I paused; did I wait? Oh, hell, might as well follow her. I entered the house, shocked at how homely it felt. From the outside, it looked ultramodern and new.Inside was a different story. Pictures covered the walls of the large entrance hall, surrounding two double doorways. Observing more closely revealed Mike, the girls, and sometimes a woman. That must be the murdered mother. She was blonde and attractive in a girl-next-door way.
“It’s you!” Robin gasped, skidding to a halt as she came down the stairs. “Go away, you’re not going to hurt Daddy.” Robin scowled, and I hid a smile.
“Nope, I’m here to say sorry. I bought you this,” I replied and held out a doll.
Clearly, I owed the sales assistant a huge tip, as Robin’s eyes widened, and I saw greed cross her face. Oh, Robin wanted it. I offered both dolls, and Robin glanced between them.
“Which one do you want?” I asked.
“Vampirana,” she said, pointing. I gathered that was the vampire doll. I offered it to her, and Robin took it with reverence.
“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Robin gasped and, without warning, launched at me. Startled, I stepped back as two arms wrapped around my waist. “Thank you, scary lady!”
I heard boot steps as I awkwardly patted Robin on the shoulder. There was no way I’d ever admit it, but the hug felt nice. Mike appeared through one of the double doorways, Raven beside him.
“Look, Daddy! Vampirana!” Robin squealed. The grim expression Mike gave me faded as he smiled down at his ecstatic child.
“Did you say thank you?” he asked.
“Yes, can I go play?” Robin demanded, clearly excited at the doll.
“Sure,” Mike agreed.
“Here, this one is for you,” I said, holding the second out to Raven. She eyed it with suspicion before glancing up at Mike.
“Carry on,” he urged, and she stepped forward and took it.
“Thanks,” she muttered begrudgingly and shot off after her sister.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Mike stated. I stood awkwardly in the hallway.
“I want to apologise.”
“For digging into my past, accessing redacted materials, or for scaring the fuck out of my girls?” Mike fired back.
“Do I get to pick?”
Mike let out a bark of laughter. “Christ, you’re a piece of work. Come on through, I’m cooking dinner.”
I followed Mike through the lounge into a wide kitchen. The area was open plan and clearly a family home. There were signs of the kids: a blanket, a doll, and a pair of shoes. The sofas appeared comfortable, and there was an oversized armchair. On the arm was a book, and I imagined Mike sitting in with a girl on either side and reading to them. There was a corner with several toy boxes, too, and I saw shelves with games and books stacked neatly on them.
Mike stood in front of a stove, stirring something in a pot. He glanced over my shoulder and nodded. “Take a seat.”
“Thanks.”
I sat watching him move about the kitchen. Mike understood what he was doing and was fuckin’ sexy in doing so. He wore an old pair of jeans worn down and frayed at a knee, that clung lovingly to his ass. He had a tee on with ‘Navy SEAL’ written across the chest, and the kicker was that he was barefoot. Barefoot men in jeans possessed a certain irresistible sexiness.
“Go on,” Mike said, turning around and leaning his hips against a counter. He crossed his legs and stared at me.
“What?” I stammered, my train of thought jumbled.
“Apologise.”
“Oh yeah. We overreacted. We’d received the message with a clear threat aimed at Maci, and then you arrived. Naturally, I acted on a perceived threat and moved to protect Maci,” I said.
“Nope. That’s not an apology,” Mike retorted.
“What?” I replied, confused.
