Parker’s expression hardened. “They got smart after Sean almost blew their operation sky-high. We know drugs still come through the islands, but whenever we bust a single player, they’re locked up tighter than a drum. Anything on their cell phones is in a code we haven’t been able to decipher.”
“Sean’s your dad?” I asked.
Caelyn nodded, her fingers wrapping tighter around her bag. “So the people he worked for…they’re still here?”
“I don’t know if it’s the same people or a new crop. They’ve never made a move against you, so I doubt this is them now. Not really their style, either. They’re more of the burn-down-a-building type.”
“Parker…” I warned. Caelyn did not need that kind of shit in her head. And neither did I. I was already two breaths away from losing it.
Parker winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. This is just way out of their wheelhouse. I think you can take a breath. Chances are it’s your mom getting in a pot shot. I’m going to talk to her parole officer and make a personal visit to her residence. In the meantime, I’ll drop this note off at the lab and see if anything pops.”
“Thank you, Parker. I really appreciate your help with all of this. You always seem to be the one who steps in when my life is falling apart.”
I looked between the two of them, wondering if there was something a little more personal going on. Parker caught my look and gave a small shake of his head. “I was on call the night someone broke into the O’Connors’ home.”
Caelyn’s expression went stony. “He’s being polite. Parker responded to the call as a deputy when Will, only ten years old at the time, called me in a panic because my parents had disappeared for days and someone had just broken into the house. He barricaded himself in a bedroom with Ava and Mia. I could hear the man pounding on the door and screaming for his drugs. I was in college in Seattle then.” Her voice hitched. “I couldn’t get to them, wasn’t there to protect them. Luckily Parker got there in time.”
Her words for Parker made sense now. As did the rage burning in her eyes. Caelyn loved her siblings fiercely, and I knew what it felt like to fear you were going to lose someone you should’ve been able to protect.
“I was just doing my job. And you know I’ll do anything I can to help you and those adorable hooligans.”
Caelyn shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “It’s not just you doing your job. Not to me.”
Parker cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. “Well, then I’ll just say I’m happy to do it. And I’ll keep doing that job, starting with getting this processed.” He held up the bagged paper.
I reached out a hand to shake Parker’s. “Let us know what you hear.”
“Will do. Keep an eye out for this one, will you?”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper. The last person I was supposed to look out for had taken her last breath in front of my eyes. “Will do.”
Parker headed for his SUV, and I turned back to Caelyn. “Are you okay?”
She looked so damn lost. When her gaze met mine, it was almost empty. “This is extremely unprofessional, but I could really use a hug right now.”
I didn’t think. I just moved. I wrapped Caelyn in my arms the way I’d wanted to from the moment I saw her staring down at that damn piece of paper. She was so tiny, her face burrowing into my chest as I held her tightly. But as small as Caelyn was, she seemed to curve to the harder planes of my body perfectly. How long had it been since I’d touched someone in this way? College, maybe?
God, that was a million years ago. But the absence of touch only made the feel of her heart beating against my flesh that much stronger; the warmth of her skin radiate that much brighter against mine. I held her tighter against me with only one thought reverberating in my mind.
I never wanted to let go.
14
Caelyn
I forced myself to release my hold on Griffin. It was the last thing I wanted to do. His sheer size alone made it feel as if he could shield me from the world. And his heat fought back the cold that had taken root in my bones.
I felt my cheeks warm as I stepped back. “Sorry about that. I just…” I didn’t have a clue how to finish that sentence. I was losing it. And I needed someone to hold me together for once.
Griffin gave my shoulder a squeeze, letting his fingers trail down my arm before they fell away. “You’re allowed to need someone, too.”
I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my throat. My eyes burned with the force of tears wanting to be set free. But if I let them loose now, I’d have a breakdown for sure. “Thank you. I, uh, better go get the kids. Thanks again for, um, everything.”
“Give me your keys.”
I blinked up at Griffin. “Why?”
He held out his hand. “You’re not driving right now. You’ve had a scare. I’ll take you to get the kids.”
“How are you going to get back to your truck?”
“I’ll take a cab or walk.”
There was only one cab on the entire island, and the driver, Shorty, took more days off than he spent on. “You don’t have to do that. Really. I’ll be fine. Promise.”
Griffin kept his hand extended. “Keys.”
I sighed, pulling my keys from my purse. “How quickly we return to one-word sentences and grunts.”
Griffin plucked the keys from my hand. “Get in, smartass.”
“Ooooooh, three words. Maybe all isn’t lost.”
Griffin climbed into my SUV and pushed the driver’s seat way back. “I speak when I have something to say. I don’t waste words.”
I buckled my seat belt as we backed out of the parking space. “That’s actually pretty profound. You should think about writing poetry.”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“I’m shocked.”
I drummed my fingers against my knees as Griffin drove, as if the action could make Big Bertha go faster. Griffin reached out, resting a hand over my overactive fingers. “They’re fine.”
I licked my lips and nodded. “I know. I just need to lay eyes on them.”
