The words were there. He could almost say them. “I . . . don’t want you to suffer anymore, Dad. I hope you find peace.” There. That was about as close as he was going to get right now.
With one last look at his dying father and a wave to his brother, he slipped out of the room.
Chloe and Rachel waited in the hallway and he wrapped an arm around each of them. Chloe leaned into his side while Hank popped to his feet. “You okay?” she asked.
He kissed the top of her head, then did the same to Rachel’s. “I’ll be all right. I think I’ll be able to forgive him one day.”
“That’s progress.”
He smiled. “Yeah, it’s progress. Now, who’s hungry?”
“Kinda full of pizza right now,” Rachel said.
Chloe nodded. “Ditto. But I can always eat ice cream.” She glanced at Hank. “I’m sure he could use a treat as well.”
At the word “treat,” Hank woofed. Rachel laughed and scratched his ears. “Burger Barn?” she asked.
Blake grimaced. “You mean Grease Pit?”
“Come on. They have an amazing ice cream bar.”
“I’m in,” Chloe said. They headed for the exit, arms wrapped around each other. A unit.
Family.
Gratitude caused his eyes to fill, his throat to clog.
“You okay, Dad? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat. “Not a thing.”
In fact, everything was just about as close to perfect as he could hope for.
Chloe’s heart stuttered as she caught a glimpse of the emotion going on in Blake. She’d grown to like this man entirely too much. And like was really too tame of a word. She more than liked him. When the silent admission didn’t send panic racing through her and heading for the nearest exit, she smiled.
And she smiled all the way to Burger Barn, through ordering her ice cream and savoring the first bite while Hank settled under the table at her feet with his cup of vanilla topped with a doggie treat.
“Why are you smiling?” Blake asked when Rachel excused herself to talk to two girls sitting in the corner, giggling.
Within seconds, Rachel was back to get her ice cream. “Is it okay if I bail on you two?”
Blake heaved a dramatic sigh. “I guess.”
Rachel rolled her eyes, then leaned over to kiss him on the head. “Thanks, Dad.”
He blinked and his eyes watered even as he looked away. “Sure, babe.”
Once Rachel was settled with her friends, Chloe cleared her throat. “Because I like you.”
He raised a brow. “What’s to like so much?” he asked and took a bite of his caramel chocolate crunch.
“All the things that don’t get on my nerves.”
He choked. Sputtered. And laughed as he wiped his mouth. “Wow. Not even a hint of hesitation there.”
She grinned. “I like that I can do that to you.”
“What?”
“Make you laugh.”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “So do I. I like a lot of things about you too.”
“Like what? Besides the things that don’t get on your nerves.”
“I like your wit. Your compassionate heart. Your bravery. I like that you don’t give up when things get tough. I like that you like my daughter enough to risk your life for her.”
“You do like a lot.”
“I like that you like me,” he said with a wink. His eyes turned serious. “Would you go out with me?”
Butterflies kicked in. “I am out with you.”
“I mean us.”
“On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You have to feed me steak.”
He laughed again, looking younger and more carefree than she’d seen him since he’d arrived at the hospital to find Rachel missing. “Steak it is.”
“And chocolate.”
“Definitely chocolate.”
“Hey, what’s going on here?”
Chloe looked up to see Brady, Linc, Ruthie, Derek, Izzy, and Penny heading toward their table. “What are you guys doing here?”
“A little bird told us you’d be here. We wanted to get ice cream too.”
“Mom’s a little bird?”
“She said you texted that you’d call her after you were finished getting ice cream. And we all know where the best ice cream is.”
Chloe stood and went to hug her cousin. “Hey, Penny.” Penny shot her a tight smile and her eyes slid to the girls in the corner. “Want me to introduce you?”
A shrug.
“I think you’ll like Rachel. She was taken by the same guys who took you.”
And just like that Penny relaxed. “Finally,” she whispered.
“No one wants to bring it up?”
“No.”
“And it’s awkward for you to do so?”
“Yes.” She met Chloe’s eyes, gratitude shining.
“Come on.”
Penny walked with her and Chloe introduced the girls. Rachel stood and hugged her fellow survivor. Tears gathered at the back of Chloe’s eyes and she drew in a breath. “Well, I’ll just leave you to it. What kind of ice cream do you want?”
“Red velvet.” Penny sat next to Rachel, and the four girls started chattering.
“Red velvet it is then.” She turned to find the others staring at her. “What?”
“How’d you know? How’d you . . . she hasn’t said two words since we picked her up.”
“Because I . . .” She paused. “I don’t know. I just did. Now go get the girls some red velvet and let me get back to my conversation.”
“About?”
“Where Blake’s going to take me to get some steak.”
“Ooh . . .” Their voices blended as Chloe sat.
She rolled her eyes, but smiled.
“You’re smiling again.”
“Yeah. I have a feeling it might become a habit.”
He clasped her fingers. “Walk with me?”
“What? Now?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to kiss you in front of them.”
She stood and led the way out the door, Hank at her side. Once out of sight of her nosey siblings, he pulled her close and slanted his lips across hers. His kiss left her feeling breathless, cherished, and eager for more. When he lifted his head, she found her smile still there. “I think we can add kissing you to the list of things I like about you.”
He laughed and pulled her close for a hug. “Me, too, Chloe. Me, too.”
Chloe looked around his shoulder to see Rachel and the rest of her family standing in the window laughing. Rachel sent her a thumbs-up and Chloe’s smile stretched into a grin.
1
THURSDAY NIGHT
9:00 PM
LAKE HENLEY
Brady St. John sat on the porch of the cabin he’d rented for the next two weeks and let his mind drift behind closed eyes. Unfortunately, the current took it to places he’d rather not revisit, so he lifted his lids and let his gaze settle on the lake.
Peaceful. Gentle. A great place to solo dive or fish for a large bass and catfish. He’d had the catfish for dinner tonight. Remnants of that meal now lay pushed to the side, along with two ears of corn, a side of baked beans, and an apple pie his sister, Chloe, had made and insisted he take with him.
On his vacation.
Because he’d needed a break before he snapped like a toothpick. Only now the October evening air had gone from brisk to downright freezing, sending goose bumps to pebble his skin under the long-sleeved sweatshirt. But he wasn’t ready to go inside just yet.
He finished cleaning the Glock and wiped it down. Setting it on the table next to his empty plate, he shook his head as his sister’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Go somewhere peaceful, someplace quiet,” Chloe’d said. “Where you can go diving or just sit. And be. Like the Drummonds’ cabin on Lake Henley. They rent it out on a regular basis, I think.”
“Yeah, during the summer. Lake Henley’s closed up for the winter.”
“So sweet-talk them into letting you stay there. They probably wouldn’t mind making a little extra money on it.”
“Maybe.”
“You need to, Brady, you’ve been through a lot. Don’t think, just go. And just . . . be. And take your Bible with you.”
He’d realized she was right. He probably did need a break. Especially after the latest case where a mother had driven her two children, ages four and six months, into the river, drowning all three of them. On purpose. Not to mention the fact that Krystal had managed to make a complete fool out of him. What had he seen in her anyway? She’d been smart. He’d liked that. And beautiful. That hadn’t hurt either. And mercenary.
But he wasn’t going to think about that. He was going to sit.
And be.
So here he sat.