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“I can only imagine,” he says. “I’m sorry about your loss. Word travels fast and loose around here. Was it your friend who died?”
“Friend and colleague,” I sigh, doing everything in my power to maintain a pleasant attitude. Whether or not this guy had anything to do with what happened, I still have to act carefully, thinking twice before I speak.
“I hope you catch the bastard who did it,” Toby says after a long and awkward silence. “Blowing a man up like that takes a cold heart. Those kind of people shouldn’t be allowed any kind of freedom.”
“Yes, I agree.” I give him a hard look.
“You said you’re investigating, right? I read your statement in the local newspaper the other day.”
“Yes. I’m helping Kellan and the sheriff’s department, to be specific,” I tell him. “Sooner or later, we’ll find out who did it. And when we do, I doubt the law will be able to help him.”
Toby nods slowly. “Good. I like this county. I’d hate to leave because of its unhinged criminal activity. Charlene deserves some peace and safety, too.”
“How has Charlene been lately?” I ask, shifting the conversation into a slightly more comfortable direction while I analyze everysingle micro-expression that sneaks across his face.
“She’s good. Happy, actually. Avery decided to come back and work for us after all,” he shoots back with a smile, and I have to admit, I’m blindsided and unable to react.
Avery didn’t mention that over the phone when we spoke earlier. Although the three of us made it clear that we would respect her decision, it still irks me to the bone that she decided to go back. I wish she’d have told me, at least.
There’s too much on my mind already, and we’ve got agents watching her, so I focus on the now, on what I can change or prevent, then offer to shake Toby’s hand. “I’m glad to hear that, Toby,” I tell him with a placid smile. “I know Avery will do a marvelous job. I gotta run, though.”
“Me, too. Thanks for the coffee.”
“Hey, least I could do,” I laugh as I walk out of the coffee shop.
I catch a glimpse of my agents watching me from behind the wheel of their car. Giving them a slight nod of confirmation, I head back to my SUV and get in. Not long afterward, I see Toby heading down the street, and he meets my gaze. In the absence of words, the eyes of men can say many things.
I reckon he thinks he’s still skating freely under the radar. Little does he know I have a trick up my sleeve, or rather, in my coat pocket.
I will uncover the truth. Nothing and nobody can stop me.
28
Avery
As night falls over Hershey, I allow myself to rest for the evening. My girls are sound asleep in their room, and I think I can hear Helen snoring from the guest room down the hall. It makes me smile as I put my head down on the pillow and leave the phone on the nightstand on silent mode. It’s been a long day, but I’ve managed to go over the whole project with Charlene. I’m starting back on Monday, and I can’t wait.
Even though there is a lot on my plate and a lot of nasty things have been happening, I’ve come to the decision that I am done putting my life on hold because of it. If anything, I should be looking forward to every day with a bright smile on my face and a kick in my heels. I’ve come a long way since that night on the side of the road when I thought me and my girls would freeze to death, praying to every god to keep my girls safe, at least.
Closing my eyes, I listen to the silence of my room and the occasional hum of a car driving down the road. The glow from the streetlights pour through my window, but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve gotten used to it. My mind wanders back to Kellan, Fallon, and Luke. Our playroom in the mansion. The countlesshours of lovemaking, their hands reaching, exploring, touching me in forbidden places and making me cry out their names in ecstasy. I miss them so much it hurts.
Something goes bump downstairs.
My heart skips a beat. I remember locking the doors.
Footsteps on the ground floor. The hardwood creaks under considerable weight. I sit up and pay close attention. Silence, then another creaking sound. I don’t like this. I check my phone. No service.
“What the…” I mutter, a sense of alarm lighting up every nerve in my body as I get out of bed.
Carefully, I step out of my room and look down over the staircase railing. All I see is strips of darkness wedged against strips of amber streetlight flowing in through the windows. My pulse is racing as I stand there for a while watching, listening.
I gasp when I see a shadow moving.
My first instinct is to run, but where? I’m on the top floor. Helen, Annie, and Miley are still up here, comfortably snug in dreamland and completely unaware of someone lurking downstairs. I can’t call anyone. All I can do is grab the baseball bat I keep under my bed—a habit I picked up since I first left Daniel—and make my way down the stairs.
Slowly.
Quietly.
