Page 39 of Kylie

Well, there you have it. I was close. Maybe not spot on, but I wanted to pat myself on the back.

“The nineteenth of May,” Allison repeated, her gaze locked with mine.

Her tone, not to mention the repetition, said that date had significance, but for⁠—

Maddox.

I frowned, not sure what the word meant, but it felt incredibly special to me.

A scene flashed in my brain like a movie.

“All right, little man. Let’s get dressed so we can get those heathens to the park where they want to be.” I chuckled as I picked him up.

“Park,” he muttered softly.

“Exactly.”

My eyes shot to Allison’s face, holding firm. My chest felt tight as I let the scene repeat again and again. I soaked up the memory of a sweet face and an adorable little-boy smile. It didn’t take long before the memory expanded, and I heard a deep voice. It was familiar. Very familiar.

“Kylie! Baby, you ready?”

“We’re comin’!” I leaned into Maddox. “Aren’t we, sweet boy?”

“Comin’,” he crooned quietly, grinning wide and slobbering on the blanket he clutched in his little fist thanks to that tooth he had coming in.

My eyes remained locked on Allison as she approached slowly.

“Today is my son’s birthday,” I whispered.

She didn’t say a word, merely stared at me.

It was as though someone opened a door inside my mind. Everything came flooding back all at once. My babies: Kate, Kade, Avery, Haden, and Maddox. My husbands: Travis and Gage. My in-laws: Curtis and Lorrie. My dad and his new wife: Joe and Melissa. My brothers-in-law and their significant others: Kaleb and Zoey, Zane and V, Ethan and Beau, Braydon and my sister, Jessica, Sawyer and Kennedy, Brendon and Cheyenne.

Then came the places: my house, the diner, the general store. Walker Park. The lake, the playground, and the daycare my kids went to.

I remembered everything, and the memories that flashed through my gray matter were all good ones. I’d been happy then. So how in the world had I done something so heinous that I would end up here?

Tears filled my eyes when I recalled the last memory I had. Travis and Gage were leaning over me, pleading for me to open my eyes.

“Where are they?” I demanded.

Again, Allison didn’t say anything. It looked as though she wanted to, but she didn’t.

“Tell me,” I insisted.

Her mouth opened, then closed. A second later, her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket, glanced at the screen, then tapped it.

“Yes?”

I couldn’t hear what the caller said, but I watched Allison’s expression closely. Whoever it was, she wasn’t thrilled to hear from them. It wasn’t until she turned to the side and looked up at the ceiling that she spoke.

“I’m well aware,” she said firmly, staring at something.

I followed her gaze. It took a moment, but I finally noticed the red dot inside the black dome on the ceiling. I’d seen those often. Mostly at Alluring Indulgence Resort. Gage had installed them throughout the hotel in the main areas where people congregated but didn’t play. And he always ensured there was a sign that stated they were being recorded.

Someone was watching me.

Chapter Sixteen