I swallow the unease creeping up my throat. “Yeah. Thanks, Mal.”
“Anytime.”
I lower the phone, staring past the porch railing. The barn looms in the distance, its doors shut tight, but it’s Nysa’s house that keeps pulling my gaze. It sits in eerie silence, the windows dark, reflecting nothing back.
I wonder if she’s inside right now, staring at the same trees. Feeling the same creeping unease.
I wonder if she knows I do too.
By the time Malerick shows up, the sun is dipping low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the yard. His truck rumbles up the driveway.
He steps out, straightens, and scans the property with that cool, assessing look he’s mastered. He’s taller than me by an inch, broader too. With that build, people hesitate before testing him.
“Where’s Maddie?” he asks, his voice low but firm, already in work mode.
“Inside, watching a movie.” I jerk my chin toward the house. “Figured I’d keep her busy while we talk.”
He nods, then sweeps his gaze over the yard, his attention sharp. “Show me the window.”
I lead him to Maddie’s room. The small window faces the side yard, framed by the gnarled branches of the tree that leans too close to the house. Malerick crouches, inspecting the latch before stepping outside. He moves with purpose, checking the ground beneath it, the tree’s bark, the distance from the house.
A few minutes later, he straightens, brushing dirt from his hands. “No footprints. No obvious signs of someone hanging around. But that doesn’t mean no one was here.”
The muscles in my jaw tighten. “What do you think?”
He exhales slowly, gaze unreadable. “Could be nothing. Could be someone screwing around. But if Nysa’s back and she’s scared, it’s worth paying attention to.”
My eyes drift toward her house. “You think someone’s after her?”
“What I want to know,” he says, voice even, “is why she left without telling anyone. And if she’s scared, she’s probably not giving you the full picture.”
I let out a slow breath, my thoughts circling back to the way I found her in the barn—wide-eyed, breathing too fast, like she expected something worse than me to be standing there. “That house sat empty for years.” My voice is quieter now. “Now she’s back, and she looks like she’s bracing for something to go wrong.”
Malerick rubs a hand along his jaw, gaze distant. “I’ll ask around. See if anyone’s noticed anything off. In the meantime, keep an eye on her. And on Maddie.” His focus sharpens, locking onto mine. “If something’s going on, I want to know about it.”
I nod. “Yeah. Will do.”
He claps a hand on my shoulder. “You’re doing good, Hopper. You’re a good dad.”
I nod, swallowing against the tightness in my throat. This is something I never thought I would do right, not with the fucked-up childhood we lived. “Thanks, Mal.”
He doesn’t say anything else. Just gives me a final look before heading back to his truck. The engine rumbles to life, headlights slicing through the dusk, and then he’s gone.
The yard feels different once he leaves. Quieter. Darker.
I stand there for a beat, staring at the empty space where his truck was, the night pressing in from the edges of the property. The barn looms, its doors shut tight. Beyond it, Nysa’s house remains still, like a place caught between belonging and being forgotten.
I push away the feeling creeping up my spine and step back inside.
Maddie is curled up on the couch, her tiny body sinking into the cushions, eyes drooping as the credits roll on her movie. I scoop her up, her warmth seeping into me as she instinctively buries her face against my shoulder.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I don’t wan the man back.”
I force a smile, brushing her curls from her forehead. “He’s not coming back. I promise.”
