The Long Fall of Night: The Long Fall of Night Book 1 by AJ Rose Page B

where Elliot and Ash played a heated game of tag with the boy, more often than not ending up “it” and going after each other. Charlotte refereed their play from a shaded bench. At one point, Ash and Elliot ganged up on Riley and made him shriek when they startled him out of hiding. Shortly after, Elliot called a time out.
    “Hold on, I need something to drink.”
    “Did we bring any water?” Ash turned to Charlotte and shielded his eyes from the midday sun.
    “Yeah.” She dug bottles out of the bat bag while Ash and Elliot collapsed on the bench beside her, each taking one and gulping. Ash wanted to conserve his, but running around in the playground’s sand had him sweating profusely in the mild spring temperatures. With an internal “fuck it,” he chugged the water.
    “You’re getting old, Uncle Ash,” Riley said, running up and falling into the grass at Charlotte’s feet, breathless and animated. “You used to be able to play with me for hours without a break.”
    “Oh, harsh,” Ash said, grinning at the boy. “You’re getting old, too, sport. It’s harder to keep up with you now than it was a few years ago.”
    “Elliot?” Riley asked, eyeing him carefully. “Can you come visit with Uncle Ash again sometime? He’s more fun when you’re here.”
    Elliot spluttered on a swallow of water and coughed, but when he got himself under control again, he grinned at Ash. “See? Someone likes me around, and not just to take his notes while he gets to play with exploding things.”
    Charlotte punched Ash in the shoulder. “So that’s how you get such good grades, Einstein. Someone else does your heavy lifting.”
    He scowled playfully at them all. “What is this, Gang Up on Ash Day? Elliot can come visit with me again if he wants to. I won’t say no to driving his sweet ride.”
    “So I rate just below my car, huh?” Elliot glanced at his watch, and his demeanor became more subdued. His drinking slowed to sips, and he wiped the sweat on his forehead off with the shoulder of his t-shirt more than once.
    “Well, you did prove yourself entertaining this morning,” Ash relented, watching Elliot curiously as his eyes glazed over while staring at the playground. He seemed off in another world all of a sudden, very still and vacant. Ash leaned over and snapped fingers in front of his face, getting no response. “Earth to Elliot.”
    All at once, Elliot came to life again and checked his watch, blinking rapidly and looking around as if not quite sure where they were. When his eyes landed on Riley, still sitting at their feet and plucking blades of grass to let them fly in the wind, his frown cleared and he seemed to relax.
    “You okay?” Charlotte put a hand on his forearm.
    “Yeah,” he mumbled, tentatively smiling at them. But it didn’t reach his eyes, Ash noticed, not the way it had all morning. “If it’s okay with you, do you think we could find that payphone now? I’d really like to try to reach my parents.”
    “Of course. We’ll drop them back at home. Easier to do our shopping afterward.” Ash stood, feeling bad that their playtime had gone on so long when Elliot had to be worried. Just because he was with his own family and reassured of their safety didn’t mean Elliot could relax. Chiding himself for the oversight, Ash helped Riley and Charlotte up and brushed grass and sand off the boy’s clothes.
    As they trooped to the car, Ash fell into step beside Elliot. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m sorry we didn’t make that call sooner. It’s easy to get carried away playing with Riley.”
    Elliot waved a hand, apparently trying for nonchalance and failing. “I’m fine. It was fun. I can’t remember the last time I ran around like a loon for no other purpose than to laugh. Even when I was a kid, I didn’t get to do it much.”
    “Why?”
    Elliot shrugged. “We traveled a lot, and my mom always warned me to have good manners in other countries and not to make a spectacle of