“I get that. But dial back the panic, or they’ll be freaked.”
He was right. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, doing a yoga breathing exercise. As my eyes opened, Griffin squeezed my hand. “There you go.”
When his hand slipped away, I felt the loss instantly. I cleared my throat. “I’m still going to hug them extra tight.”
Griffin’s lips twitched. “That’s fair.”
As we pulled into the elementary school parking lot, I caught sight of my tiny terrors waiting with a teacher. Mia was dancing around, Ava had her nose in a book, but Will…he was on guard. There were no other words to describe it. His gaze worked in a constant pattern, surveying his surroundings. When he caught sight of the SUV, his already tense posture straightened even more.
Crap on a cracker. Will had been worried. I let a slew of colorful curses fill in my mind. The last thing I wanted to do was give the boy one more thing to worry about.
Griffin pulled to a stop in front of our crew, and we hopped out. As soon as Mia saw Griffin, she flew at him. “Griffin!”
He caught her as she launched herself at him. “Hey, Little Bit.”
“Miss Shepard, this is my giant, Griffin. He has magic.”
Miss Shepard’s eyes twinkled as she smiled at Mia. “You were lucky to find him then, weren’t you?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “The luckiest.”
I stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Ava. “I’m so sorry I’m late. There was an issue at the store, and I got held up.”
Will’s eyes narrowed at my words, but Miss Shepard waved me off. “Not a problem at all. You let me put off some paperwork for another few minutes.”
“Thank you for sitting with them.”
“Anytime.” She looked back at Mia and Griffin. “See you tomorrow, Miss Mia. You can tell me all about your magical giant.”
Heat crept
up the back of Griffin’s neck as Miss Shepard walked away. I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “You might have a whole new reputation around town now.”
Griffin looked up as if praying for patience. “Heaven help me.”
“I’ll help you, Griffin,” Mia offered. “What do you need?”
“Hmm. I think I need a trip to the park and some pizza. What do you say? Will you guys go with me?”
“Yes!” Mia shot her fist into the air and then twisted in Griffin’s arms so she could see me. “We can go, right?”
“I think that sounds like a great plan.”
As Griffin helped Mia into her booster seat in the SUV, and Ava climbed into the backseat, Will tugged on my arm. “What happened at the store?”
I blew out a long breath. “I’ll fill you in later. But everything’s fine.”
Will didn’t look like he believed a word coming out of my mouth. “I’m not a kid anymore, Caelyn. I can handle whatever’s going on. I deserve to know.”
“You might be wise beyond your years, but you’re not an adult. Not yet. Don’t wish away your teenage life.”
“I don’t give a crap about that. I want to know what’s going on.”
“Language,” I warned. “I will fill you in, but it’s not your responsibility to handle what’s going on. It’s mine.”
Will’s eyes grew hard. But instead of saying anything, he remained silent. Without a word, he slid into the final free spot in the SUV.
I climbed into the passenger seat and gave my temples a quick rub. I could feel a monster headache coming on. Griffin cast a worried glance at me and Will. “Seaside Park work?”
“That’s my favorite,” Mia chimed in.
I smiled but knew it came across a bit forced. “That’s great.”
The five-minute drive consisted entirely of Mia chattering away, Ava with her nose still in her book, and Will glaring out the window. At least two out of three of them were happy. Griffin pulled into an empty parking spot near the swings. Mia took off running for the monkey bars, Ava putting her book down to trail behind.
Will’s eyes narrowed on me. “You gonna tell me what the hell is going on now? Or you going to make up another lame excuse?”
“Will,” Griffin barked. “Don’t talk to your sister that way.”
Will turned his heated gaze on Griffin. “You’re not even a part of this family. You don’t get a say in any of this.”
“I might not be a part of your family, but no one talks to your sister that way in front of me. Not cool.”
I swallowed as Griffin and Will faced off in some sort of silent battle of wills. I wasn’t sure if I should step in or wait them out. But after a few seconds that felt more like an hour, Will backed down. All the tension went out of his shoulders, and his head slumped. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I know something’s up.” He turned to me. “You’ve been tweaked the last couple of days. And you’re never late on the days you pick us up. I just want to know what’s going on.”
I pulled Will into a hard hug. My guy was too dang insightful for me to hide anything from him. “You’re right. And I always planned on telling you. I was just looking for the right time. Things have been crazy the past few days, and—”
“And you didn’t want to tell me whatever this is,” Will finished for me.
It wasn’t that exactly. Not in the way Will thought, anyway. I didn’t want to burden him with what our mom being out of prison might bring up. “It’s not because I don’t think you can handle it. It’s because I don’t want you to have to.”
He nodded slowly. “I get that.”
He got it because he felt the same way about Ava and Mia. He would do anything to protect and shield those girls. I straightened my shoulders as if that would help me brace for the blow I was about to deliver. “Mom got released from prison early. She’s out on parole.”
“What? It’s only been like six years.”
“I know. I guess she’s been a model prisoner. I’m sorry, Will.”
