AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stay with me for Thanksgiving.”
I took in a sharp breath.
Dad kept talking. “At least think about it. There is still time. I would love for you to come here, see my gallery. There are a lot of fun things to do here too with hiking, ziplining, shopping. I’d love to take you around and share all my favorite spots.”
“Dad, I—”
“Please, at least consider it before you say no. Please.”
His plea pulled at me, made me feel bad for wanting to so quickly shoot him down. I had decided to give him a shot, but I also ran from him every opportunity I got. When he said he had to go back to Las Vegas, looking absolutely brokenhearted, I was the opposite. I had been relieved that he had to leave. It had felt like I had breathing room.
I wasn’t being a good daughter again.
“Okay. I’ll think about it.”
The phone rustled from the breath he blew out. “That’s great. Thank you. I appreciate that more than you realize. I’ll let you get back to work. Don’t work too hard, okay?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t really promise him anything. Once he hung up, I dropped the phone back down on the stand I had set up next to me and stared at it.
Thanksgiving in Nevada with my dad? I never thought this day would come. Was this what I needed to do to repair my relationship with him? I wasn’t so sure. Just talking to him on the phone had already felt like I was being suffocated.
Since my focus was shattered, I got up and stretched, my back cracking from sitting still for too long. I grimaced and went downstairs into the kitchen. After I got a glass of water, I dug through all the mail I’d let pile up. It was a hefty pile at this point. I only ever just grabbed it from my mailbox and then dropped it on the counter to be forgotten.
Sorting through the mail, a postcard dropped down onto the table. The cover was of a beautiful waterfall. Nondescript. No idea where it could have been taken.
I turned it over and saw the typed-out message:
‘I’m doing well. I miss you. —An’
That was it. I stared at the short message and smiled. Seemed she was doing well. When I was fifteen and she was eighteen, I had helped her escape from her boyfriend at the time. He just so happened to be Rick McCormack, the leader of the Ryder gang.
The very same man who had kidnapped me and nearly shot me in the head. I shuddered and pushed those memories away. I relived them most nights, I didn’t need to live them during the day either.
She’d escaped him. I’d escaped him too.
We were okay.
I smiled, tucked the postcard away in a drawer and then grabbed my phone and keys. I wasn’t going to get any more work done, and I no longer wanted to spend any more time at my house. Five hours was long enough, right? It was early afternoon, but I needed a dose of Bebe.
Seth was still at work, so I was willing to step up and give the adorable bullmastiff all the love he deserved.
I carefully locked up my house, making sure the security was in place, even going so far to double check the security app on my phone. Everything was fine.
Bryan made it impossible for anyone to break into my house without alerting me. It was even approved by Roman Davies, an ex-military security expert who had apparently taught Bryan everything he knew.
Everyone was working hard to make sure I was safe.
I started walking over when I realized there was a nice car parked in Seth’s driveway. I didn’t recognize it, trying to go over who would even have a vehicle.
Paxon and Bryan both had a car. Seth owned a big truck. I’ve seen Paxon’s dad’s car before. And Toby’s aunt had one of those hybrid vehicles. It wasn’t a rental car.
Unable to help it, my heart rate picked up as I slowed down, glancing at the house. The front door was slightly ajar. I gripped my phone tightly and stayed by the road as I tried to find life within Seth’s house. Nothing. It was quiet. No movements that I could see.
I wasn’t going to approach his house though.
Just as I was about to send Seth a text and get ready to call the police, there was a loud bark and then Bebe came jumping outside. I almost expected him to run to me, but he only made it halfway before turning and jumping around. An unfamiliar woman was closing Seth’s door now.
She had long, dark locks that went all the way down to her lower back, even with them pulled back in a ponytail. She dressed nicely in a leather jacket, black jeans, and ankle boots.
