“Bye, Johnny,” Shannon whispered as Joey started the engine. She moved to close the car door, but my hand snaked out, stopping her from closing it. She looked up at me with those big blue eyes. Stay. Stay with me, Shannon. I can keep you safe… “Bye, Shannon,” I told her instead, and with a reluctance that bordered on regret, I closed the door. The tires of her brother’s car skidded as he tore out of my driveway. Standing in the pouring rain, I watched him take her away from me.
