The Sweetest Gift: A Second Circle Tattoos/Preload Crossover Novella

by Scarlett Cole

  When they got to the restaurant, Petal was excited to find they had a big room all to themselves. Oh, and there were breadsticks. Momma said she could only have one, but she’d gone to every table and asked for one when Momma wasn’t looking, and was nearly up to seven.

  “Uncle Elliott, can Holly or Noah come and dance with me?” Holly didn’t look much like she wanted to dance. Her face was all crumpled and tears were falling down her cheeks. It also sounded like she had hiccups and Petal hated the sound of hiccups.

  Uncle Elliott brushed a hand through her curls. “Sorry, baby girl,” he said. “Holly’s in a bit of a grumpy mood. And Noah’s asleep.” He nodded in the direction of the stroller where Noah’s little eyes were closed.

  “Will you dance with me?” she asked. Children would be better, but she could also make a dance troupe with adults.

  Uncle Elliott took a sip of his beer as he bounced his knee. “I gotta stay with Holly. Why don’t you try Daniel?”

  Petal scanned the room. Daniel was chatting with Uncle Cujo. She hurried to them. “Will you two come and dance with me?”

  “I’m saving my dance moves for tomorrow,” Uncle Cujo said. “Will you dance with me then?”

  Petal pursed her lips. If they didn’t dance tonight to practice, their dancing wouldn’t be very good tomorrow. But at least he’d said he’d dance with her tomorrow.

  “Okay. But will you dance with me, Daniel?”

  Daniel looked down at his plate. He still had three slices of pizza on it. Daniel ate so much food, she’d heard Auntie Kendalee tell Auntie Georgia that it was like feeding a horse. “I’m still eating, Bug.”

  She had no clue why he called her Bug, but she was the only one he called it, which made it a special name just for her.

  Continuing her path around the room, she asked everybody. Uncle Jordan wouldn’t let Auntie Lexi because she was tired and had been sick. Petal thought her mom had said it was morning sickness so why Auntie Lexi needed looking after when it was nearly her bedtime didn’t make sense. And if the baby was making her sick, maybe she should just send the baby back to wherever babies lived before they came to live with you. Auntie Harper and Auntie Lia said they had last-minute wedding things to do.

  Everybody said no.

  Her surprise dance troupe for the wedding was going to be a disaster.

  If she had to, she could dance by herself, but there were at least ten plus three plus eight people here, and none of them wanted to dance with her.

  If nobody in here would dance with her, she’d see if anybody outside wanted to. The door was right there. She looked at Uncle Jordan, who was whispering something to Auntie Lexi. And her dad was in conversation with Uncle Nik. A loud crash made her jump, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. A lady carrying plates and glasses had dropped her tray, and Petal seized her chance.

  She slipped outside the door.

  Immediately, Petal wished she’d thought to bring the pretty jacket Auntie Lia had bought her for her trip. It was covered in sequins and when it was sunny outside, bursts of sparkles reflected off it in all directions. Instead, it was placed neatly on the chair next to her sister, Arwen. Arwen was nearly three and past the fussy stage she’d gone through where she put everything in her mouth. But she was clumsy and Petal worried that she might spill her juice on it or something.

  She eyed the door cautiously, wondering if she should pop back inside and grab it, but dismissed it because someone would probably see her.

  The streets were busy, but she remembered that the beach was just across the road. There, she’d find the dancers she’d seen earlier when she’d gone for a walk with Uncle Jordan and Arwen and Daniel. They would help her.

  People swarmed around her, but the funny thing about adults is that most of them never took any notice of her. They were too busy laughing with friends, and if they were alone, they were usually on their phones. Hardly any of them looked down at her as she weaved between their legs to the beach.

  It was a very grown-up feeling to be out on her own. Petal pulled her shoulders back because Auntie Lia had always told her to be proud of who she was and to never slouch.