A muscle in his cheek ticked. “You have nothing to be sorry for. She does. Except, apparently, she doesn’t have to pay for it.”
I gripped Will’s arms. “She’ll pay for it every day for the rest of her life because she doesn’t get you or Ava or Mia. She’s missing out on the greatest gift she was ever given.”
Will’s eyes reddened as he clenched his jaw even tighter, trying to hold back tears. “She deserves more.”
“She does. But we know that the world isn’t always fair.” I hated that it was a lesson we’d both learned at way too young an age. I wished we’d both gotten way more years where the only things we had to worry about were what toys we wanted or if we could go play with our friends. But that wasn’t the case.
Will’s eyes flared. “Did she show up at the store today? Is that why you were late?”
My hands fell away from Will’s arms as my eyes searched out Griffin. Though I wasn’t sure what I was searching for. Help, maybe? The right words to tell Will what had happened? Griffin gave me a small nod, silent encouragement.
I twisted my thumb in the hem of my t-shirt as I searched for the words. “I’m not sure if she was there or not. Sheriff Raines thinks it’s possible. There was a note on my SUV that wasn’t so nice.”
“What did it say?” Will asked, voice low.
“I don’t remember the exact wording.”
Will turned his focus to Griffin. “Was there a threat?”
“Nothing explicit. But, yes, it was threatening.” Griffin said it straight out, no pulling any punches, simply trusting that Will could handle the information.
“They going to arrest her?”
Griffin didn’t look away from Will’s angry stare. “The sheriff is going to question your mom and talk to her parole officer.”
Will nodded. “If she did it, will she go back to prison?”
“I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet. But they have to prove it first. It might not have been her.”
Will threw his hands up. “Who else would it be? Dad’s gone—probably in Canada or Mexico by now. Mom’s the only one who would be mad like that.”
I hoped that was the case. Because as messed up as what our mother had done was, I couldn’t see her actually going out of her way to hurt me. By neglect or selfishness, sure, but not by malicious actions. But maybe prison had changed Chrissy, made her darker. I had no idea.
I gave my head a small shake to bring myself back to the present. “Parker is great at his job. He’ll find out who did this.” At least, I hoped he would.
“Griiiiiiffffffiiiiin!” Mia yelled from the monkey bars. “Come play with me.”
Griffin looked at Will. “You okay?”
Will nodded, his cheeks reddening a bit. “Sorry about earlier. I was just frustrated.”
“I get it. Just don’t take your frustrations out on your sister.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
Griffin gave him a chin jerk and headed off to Mia, who was executing some spin on the bars that made my heart catch in my throat. Will bumped his shoulder against mine as we watched Mia and Ava play with Griffin. “I’m sorry I was a jerk.”
“Forgiven. I’ll allow you one jerkish moment a quarter.”
Will chuckled. “Thank you.”
We were quiet for a moment as Griffin said something to Ava. She bit her lip, seeming to think his words over, and then she nodded. He lifted her and held her waist as she made her way across the monkey bars.
“He’s really good with them,” Will said.
“He is.” And every time I saw a tender moment like this one, Griffin wormed his way into my heart a little more.
15
Griffin
“This is soooooo good.”
I could barely make out the words that came out of Mia’s very full mouth as she chowed down on her pizza. I bit back a chuckle. “I’m glad you like it.”
She grinned, her teeth red from the sauce. “Pizza’s my favorite. Well, not as favorite as
pancakes, but close.”
Will shook his head, laughing. “There is nothing on this Earth you love as much as pancakes.”
Mia looked thoughtful for a minute. “Nope.”
“It is really good,” Ava said softly from the opposite side of the booth where she sat next to Will. “Thank you for taking us.”
My heart cracked a little more at the softly spoken words. Ava’s quiet way meant that every sentence I got from her was precious. “You’re welcome. We might have to make it a weekly tradition.”
Mia’s eyes grew wide. “Really? That would be amazing. Can we, Cae Cae? Can we?”
Our entire table turned to face Caelyn. She threw up her hands. “Fine! You’re all going to turn into little pizzas.”
Will smirked. “At least it’s not that whole wheat crud you try to pass off as pizza night at home.”
Caelyn’s cheeks pinked. “You can’t taste the difference between whole wheat dough and regular.”
Ava smiled down at her plate. “You really can.”
Caelyn let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I know when I’m losing a battle.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Will said. “You held onto those carob chip things for a long freaking time.”
“What’s carob?” I asked.
“Gross chocolate,” Mia offered.
Will shook his head. “You can’t call it chocolate. There’s no sugar.”
“I give up, you guys. I promise never to make cookies or anything else with carob again. Just cut me some slack already,” Caelyn moaned.
I grinned at her. Caelyn was the most adorable health nut I’d ever encountered, and I’d spent most of my formative years in California. “I don’t think you’ve tried putting carob in anything you made me.” Everything Caelyn had prepared for my meals was delicious. Even if she did try to hide vegetables in everything. I’d bitten into a meatball the other day to find carrots and zucchini mixed in. I’d still eaten every bite.
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