Looking over their shoulders, two men pound past the pizzeria.
Following behind them, his fists clenched while pumping his arms for speed, is Ace.
Em’s knuckles whiten as her hands grip the sides of the chair.
Noah clears his throat, “Em.”
Her eyes continue watching the three men run down the boards.
The wail of a siren grows louder.
Em’s head swivels.
A police car with the lights on is making its way down the boards. People are scrambling out of the way with their arms outstretched and fingers pointing in the direction the men ran.
Noah raps his knuckles on the glass tabletop. “Em.”
Her eyes wide and her lips stretched in a thin white line, she turns back to face him.
“We’re okay and Ace didn’t stop,” Noah says calmly. “I suspect he may be in police custody for a little while.”
“I wonder why he was chasing those guys.,” she says shuddering. “He’s scary.”
Nodding, Noah says, “It’s hard to say why he was chasing those two men. They could be business associates or competitors.”
A server drops the plates containing their slices on the table.
Em pulls her slice closer and breathes in the sauce and spicy pepperoni.
“You were sharing about your life in the past year,” Noah says, tapping a finger on his bottle of water.
“Uh yeah. Things are better than they were. My sister is actually going to therapy weekly now and has more good days than bad. I don’t want to say they’re back to normal yet, but it’s improved. My mom has good days and bad. It’s the bad days that stop my heart. She and my dad had such big plans when they retired, but those are gone.”
“You gave up your personal life to step in and care for your sister’s children. That’s a sacrifice and one few people would make. There was another man widely known who sacrificed for all of us.”
Tilting her head with her brows furrowed, “Really?”
“Yes. He was put to death like a common criminal and hung on a cross. Spikes in his palms and feet. A horrible and painful way to end a life.”
“Oh. I know that story.”
“It is more than a story. He is the reason we’re forgiven. He is the reason we have hope. He is our salvation.”
The back of Em’s throat aches and she tries to swallow the lump in her throat. She drops her head and gaze to the slice of pizza in front of her.
Noah picks up one of his slices and takes a huge bite.
Em takes a small nibble off the end of her slice. A sour smell has her pulling her head back and up.
“Preach, you got a five you can give me?” says a stringy-haired boy with dirty, tattered jeans and a barely there t-shirt.
“Nope, but you can have this other slice of pizza,” Noah says as he hands over the plate containing the slice.
The boy scarfs down the slice.
Em lays a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
The boy flinches, “I’m sorry ma’am. Was this yours?”
Em smiles sadly. “No. You enjoy it. Do you want another slice with maybe a soda?”
“A water would be better,” Noah says.
“Sure,” the boy says, his mouth full of pizza.
Em heads back inside the pizza shop and places the order. Returning to their table, she pulls an empty chair over from one of the nearby tables. “Sit here until your order comes out.”
A wide grin on his face, Noah polishes off the last of his slice and mouths the words “thank you” to her.
The boy ducks his head and mumbles, “Thanks.”
“Evan, why didn’t you show up for breakfast this morning,” Noah questions.
“I overslept.”
“Where did you sleep last night?”
“It was on Mississippi Avenue.”
“We had room at the center.”
“Couldn’t make it there before the doors closed. Dropped where I could to catch a few.”
Noah frowns.
A server appears and delivers the slice along with the bottle of water.
Em moves them in front of Evan.