  A loud bang made her jump, and she turned to see a car on the road that was actually bouncing. Her heart raced as she watched it move jerkily down the road. It was the coolest thing, and she added it to her list of things she wanted. She’d asked her daddy for a pony. She’d also mentioned it to Uncle Jordan as back up. She’d also asked Uncle Jordan for the bright red scooter she’d seen. She’d asked Uncle Nik for three boxes of her favorite candy, and Uncle Elliott for another baby girl cousin. Perhaps she’d see if Uncle Lennon could buy her a car.

  A loud growl right by her ear made her scream. The dog had its teeth bared and, for a moment, Petal thought it was going to bite her face until the owner pulled on its chain.

  “Uther, stop,” the dog’s owner shouted. Petal watched, open-mouthed as he forced the dog to sit and told it off. “You okay, kid?” he asked.

  With her pounding heart and shaky hands, she nodded. Tears welled in her eyes, but she bit them back.

  “Where are your parents?” he asked, scanning the sidewalk.

  But she didn’t want to tell him, didn’t want him to ruin the surprise she had for the wedding, so she did the only thing she could think of.

  She ran.

  She ran the length of the street until she reached the long road that went in the other direction. The beach was just on the other side, the boardwalk that Auntie Harper loved to run along. They’d seen her in her sneakers and a pink vest while they’d been walking earlier.

  The light was green and lots of other people were walking, so she continued to sprint across the road. Now she was running, people were looking at her. A lady called out to ask if she was okay, but she didn’t want to look at her. When she hit the boardwalk, she couldn’t remember which way the dancers had been. She looked left and right to see if she could see them.

  The lady from the crosswalk was still staring, and when she took a step in Petal’s direction, Petal ran as fast as she could.

  She weaved in and out of the people ahead of her. The beach was right there, and because it was dark, she could hide out there. Petal looked down at her shoes, her special shoes for the wedding. She didn’t want to get sand in them and get them all ruined. But she didn’t have the time to take them off without people noticing she was on her own.

  Where could she go?

  There was a humungous thing with plants in it right in the middle of the boardwalk, and Petal took a chance, running to it, and crawled into the space behind it.

  She didn’t feel so confident now. All of the lights made her feel dizzy. It was too loud, too noisy, and if she was honest, instead of feeling brave, she felt scared. Her pretty dress now had at least three dirt marks on it. But it was her shoes that made her cry. The crystals on the toe of her shoes were scuffed, which meant tomorrow, when she walked down the aisle, all everyone would be able to see was her ruined shoes.

  Auntie Harper was going to be so mad because the shoes had been a special gift to make sure the wedding was perfect. And Uncle Reid was going to be mad because she’d ruined one of the dresses Auntie Lia had bought her especially for this trip. Momma and Daddy were going to be angry that she left. And she knew how much it bothered Uncle Jordan when he couldn’t find people that he loved.

  Tears fell down her cheeks and she didn’t even have a tissue to blow her nose on. She dragged her arm and hand beneath her nose and stood up.

  The best thing she could do was head back to the place they were having dinner, but she couldn’t remember what it was called.

  Momma had always told her that if she ever got lost, she should ask a lady grown-up for help, a momma who had babies of her own, but as she looked around, she couldn’t see a momma. And if she couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant, where would she tell them to take her?

  Her stomach squeezed and she thought she might be sick. She got tha
t funny taste in her mouth when it seemed to make too much spit for her to swallow.

  What if they called the police?

  Then she’d be in really big trouble. Then her momma and daddy might go to prison for not looking after her properly when it had been her fault.

  And if they were in prison, who would look after her? Uncle Jordan had his new baby. He wouldn’t want her, his old baby.

  Petal plopped back down on her butt, hidden out of sight, and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly.

  Lost, in the dark, she didn’t know what to do.

  6

  Daniel chewed his last mouthful of pizza and washed it down with a chug of cola. “God, I’m so full.”

  Cujo laughed. “Not surprised. I think that was slice twenty-eight. You’re going to be the same size as me if you keep that up.”

  If only. Daniel yearned to be the same size as his stepdad, Elliott, with his broad shoulders and muscular arms. They’d been working out together, and he’d been trying everything to add some weight onto his scrawny frame.

