Gray pauses, her mouth dipping down in a thoughtful frown. “Oh.”
“All the keys are here,” Bram says, joining me again on the deck. “I’ve got Eli checking the other doors.”
“And windows.” The sheriff pauses, her gaze raking over our home. “Do you have a security system?”
“We do.” Now that she’s here, asking all these questions none of us thought to ask, my brain is moving again, working through the problem. “It didn’t go off, and she doesn’t know the code.”
“Another point in favor of no break-in and her not running off,” Reese says, jotting more notes down on the pad in her hand. “What about the windows? Are those alarmed?”
“Fuck. No.”
“Hey! Guys!” It’s Eli’s voice, from somewhere above us. “Second floor, window by the stairs!”
Darting off the deck, past the sheriff, I jog out far enough for me to see the roof and turn, looking up. My brother has his head shoved out of one of the dormer windows, his arms waving. “This one was unlocked!”
My family and Reese fan out, surrounding the house while I run inside, hope beating so painfully against my chest I’m worried it might crack a rib. Eli moves aside so I can stick my head out the window just as Dane calls my name.
“There!” He points at something I can’t see. Luckily, the window opens outward. It was designed intentionally to give us easy access to the roof in case of repairs or if the snow got too heavy.
I can’t believe we didn’t think to wire the fucking windows to the alarm system.
Moving carefully, I climb out onto the roof, following my brother’s shouted guidance.
And nearly fall to my knees in relief.
There, tucked up against one of the other dormer windows, is my babygirl. Curled up in a ball, still wearing the t-shirt I put her in for bed because she prefers Daddy’s shirts to actual pajamas.
Not wanting to startle her, I creep toward her sleeping form. “Tabby. Baby, you need to wake up now.”
Her nose crinkles a bit, right before her eyelids flutter open. Sleepy golden eyes meet mine and she smiles. “Daddy. You came.”
“Of course I came for you, baby. Daddy will always find you, no matter where you are.” It’s a promise, and one I plan to keep until my dying day.
But first I have to get her off this goddamn roof.
“Can you crawl to me, baby? I need you to be really careful and watch where you put your hands and knees.”
Giggling, she pushes to her feet and my heart lodges in my throat. “Silly Daddy, I don’t need to crawl. I can walk. See?”
Jesus fucking Christ, she’s going to give me a heart attack. But I don’t want to spook her, so I swallow the urge to shout at her not to take another step. Instead I watch her like a goddamn hawk as she carefully puts one bare foot in front of the other.
She’s almost within arm’s reach when it happens. Somehow, she misjudges the next step and her foot slips. Arms pinwheeling, her mouth opens in a silent “O” as she falls backward.
“Tabby!”
Lurching forward, I manage to grab a handful of my shirt. With one hard yank, I pull her to me, into my arms, and my entire body shudders with heart-stopping relief.
“You’re okay, baby. Daddy’s got you. You’re okay. You’re okay.”
I can’t tell who’s trembling more, me or her. But I slowly walk the both of us back toward the window where Eli is waiting to pull us to safety.
As soon as my feet hit the hardwood, I drop to my knees in front of her, my breaths coming in shaking gasps as I run my hands over her. “Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt? Does anything hurt?”
“N-no, Daddy. Just scared me, that’s all.”
The relief at hearing her say she’s okay, at having her where she belongs again, safe and sound, quickly gives way to a fury so hot it’s nearly blinding.
“You are inso much trouble, little girl.”
