All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [30]
“Not yet.”
She fumbled with the bag containing the spare clothes they’d borrowed for Tommy from the church’s charity donations. “I have a bad feeling about this.” She looked around. “Do you think anyone’s watching us?”
The reverend gazed lovingly down at his wife. “Why would anyone be watching us?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.” She exhaled. “Like I said, I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing.”
“Would you have preferred that I’d told Kennedy no?”
Her eyes lowered. “Of course not.”
Rev. Warner draped a supportive arm around his wife, and placed a kiss against her worried brow. “Hang in there. It won’t be long before the seventh inning.”
At the bottom of the sixth, the Braves were at bat. The score was tied three-to-three. The first two batters struck out on their first three pitches. The third batter had started off in the same pattern, and the call was standing at 0 and 2 when the first two balls were called strikes.
The crowd hushed as the battle between the pitcher and the batter intensified. The next two pitches appeared to be in the strike zone, even from the cheap seats, but they were hit foul.
Kennedy wiped at her sweat-slick hands. One more out and it would be time to execute her plan. Several small beacons of doubt surfaced in her mind as she wondered if she had covered every possible scenario that could go wrong. She nibbled at her bottom lip as she realized everything that could go wrong would. What if Reverend Warner wasn’t here? Maybe he’d been called away on business and couldn’t make the game. It was possible. After all, he was a busy man.
The batter swung and connected as the pitch crossed the plate. It was a base hit up the middle.
Tommy jumped up and down and waved wildly, joining in with the crowd’s cheering.
She smiled as she watched him point excitedly to a giant foam hand with the raised index finger that proclaimed number one. She wished that she had thought to bring him to a ball game before now.
The crowd went wild when the next batter made a base hit on the first pitch.
Kennedy glanced at her watch and took another look around. Her anxiety grew.
The next batter hacked at his first pitch. Then, on the second one, the fans jumped to their feet as what had looked to be a potential home run drifted foul. The crowd moaned in disappointment.
Tommy slurped his drink, but never took his eyes off the game. When this was all over, Kennedy vowed she’d sign him up for T-ball for next spring. Who knew, she just might have a little athlete on her hands.
She smiled at the thought, and was surprised that she could manage it under the circumstances.
On the next pitch the suspense ended. The batter struck out, leaving two men stranded. The inning was over.
“Are you ready?” she asked Tommy with a nervous smile.
High in the stands, an organ played the introduction to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Tommy nodded and rose to his feet. “Will I still get to see the end of the game with Reverend Warner?”
Kennedy placed a silencing finger against her lips, but nodded.
He smiled, but she read his sadness at leaving her clearly in his eyes. She wanted to pull him into her arms and assure him again that their separation would only be temporary. Instead, struggling to keep everything looking normal, she took him by the hand, stepped out into the aisle, and led her young son toward the bathrooms.
Keenan bridged his hands beneath his chin as he watched the mother and son move through the crowd. Gone were his earlier apprehensions that his quarry was up to something. She was more likely just nervous about being out in the open.
C-note, one of Keenan’s most trusted gang members, leaned over in his chair and asked, “What do you want us to do, boss?”
Weighing his options, Keenan knew that, in a case like this, being surrounded by a crowd was more of a blessing than a curse for a gunman. People tend not to take much notice of their surroundings and the shooter had the luxury of blending in with the crowd. If he was going to make a move,