  Years of surgeries to address his burns had left him stationary for large chunks of his life. There had been times when his legs had looked like matchsticks, pun intended. Thin and burnt. Elliott respected his need for macabre humor, his mom, on the other hand, lost her shit every time he made a joke along the same lines. At first, he’d kept on doing it, but then he’d heard Elliott comforting her while she cried about it. And then Elliott had come to talk to him and explained how their ways of coping with what happened were different and he needed to respect what his mom had gone through, being by his side all those months in the hospital.

  He looked over to where Elliott was holding Holly, who was in a foul mood. He was so patient with her, even when Holly grabbed a handful of his long hair and tugged on it really hard. He simply took hold of her little hand gently until she released it. And he never got mad.

  Not like his own dad, who was perpetually angry. He hated his father. Daniel had long ago gotten over the fact his father had sided with his brother, Daniel’s abuser, when Daniel had first confessed to what had been happening. But what he couldn’t forgive was his father’s refusal to give consent for Elliott to adopt him.

  His father knew Elliott was a better man in every way. Richer, better looking, more successful, younger. But more than that, he’d seen the impact Elliott had on Daniel’s life. And seeing Daniel wanted nothing more than to be Elliott’s official child, just like Holly and Noah were, his father had point-blank refused to give his permission.

  The only thing his dad could control was who Daniel legally belonged to. But not for long. He’d asked Elliott and his mom, his real parents, if they’d help him legally emancipate from his father so Elliott could adopt him. It was the only thing he wanted for Christmas because he knew such things weren’t cheap and needed lawyers and stuff.

  In the meantime, Elliott had written a contract for the two of them. That he was Daniel’s dad in every way that mattered, no matter what the law said.

  Daniel scanned the room for Petal. He felt kinda crappy for shooing her away when he’d been eating. All she’d wanted from him was a moment to teach him this damn routine she’d chirped on about all day. When they’d gone for their walk, she’d stood studying some dancers on the boardwalk for an age, trying to copy what they were doing. And if he was honest, it was the cutest freaking thing to watch her with her furrowed brow and tongue slightly sticking out as she concentrated.

  “Did you see where Petal went?” he asked Cujo.

  Cujo shook his head but joined him in scanning the room. “No. I didn’t. Perhaps she went to Jordan.”

  The room was busy with lots of Lia and Reid’s wedding party. Daniel got up and walked around the room, looking under tables as he passed, behind curtains. “Uncle Jordan, have you seen Petal?”

  His uncle stood immediately. “No. Have you looked for her?”

  Daniel sighed. “Not thoroughly. She wanted to dance, and I said no. Feeling kinda shitty.”

  Jordan ran his hand through his beard. “She asked me and Lex, too… and we said no.”

  “Dred,” Jordan called across a couple of tables. “Is Petal with you?”

  The concern in Jordan’s voice had those in hearing distance looking for Petal, too.

  Fear began to trickle down Daniel’s spine, and he forced himself to take a deep breath.

  Dred stood and scanned the room. “Pix?” he yelled. “Petal with you?”

  Voices began to join the chorus. Her name rippled through the restaurant as people began to look around.

  “I’ll check the bathroom,” Lia said, jumping to her feet. He watched as she hurried in the direction of the washrooms, holding his breath until Lia came back out. “She’s not in there.”

  Panic began to build, a tangible change in the energy of the room.

  His Uncle Nik came to stand by Uncle Dred, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s split…a few people stay here to search the restaurant, the rest of us hit the street.”

  The room began to empty as people headed out to search. “Dad, wait,” he shouted as Elliott ran for the door.

  “Sorry, Bud. I need to go.”

  “No, Dad. I think I know where she went.”

  Elliott stopped. “Tell me.”

  “We went for a walk today with Uncle Jordan. We went down the boardwalk from the hotel and there were these dancers. And you know how she’s been trying to build this dance troupe for the party tomorrow night. Well, I said no. And Uncle Jordan said no.”

