AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hailey shook her head. “I won’t.” She held up a hand. “Trust me. I love looking at that Christmas tree. It’s sooo pretty. Every time I look at it, I’ll see my carrot and I’ll remember.”
Lark let out a soft chuckle. “Well, I think that’s a very good idea then.”
She winked at me, and I slowly pulled my arm from around her shoulders. I was reluctant to let go of her these days, but a little girl was in need. “All right, then,” I said, mimicking dusting off my hands. “Let’s carrot that Christmas tree.”
Hailey giggled as I scooped her up and plopped her down on my shoulders. I walked to the Christmas tree, and Hailey leaned over and placed her carrot right below the shimmering angel at the top.
“Hey, Reid!” Roman’s bark made me look around. He sent me a glare from the corner of the room. “How about you put my daughter down before she falls and breaks her neck, huh?”
I rolled my eyes in his direction, but I obliged and set Hailey back down on her feet.
“Thank you!” Her arms popped up into the air. “You’re the best!” She wrapped those arms around my knees and gave me a squeeze.
“Love you, Hailey girl,” I said, patting the top of her head.
The moment Hailey was done with her hug, she turned on her heel and zipped across the room where she’d been playing with some toys from the chest.
I instantly sought out Lark, my pulse quickening when I couldn’t find her right away.
It was a process, building our lives back after everything that had happened. Lark was doing so much better than I ever imagined, but there were times when I never wanted her to leave my sight. Fear was an irrational plague that made me think that she’d be snatched away and I’d never see her again.
In the days following Lark’s abduction, and she was healing physically and emotionally, we had a lot of discussions with my brother Graham. Especially about the Shadow Stalker, who claimed to be Lark’s biological father. Graham was convinced that the serial killer had no intention to ever harm Lark. He believed that if the Shadow Stalker wanted to hurt her, he would’ve when he had the chance. Graham thought it was as if the Shadow Stalker thought of Lark as an extension of himself. His prodigy. A way for his bloodline to continue after he was gone.
A chill shuddered through me at the thought of it, but I trusted Graham. If he believed Lark wasn’t in danger, then I trusted that. Plus, we had the best security available and she’d been living in my house for the last two months.
That, and there hadn’t been any sign of the threatening notes. They seemed to have completely stopped. It was assumed that Xander had sent them.
My chest eased as I caught sight of Lark out in the foyer just outside of the front living room. Her arms were wrapped around a woman with frizzy, white-blonde hair.
I stopped my approach.
Winnie Meadows let go of her daughter and stepped back. Tears welled in her eyes, but she smiled.
Lark was gradually trying to mend her relationship with her mother. Winnie was finally forced to face all that had happened to her and was seeking professional help to heal. She also confessed to the insurance company. It was never about the insurance claims, anyway. It was always about Lark, but the money was hard for Winnie to pass up if she could get away with it. Which she couldn’t.
I leaned against the entryway of the living room, warmth hitting my chest as I watched them. I was glad Winnie had come. I’d given her a hard time before, but things were changing. She was changing and anything that made Lark happy made me happy.
“Reid?”
I looked down at Emersyn at my side. She wore an ugly green Christmas sweater with actual light-up Christmas lights. The bright green made her glossy red hair stand out as it cascaded over her shoulders in waves.
“What’s up?” I asked.
Emersyn had seemed to be having a good time. August had gravitated toward her the moment she arrived, but he was currently being occupied by Hailey, who I’m sure was demanding something of him.
Her fingers tightened around a mug of my mom’s homemade eggnog, the smile she’d worn all night vanishing. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Her voice lowered, and I was instantly on alert. “Sure.” I nodded.
I pushed off the wall, taking another look at Lark and her mom as they talked in the foyer, before leading Emersyn to a quiet corner of the room.
Emersyn shifted on her feet as she backed up into the corner, smoothing down a lock of her hair. “I wanted to show you something,” she murmured. “I don’t know who else to talk to about this, and Lark trusts you.”
Emersyn and Lark had grown close the last couple of months. She quickly became one of Lark’s best friends and for that, I would be forever in Emersyn’s debt.
“I’ll do whatever I can. What’s this about?”
She pulled in a breath, and then slipped a folded piece of paper out from her pants pocket. She handed it to me without a word, but her face paled.
