Page 31 of DFF: Delicate Freakin' Flower
“I need emotional armor and a frog rescue team!”
Her response was so emotional and irrational, I couldn't help the burst of laughter that came out of me. My stomach tensed so hard that I couldn’t breathe. And through the chaos, through the crying laughter and the panicked rock flinging, I realized that I hadn’t felt this alive in a long, long time.
She was still flinging rocks like her life depended on it, hair wild, cheeks flushed, yelling threats at unseen aquatic monsters like she’d just declared war on the entire bayou.
I couldn’t stop laughing. It came in waves, real, shoulder-shaking, gut-punching kind of laughter. The kind I hadn’t felt in forever.
Gabby, in full meltdown, wasn’t even fazed by it. If anything, my laughter just fueled her righteous rage.
“You think this is funny,” she panted, flinging another stone with alarming strength, “but that thing—whatever it was—ate a dead frog. What kind of sick underwater funeral crasher does that?”
“A fish,” I gasped out.
“A big fucking demon fish,” she corrected, throwing one last rock that bounced once on the surface, skipped impressively, and then thudded into a tree root with an echoing thump.
Then she collapsed on the bank beside me, arms sprawled, chest rising and falling.
And in the silence that followed, the only noises the soft wind, rustling leaves, and the water lapping the shore like it hadn’t just tried to assassinate a frog, I felt it settle.
Peace. It was brief and fragile, but it was real.
She tilted her head toward me, cheeks still pink. “Okay,” she panted breathlessly, “so maybe I overreacted.”
“Maybe,” I echoed, still grinning.
She closed her eyes and sighed. “But it was totally worth it.”
And it was. It really was. But as I looked at her—at the sunlight dancing through the trees across her skin, the subtle twitch of her smile still clinging to her mouth—my gut twisted.
I knew something she didn’t. Things were about to change.
Maddox’s man was still looking for her. They were probably getting closer every day. Barris, who was jumpy and unpredictable, was somewhere out there, maybe deciding whether to save himself or stay loyal to a sinking ship.
And Marcus, Matty, Remi, and a few other trusted people were deep into the weeds now, digging through Maddox’s old deals, finding files that stank of bribery, missing money, inspectors gone quiet, and building permits that led to nowhere.
They were going to send it to the people already working on Maddox’s case. People who, until now, only had whispers. The evidence Gabby found had lit a match, but what the others were uncovering could burn his whole damn empire down.
And as much as I didn’t want to ruin this moment—her laughter, her joy, and the ease in her shoulders I hadn’t seen since she got here—I knew I couldn’t keep playing it down.
I was going to have to tell her soon. And when I did, that smile might not come back for a while.
So, I let her have it, this ridiculous, perfect moment. Her feet kicked out in front of her, absurd flip-flops askew, hair full of leaves and righteous vengeance.
She caught me watching her and raised a brow. “What?”
I shook my head, smiling faintly. “Nothing, I'm just glad you’re here.”
Her expression softened. “Even though I might’ve just summoned an ancient water beast?”
“Especially because of that.”
She laughed again, quietly this time, like it was just between us and the trees. And I promised myself that she’d get more moments like this.
Whatever it took.
Even if I had to fight the damn Kraken myself.
Chapter Twelve
