“Ran back to the woods.” To the same woods that Dara was comfortable in. Hid in.
“Was his behavior different after that encounter?”
“No.”
“Notice any change in the rest of the family?”
“Shel was fake happy after that.”
“For how long?”
“Couple of weeks.”
“How do you know she was ‘fake happy’?”
“Because I knew her.”
I sat back. “How well?”
He stared at me like I should connect the dots. But that wasn’t my job. That was how I’d get in trouble.
I arched a brow expectantly.
He refused to answer. I waited him out but he was done.
“Do you have any idea who had anything to do with the disappearance of that little girl?”
He pounded his fists on the table. “No.” He shook his head before he hung it again and spoke quietly. “No.”
The bailiff knocked on the door and opened it. “You’re out of time.”
“I’ll see you soon.” I gathered my things and stuffed them back in my briefcase.
“Don’t bother.”
“How this goes is up to you.” I leaned forward. “Based on what little you’ve told me, there are a lot of other people who had a motive. You want to take the fall? Totally your call.”
No missed calls. No texts. Not from Marlow anyway.
I sent her a quick one wishing her and Blake and Gummy sweet dreams. No response.
Today had been long. I wasn’t sure what to make of Abraham. At least I had enough to start shifting the blame from him.
I dropped my briefcase in the foyer. The house was too quiet. I’d come half a second away from going to New Jersey instead.
I flipped on the light in the kitchen. Papers were scattered on the floor. I picked one up. The contract.
Shit. Now the silence made sense.
“You’re going to have to do better than ignoring me, Wicked. I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Marlow
“I missed you last week, doll.”
“I don’t believe you, handsome.”
“You call all the boys that.”
“Just you, Aaron.”
I stepped into the room. A monitor whooshed softly. The sterile scent invaded my nostrils in a fresh wave.
“Who’s that soldier?” He pointed his chin at Blake, who buried his face in my chest.
“This is Blake. Apparently, he’s developed a shy streak.”
“I’m pretty scary.” Only one side of his face lifted in a smile. The other had been melted off in an explosion. He’d had several surgeries to repair it, but was a long way from recovery. His legs had been blown to pieces in the explosion. He was fortunate to be alive, but there was hardly an inch of him that wasn’t scarred.
“If you don’t want to find out what happens in our book, I’ll go,” I said, even as I dropped into the chair positioned beside him.
“I’ve been waiting two weeks for the end,” he huffed.
I reached for the book on the bedside table. He put a hand over mine and winced as if the movement pained him.
“You look pale,” he said.
“Well, thanks a lot.” I lifted my chin even as a smile threatened to appear.
He nodded once. If anybody understood not wanting to talk about it, Aaron did.
“Let’s see how this ends.”
“Sweetheart, do you want to sit with Aaron?” Blake didn’t respond to my question, which he probably didn’t understand. “Mind holding him?”
Aaron blinked at me. “No.”
I nestled Blake beside him on the bed. Aaron awkwardly put an arm around him. My son snuggled against him, resting his head on his chest. Aaron stared down at him. I doubted he’d been that close to another person since his accident.
“Skip the curse words,” he said, flicking his eyes to Blake.
“I always do, don’t I?” I winked and began to read.
“See you next Tuesday?”
“Of course.” I waved at the nurse before I made my way out of the VA hospital.
Blake was already asleep in his stroller, worn out from the long day. But the guys had loved him. I shouldn’t have waited so long to bring him by, but I hadn’t been sure how he would react. He’d been the star.
I checked my phone. Patrick was unnervingly silent. My blood boiled thinking about that contract again as I checked my voicemail.
A lawyer. Daniel had come through for me.
I detoured to a nearby bench and dialed.
“Kane Zegas.”
“Mr. Zegas, this is Marlow Linley.”
“I understand you’re in need of counsel.”
Thank God I was already sitting. Those words winded me with their weight.
“Yes.” I was surprised my voice sounded so emotionless.
“Can you come by my office?”
“Sure, but if you’ve got time, I’d like to talk now.”
“Of course,”
“This is confidential, right?”
“Naturally.”
“I’m pregnant by a man I’m not in a relationship with. He’s drafted an agreement of terms for how we’re to parent.”
“And those aren’t agreeable to you?”
Yes. No. I didn’t know. I was just furious about that stupid contract.
“It’s everything we discussed, but he had it on paper a day later,” I said, voice rising.
“So it isn’t the contents of the document, just the existence of it that troubles you.”
When he put it that way . . .
“I guess.”
“I’ll be happy to help you, but in my humble opinion, you don’t need it. If everything you want is spelled out, I’d suggest you cling to it.” He didn’t get it.
“He might have snuck something in there. I didn’t read all the way through it.”
“Send it over to me.”
“I—” I fiddled with a button on my coat. “I don’t have a copy.”
He was quiet a moment. “Can you obtain one?”
“I’d rather not speak to him.”
“Who is he? I’ll request one.”
I shifted on the bench. “Patrick Whitley.”
“Jesus.” He let out a long sigh. “The defense attorney?”
“That’s the one,” I said weakly.
“Mrs. Linley, what is it exactly that we’re trying to accomplish here? I’ll do as you wish, but again, if this document has everything you want in it, I’d take the deal. It will protect you and your child.”
What did I want? And why did this guy have to be so reasonable? I sure as hell wasn’t.
Should I be? Surely Zegas could see I was being manipulated. Wasn’t I?
“I want him to . . . I
