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“You’re asking me to raise your daughter if you don’t make it back. You’re asking me to stay behind when I should watch your back for this. I’m supposed to just take off…without looking back?”
“Bleu, the only reason I can do this is because I know my daughter will be safe. You’re the only man I trust for the job. If I don’t make it…I know you’ll raise her how I want her to be raised. I know you’ll love her like she’s your own.”
He dropped his gaze.
“Bleu.”
“What if I take your place, and you run off with Claire?”
I shook my head. “It needs to be me.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s my woman.” Nothing was going to stop me. Bullets. Knives. Fire. Nothing. “And I have a lot more experience than you do. Taking Claire to safety is not cowardly. This entire operation depends on you—because you have the most important job.”
He raised his gaze again.
“You’re the only person I trust to do it.”
After a long stare, he gave a nod. “When?”
“Now.”
He stilled. “You want me to do this now?”
“Yes. We want to make sure you’re far away before we make our move.”
“When is this happening?”
“The second we get the plan together—and not a moment later. The longer she’s there…” The less likely it was that she was still alive. Forneus didn’t go through so much trouble just to kill her, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave her too much acid on accident, and then she would be gone.
“Alright,” Bleu said. “I’ll think of a place.”
“And somewhere far away, Bleu. Far.”
He nodded.
Bartholomew pulled the papers out of his pocket. “These will get you anywhere you need to go. Pay for everything with cash. Leave your phone behind and take this instead.” He pulled out a phone and tossed it on the table. “Call the number every day. We’ll leave a message when it’s safe to come back.”
Bleu looked at the cash and papers then looked at me again. “You better come back, alright?”
I nodded.
“Not just for her—but for me too.”
She didn’t have a suitcase, so I packed one of mine.
Clothes, shoes, her bows, and most of her stuffed animals. Coloring books, colored markers, stickers, stuff that would keep her busy so Bleu wouldn’t lose his mind trying to keep her entertained. She had a couple books she liked, but that was her least favorite hobby. She was like me—liked to do things with her hands.
When it was done, I zipped up the suitcase and set it on the floor.
“Daddy?” Her quiet voice came from the doorway to her bedroom. While I’d packed, she’d visited with Bleu, being a lot warmer to him than she’d been to me all week.
I didn’t look at her. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“What are you doing?”
I kept my eyes on the suitcase.
“I’m sorry…please don’t go.” She immediately burst into tears. “Please don’t leave me. I’m sorry, okay?” She sprinted into me on the floor and latched on, like the ground disappeared beneath her feet. Her little chest pressed against me every time she gasped for breath. “I won’t do it again.”
“Claire—”
“You’re leaving me like Mom…”
My heart was glass, and she threw a brick, shattering it. I almost called the whole thing off. “Sweetheart.” I pulled her away from me so I could see her heartbroken face. “I’ll never leave you. Don’t ever think that, okay?”
“You promise…”
I nodded. “Cross my heart…hope to die…”
“Stick a finger in my eye?”
I nodded again.
“Then what are you doing?”
I remained kneeling on the floor as I rubbed her arms, our eyes level. She was tall for her age, but I was enormous compared to her, so taking a knee was the only way I could make her feel equal. “I’m getting Constance back.”
Her eyes immediately lit up. “You are?”
She looked at the suitcase. “I’m coming too?”
“No. You’re going to go on a little trip with Uncle Bleu until I get back.”
“Oh…”
“It’ll just be a couple days.”
Her eyes fell, and she looked devastated all over again.
“Sweetheart?”
“I’m scared.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of—”
“It’s a really scary place, Dad. I…I don’t want you to be scared.”
Her heart was so pure, I couldn’t believe it. Far purer than mine. “Daddy doesn’t get scared.”
“Everyone gets scared.”
Losing my girls was the only thing that frightened me to my bones. “I don’t.”
“Constance must be so scared…”
I shook my head. “Was she scared when you were there?”
She shook her head.
“She’s okay, Claire. But she’s going to be more okay when I bring her back.”
She gave a nod. “I still…I still don’t want you to leave.”
“I know, sweetheart. You have no idea how hard it is for me to leave you. Just dropping you off at school in the mornings breaks my heart. I wait all day until you come home so I can hear about your day. But we both need to be brave—because we need to get Constance back where she belongs.”
