“I’ve been practising really hard. I want to be a dancer, like Miss Lyons.” She gushed, talking about her dance teacher who she clearly idolised.
“I could tell you’d worked really hard.” I agreed. “If you want to be a dancer, then I’m sure you will be Sweetheart. You can be whatever you want to be if you work hard enough.” I assured her as we reached the car. I unlocked it and opened the back door to let Evie in.
I barely had the door open when a feeling of dread washed over me, a feeling I knew well. I looked up in a panic, knowing he was close. He was the only person who could make my skin prickle the way it was in that moment. I had no idea how I knew, but I just did. I knew The Shadow was there.
Then I saw him. He was only a car length from me, dressed in his usual camo clothes, but with shorter hair which he had cropped close to his head. He had that smile on his face, the one he would have whenever he came down to do me harm, and my heart seemed to stutter, then pound wildly, so hard I was sure it was visible through my rib cage. My blood ran cold and my entire body locked up in terror.
He just smiled as he very slowly moved toward me, between the cars parked behind Keira’s. I knew only too well the man was out of his mind, but never before had he looked so starkly crazy, as he did in that moment, calmly strolling toward me, that sick, twisted smile on his face.
I just stood frozen as he approached like he had all of the time in the world. He had come for me, and there was nothing I could do, because I was frozen in fear.
“Livia!” Evie yelled, snapping me from the hell before me. In my panic I had forgotten all about her. I looked down to where she stood, looking up at me with a pout, obviously not amused I had been ignoring her chatter. Oh God! What if he wasn’t there for me? What if he had seen Evie and wanted her instead?
“Evie, in the car now!” I barked. She looked scared by my tone, but did as I said. She scurried in and turned to look at me as I glanced up to check the distance of The Shadow from us. He was close!
“Livia, what’s wrong?” Evie asked with fear.
“N-nothing.” I pulled my cell from my pocket and unlocked it with my finger. “I need you to call Kade for me, ok? Call him right now and tell him that I need him.” I threw the cell in the back with her and slammed the door. I locked the doors with the fob and threw the keys beneath the car. Keira’s car was a very low sports car, and I knew he would have no chance of getting his huge frame under it to retrieve the keys. He could take me if that was what it came to, but there was no way in hell that monster was touching Evie.
I looked up in panic and found him just a few feet before me. I had time to run, but there was no way I would leave Evie.
I looked into the back of the car and felt a little relief when I saw Evie had the phone pressed to her ear. The guys had all taught her to use a cell just the week before, in case of such an emergency. Thank God she had been listening.
Kade would come. He could realise something was very wrong and he would come, but I had no idea how long it would take him, or if I could hold off The Shadow for long enough. And there was Keira. If she came out, she would fight to protect her family, I knew she would, but she was a hell of a lot smaller than The Shadow, now looming far too close to me.
Terrified, and with no idea what I should do for the best, I just stood and stared with terror at the monster who had destroyed me for so long. He was up on me now and there was only one thing I knew for sure, no way I would let him hurt anyone else I loved.
KADE
I sat back at my desk and looked to the yellowing ceiling above me, frustrated.
“You ok Maxwell?” Kowalski asked from where he sat at his own desk opposite me.
“I just feel like we’re missing something. Every time we get a lead, it runs through our fingers like water. It’s like someone is fucking with us.” I sighed. The lead we had on the kidnapper, being spotted not far from where he had held Livy, had been a bust. When we arrived to question the witness who called it in, she denied the whole call. Local PD and two of my team had been in the area questioning other locals all day, but no one knew anything about the mysterious stranger who had been reported as hanging around the area. Once again we had nothing, and it was driving me crazy. Not only was there a young child missing, but Livy was in danger the entire time this psycho roamed the streets.
“I know what you mean. This whole investigation has been one step forward and two steps back.” Kowalski agreed.
I was really wishing I had stuck with plan A that day, and just stayed home, but I couldn’t. The case was burning in my mind and I needed to be working it. I needed to find that poor missing child.
My cell ringing was a welcome distraction, and I was even happier when I picked it up from my desk and saw Livy’s picture on the screen.
“Hi
