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NOT LONG AFTER THEY ALL rolled away from the falling cross, they came to the grim discovery that Pope was deathlyallergic to wasps. He was dying in the back of the van, until they pulled up to JJ's cousin's house, a paramedic, who gave him an almost lethal injection that managed to do the opposite - save the boy's life.
So they quickly returned, and after crashing a car, ditching it, and running all the way back to church, they came to another grim discovery - the cross had been taken. They all had only a singular idea to whom it might have been, and since they drove past them, they knew their hunch was true. Limbrey had the cross.
They lost Kiara on the way home, after Shoupe found their car and practically dragged her away, so the remainder of the group drove to Sarah's house in search of Rafe and the cross. "He's got the cross," Pope gasped as they jumped out of the van, running to the stone fence lining the yard.
John B shushed him. "Stay low, stay low."
"How much do you wanna bet Rafe has the cross inside that truck right now?"
"Why is he alone? Where's Limbrey, or that other creep?" Renna asked, peering over the fence.
Atticus gulped. "I'm thinking . . . I'm thinking Peterkin," the boy muttered, brows furrowing. Renna looked at him, and they met eyes, and he sent her a forced smile once acknowledging her intense worry. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his side as he pressed a kiss to her temple.
"There's only one way to find out," Sarah mumbled before walking away.
"I'm coming with!" Renna whisper-shouted as she tried to follow the blonde, only to get pulled back by a hand she knew too well. She turned around. "Atticus-"
"I can't let you, baby. You know that," he mumbled, tugging her closer by her hand. She sighed, tilting her head with a sorrowful expression as she squeezed his palm.
"Please, love. You can trust me, remember, just like I'll always trust you," she whispered, both their eyes flashing with a hint of a memory too painful to remember.
He took a step closer, resting his hands on her shoulders as he examined her face. "Please, please just trust me," he cried.
"Oh, Atticus. Of course I trust you, I'll never stop trusting you," she said as she reached up and held his cheeks, his own tears cascading between her fingers and pooling in the webs between them.
He let out a breath, closing his eyes as he let his forehead fall against her own. "I know, I know. I just can't lose you, Renna. It's already happened before-"
