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Going to the safehouse was the safest thing to do, but it also meant that unless Jay was found quickly, she was going to have to spend Christmas without her family, just her and Brian. Hayley knew what Sophie would say, she’d say to take advantage of the situation, but she wasn't sure that she could do that. She wanted Brian but only if he wanted her too.
Right now, being treated like a helpless victim or how she would be spending the holidays weren't her biggest concerns. There was only one thing that was worrying her.
“What about Kinsley?” she asked. “I'm afraid that Jay is going to go after her.” She couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to that sweet little girl.
“Thought of that already.” Brady smiled at her.
“Sawyer is going to stay at the group home,” Ryan told her.
So, Kinsley was safe, she knew that Sawyer wouldn’t let Jay get to her.
Which just left her and Brian alone in a safehouse, just the two of them. Hayley didn't know whether to be excited or terrified.
* * * * *
1:27 P.M.
“I hope we get something out of her.”
“So do I.” Adam agreed wholeheartedly with his partner. “But we’re asking a lot from a five-year-old little girl.”
“Kids usually notice a whole lot more than we give them credit for, you know that as well as I do. Hopefully, Kinsley will know something, even something small that might give us an idea of where her father might be hiding out.”
“If we don’t get something from her then I don’t know how we’re going to find Jay Turner. He’s not going to come back to the group home, he knows we’ll have it staked out, and he knows that Hayley won't be back here until he’s in custody. We’re not going to get anything out of Maria. She’s made it very clear that her loyalties lie with her husband and not with either of her daughters or with Hayley. We’ll keep looking, but the city is too big, it’s not likely we’ll just stumble across him. Kinsley is our only realistic chance of finding him.”
Adam didn't want to celebrate Christmas knowing that such a dangerous man was roaming free. Jay was a danger to Hayley, his daughter, and his wife, and the sooner he was safely behind bars the better. Hayley was safely tucked away in a safehouse with Brian Xander, who he knew would gladly give his own life if it meant saving Hayley’s. Sooner or later, Jay Turner wouldn’t be able to resist taking back his child, so Sawyer Watson would be the little girl’s shadow until her father was caught.
Everyone was safe.
For now.
But he wanted Hayley and Brian to be able to celebrate Christmas with their families, not locked away someplace alone. Although he wasn't sure the two would mind the extra time together.
Neither he nor Jessica knew where they were. The only ones who knew were Ryan Xander and Brady Crowley who had arranged which safehouse their company owned to send them to. It was safer this way, the less people who knew their location, the less likely Jay Turner would be to find them.
Jessica pulled the car to a stop outside the group home, and they both stepped out into the softly falling snow. For a group home, the place looked surprisingly Christmassy. Lights were strung up around the roof, there was a huge blow-up Santa and reindeer in the yard, a wreath with flashing lights hung on the door, and a large Christmas tree was visible in one of the front windows. Spending Christmas there would probably be better than where a lot of the kids had spent previous Christmases, but Adam was still exceedingly glad his little girl would be waking up Christmas morning in her own home with her dad there to give her the best Christmas ever.
At the front door, he pressed the bell and waited. Less than a minute later it was opened by Sawyer. “Kinsley is waiting for you,” he announced without preamble. They all wanted this case closed as quickly as possible, so Hayley Hood was safe.
“No troubles?” Jessica asked as they followed the bodyguard down the hall.
“Nothing so far. Hopefully, that man is caught before he does anything more to hurt that little girl. She’s a sweet kid, she doesn’t deserve any of this.” Sawyer had the same anger in his tone that Adam knew was in his own. Sawyer had fourteen-month-old twins, Jackson and Janelle and a four-year-old daughter. Jessica had a five-year-old son. They all knew what being a parent was all about and seeing someone abuse their own child was just beyond comprehension.
“Hey, Kinsley,” he said as they walked into a small room where the little girl was sitting at a table drawing. She stopped what she was doing, looked up at him, gave a small smile then returned to her picture. A middle-aged woman sat in a chair in a corner of the room and stood when they entered.
“I’m the child advocate,” she introduced herself. “As long as you keep your questions appropriate, I won't interfere with your interview.”
“We will,” he assured the woman. They weren't here to traumatize little Kinsley Turner, they just needed to talk to her and see what she could tell them about her sister’s death and where her father might be.
“Hi, Kinsley.” Jessica took a seat at the table across from the little girl. Although he had a daughter the same age as Kinsley and was comfortable around small children, Jessica usually took over when they had to interview a child because most kids were more comfortable with a strange woman than a strange man.
“Hi,” the child said in a small voice.
“What are you drawing?” Jessica asked, taking a crayon and a piece of paper and drawing a picture of her own.
“Me and Leah.” Kinsley held up her drawing.
“That’s pretty. What are you two doing in your picture?”