  Elliott ran his hand through his hair. “I said no because of Holly. And I know Harper and Lia said no because they were working on arrangements for tomorrow.”

  Daniel nodded furiously. “I think everyone said no, so I think she went to look for those dancers to see if they’d join her.”

  “So, let’s go. Where was it?”

  Daniel ran out of the door and Elliott followed. They sprinted down toward the beach and crossed the street without even waiting for the lights to change. Elliott just threw his hand up to stop the cars that were starting to move, and completely ignored the irate drivers who honked their horns.

  They passed Nik and Reid, who were searching the street, and followed the path down to the boardwalk.

  It was busy with partygoers… Miami didn’t sleep, not even on Christmas Eve.

  When they hit the boardwalk, Daniel stopped and closed his eyes, trying to remember if the dancers had been before or after this side street. “How far away is the hotel, Dad, if we were walking to get here?”

  Elliott looked up the beach. “Maybe ten minutes. Fifteen, tops.”

  They’d been walking about half an hour when they had stumbled upon the dancers. He remembered because Petal had complained about being tired and wanted ice cream right before she’d seen them and found a burst of sudden energy to dance with them. “It’s this way, to the right,” Daniel said.

  “You sure?” Elliott asked.

  “Yeah. I’m sure. It was farther along.”

  Daniel and Elliott slowed a little so they could search.

  “Petal?” Elliott called out, and Daniel copied him. In unison, they called her name.

  “Hey,” a lady said, stopping them. “Are you looking for a little girl? Curly hair. Silver dress?”

  “Yes,” Daniel said.

  “Which way did she go?” Elliott added.

  “She headed in the direction you are going, perhaps five or ten minutes ago. I tried to catch her because I figured she was lost, but she disappeared.”

  Daniel’s heart began to race at the news. They were headed in the right direction. He tried to block out all thoughts of what disappeared could mean. He’d been abused. He’d been held captive in his room against his will by his uncle. The idea of anything happening to that precious little girl because he wouldn’t dance with her turned the pizza in his stomach to curdled cheese.

  “Dad, what if something happens to—”

  �
��Don’t,” Elliott said, stopping his fast pace to turn and face Daniel. “We can’t think like that, Bud. Not yet. We have to do everything we can to try and find her, first. And to do that, we have to try and keep a calm mind.”

  “I don’t want what happened to me to happen to her,” he blurted.

  Elliott reached for him and pulled him into a hug, squeezing him so hard it felt as though his ribs might break. “Oh, Daniel. Neither do I.” He released his hold. “So, let’s hold that thought and focus on finding her, yeah?”

  Daniel nodded.

  “Do you remember anything that might narrow down where the dancers were? Anything that might tell us we’ve gone too far.”

  Daniel wracked his brain. “It was super close to the place we got ice cream. I’ll remember that place if I see it and will let you know.”

  As they walked, they checked behind walls, across the beach. Elliott ran off the sidewalk onto the sand to get a better view of the beach, them both crying out her name.

  Daniel scoured every nook and cranny, every narrow gap, every patio.

  As the boardwalk opened up, he took a minute to stand in one spot and turn slowly to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “Petal,” he yelled, cupping his mouth in the hope it would make his voice louder. “Petal.”

  “Daniel.”

  The word was faint, but he could have sworn he heard his name. He spun around to see if the words had come from behind him.

  “Petal. It’s me,” he cried. “It’s Daniel.”

  “Daniel.” The little voice got louder until Petal emerged from what appeared to be a crawl space between a planter and the wall. Her knees were scraped, her dress muddy, but he ran to her as she ran to him.

  Daniel fell awkwardly to his knees. “Come here, Bug,” he said, opening his arms to her as she threw herself against his body. Tears began to fall in earnest as she sobbed against his shoulder.

  “I can’t find them, and everybody is going to be so mad,” she said, her words punctuated with sobs.

  “No, they won’t be.” Daniel stood, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips. “We just need to let everyone know you are safe.”