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Caitlin nodded over Tara’s head at someone and Tara was just in time to find Jenny creeping up the stairs. Tara already knew what Jenny held under the tablecloth she supposedly carried upstairs to wash.
Jenny was about to go upstairs for another showdown with Eric Houston.
Tara faked a smile when Frankie joined her and Caitlin at their table.
“Did you order the fries?”
“Hmm-mm.”
It didn’t surprise Tara that her daughter had felt that something was wrong, but she still asked, “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“Where’s Daddy?”
Tara couldn’t contain the sob that escaped her lips. Owen would have loved hearing her call him daddy.
“Your daddy is running an errand. He’ll be back soon with uncle Adam,” Caitlin said since Tara was too upset to talk.
Chloe and Damian entered the restaurant and Frankie immediately got up and greeted them.
“Hi, Frankie. We’re here to pick you up,” Chloe said.
“But I can’t. I’m still waiting for my fries,” Frankie said with a pout.
Damian grabbed Frankie’s jacket and said, “Grandma Lauren is making us all some fries and we wanted you to be there.”
“Is Mommy coming?”
Tara stood from her seat. She realized that Caitlin or someone upstairs must have called or texted Chloe to ask her to get Frankie away from here. Oh, God. Maybe something happened to Owen.
Tara hugged her daughter and said, “Go ahead with Chloe and Damian, sweetie. I think this kitchen is closing up, anyway. I’ll wait for Daddy to come back and then we’ll come and pick you up, okay?”
Tara saw in her daughter’s eyes that Frankie didn’t want to go, but by some miracle she complied. Tara kissed Frankie again and said, “I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay…”
Tara turned around to an empty booth.
Damn it. Caitlin had sneaked out on her. Since nobody had returned downstairs yet, she figured there must have been something going on upstairs.
She walked up the same stairs she had walked hundreds of times before. The memory of finding Eric behind her door came crashing through her like a freight train.
She held still mid-stairs as she heard voices coming from the apartment. She knew she needed to face her demons. This wasn’t about Caitlin. Or Jenny.
This was about Tara and her father.
He’d killed her mother.
He had made her leave this town and everyone she’d loved with it, and made her run with her tail tucked between her legs. No more.
This time she would stand up for herself.
She was going to conquer her fears.
Tara’s hand pushed the already open door to the apartment further open. She had no idea what she figured she would walk into, but her father swinging a gun around and the others huddled together in the back of the apartment wasn’t what she’d expected.
“Come in, Tara. I’ve been waiting for you…” Eric said.
She walked into the apartment and saw Adam lying unconscious in the middle of the floor.
