hart turns and puts his fist through the wall of the bookstore. We all jump. Wrynn gives a little shriek and starts to cry. “Goddammit.” He kicks at the baseboard, but then he grabs a flashlight and storms out the front door, leaving it wide open and banging behind him.
Wrynn is full-on sobbing now. She has Case’s T-shirt balled up so tight in her fists that she’s about to pull it off him.
“Evie’ll be okay,” I soothe. “Hart will take care of her. I promise.” But that just makes Wrynn cry louder. “You need to get her out of here,” I tell Case. “Get her somewhere safe.”
“Wish I could get you somewhere safe, chere.” Case shakes his head. “That’s sure a thing I wish I could do.” His voice gets extra deep. “For Elora.” Wrynn is still trembling. She wipes snot on the back of Case’s shirt. “You want me ta come back? After I get Little Bird home? You want me ta be here with you when . . .” He stops. But I know what he’s getting at.
“Thanks,” I tell him. “But Hart will be here. And Evie.” I try to fight my rising panic. “We’ll be together. And there’s nothing you could do to help us anyway.” Case’s face twists up, but he nods. “Let Honey know that I love her, okay? And that I’m sorry about . . . about everything.”
Case nods again. “I sure will, chere. Y’all look out for each other. Ya hear?” He wipes at his face with the back of his hand. “I ain’t giving up on ya. We’ll get somebody down here to see ’boutcha, soon as this blows through.”
Then he turns and heads out to the front porch.
He doesn’t say goodbye.
I crouch down low to talk to Wrynn. “Hey,” I tell her. “Thanks for finding Evie for us.”
She looks at me, all red-faced and puffy-eyed. “Don’t let it get ya, Grey,” she pleads. Her voice is a terrified whisper. And at first I think she means the hurricane. Elizabeth. But then she says, “Da rougarou.” I reach out and run my hand over her stringy red hair.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “I won’t.”
But she grabs my hand and squeezes so hard it hurts. “You promise me, Grey,” she begs. “Please! He’s gonna get Evie, sure. ’Cause Case told him right where she’s at. But when he comes back here, don’t you let him get you, too. You fight with everythin’ ya got.”
She turns and runs to follow Case outside, but when I step through the front door after her, they’ve both already disappeared.
I manage to make it back inside before my legs go out from under me. I lean against the wall and slide down to sit on the bare floor.
The house shakes as the wind moves around the corners with a high-pitched keening sound that makes me shiver.
It’s howling.
Like a bayou werewolf.
I think about the way Wrynn acted when she saw Hart.
That terror in her eyes.
He’s gonna get Evie, sure. ’Cause Case told him right where she’s at.
I find the little blue pearl around my neck.
Twist Elora’s ring around my finger.
My hands are shaking when I reach for my backpack. I pull it across the floor toward me and unzip the front pocket. I’m looking for that photograph of Elora and me. Our tenth birthday. The pink sheet cake. Or the sketch Sander did of the two of us. I just want to see her face.
I need to feel less alone.
But the first thing I find is that birthday card from Hart. The one in the purple envelope. Folded in half. And water-stained.