“I’ll just take her back to my house and you can call when you’re home,” Brittany replied.
Within minutes they were on their way to the Jeffersons’. “I’m so excited. I love birthday parties and this is the first one I’ve been to since we moved here,” Emily said. “Do you like birthday parties?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one,” Brittany replied. She hoped there were no red balloons to remind her of anything bad.
“There’s cake and ice cream and games,” Emily continued. “When is your birthday?”
“In less than two months,” Brittany replied.
“Maybe I could have a party for you. We could have a big cake and chocolate ice cream, and you and me and Daddy could play party games. You could be queen for the day.”
Brittany flashed a quick smile at Emily as she pulled into the Jeffersons’ driveway. “We’ll see.” She had no idea how things would be in two months’ time, but she had a feeling she and Emily and Alex wouldn’t be having a birthday party together.
She parked the car and then turned to the little girl. “Maybe it would be best if we let Lady Bear stay here in the car,” she suggested. Brittany remembered that little girls could be cruel and Emily showing up clutching her favorite stuffed animal might set her up for some jabs.
Emily frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re right,” she conceded.
“Why don’t we put her in the backseat? We’ll buckle her in with the seat belt so she’ll be safe and sound.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Emily replied with what Brittany had discerned was her favorite phrase.
They buckled the bear in and then walked to the front door.
Mary Jefferson greeted Brittany with a smile of delight. “It’s so good to see you,” she exclaimed as she opened the front door. “I’ve missed seeing you at the bank.”
“Thanks, it’s good to see you, too. I just came by to drop off Emily Crawford for Megan’s party.”
“Oh, please join us, unless you have someplace else to go.” Mary smiled conspiratorially. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be adverse to adult company to kind of even the odds. You know, the two of us against thirteen squealing, giggling six-year-old girls.”
Emily smiled and grabbed Brittany’s hand. “It’s okay. You can stay. It’s gonna be fun.”
“Sure, I’d be glad to help out,” Brittany agreed.
By the time they’d walked through the neat living room, the sound of the party drifted in from the backyard. When Mary opened the back door Emily dropped Brittany’s hand and ran toward her friends, who were gathered in a tight-knit circle and seemed to be doing a group squeal.
Mary motioned Brittany into a chair at an umbrella table nearby. “I figure I’ll give them about thirty minutes to work off some energy and then do some organized games and the cake and ice-cream thing. How about a glass of iced tea or something?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“You look great. I’ve thought about you often over the past couple of months,” Mary said.
“It’s taken me a couple of months to get back on my feet and feel good about getting out and around,” Brittany replied. She tensed, waiting for the uncomfortable questions to come.
“Well, it’s good to see it finally happening.” She then began chatting about the joys of parenting a six-year-old, the challenges of birthday parties and how happy she was to have an adult to talk to while the party took place.
Brittany found herself relaxing and realized she’d done her town a disservice in not embracing the support so many of the people had offered her after her ordeal.
She gave herself to the joy of participating in the party atmosphere, and there was such joy. As she laughed with the girls at silly antics and watched Megan’s delight as she opened her presents, she found a happiness she didn’t know was possible.
As she ate ice cream and cake next to Emily, she enjoyed the girlish chatter about school activities and Justin Bieber’s hair and pink shoes with sparkly heels.
There was an innocence here that soothed her, a shining promise for the future among these children who had the possibility of all things good gleaming from their eyes.
Was this why people had children? Because they filled the world with laughter and believed in Easter bunnies and Santa Claus? Was it because it was impossible to be in a bad mood when a little girl giggled or gave you an impulsive hug?
“Do you miss your mommy?” Emily asked when the party was over and they were back in the car driving to Brittany’s house.
“Yes, sometimes I do.” Brittany slid her gaze sideways to the little girl. “Do you miss yours?”
Emily frowned thoughtfully. “I mostly don’t remember mine. Daddy tells me stuff about her sometimes, but I don’t really remember her by myself much at all. But I had such fun at the party. Did you have fun?”
“I did,” Brittany agreed as she pulled into her driveway.
“You looked funny when you played Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” Emily giggled. “You pinned the tail on his nose!”
Brittany laughed. “I guess I need a little more practice.” She parked the car and saw Alex sitting on her stoop. “Oh, look, your daddy is here.”
Emily jumped out of the car carrying a big purple balloon and a handful of party favors and ran toward her dad, who stood as Brittany opened her car door. Brittany tried to still the leap of her heart at the sight of him.
Drat that man with his white T-shirt, worn jeans and the tool belt that hung low around his sexy lean hips. Why did he have to make her heart beat so fast? Why did the mere sight of him have to make her want to leap into his arms?
“Daddy, we had so much fun and I got a balloon and some candy and a paper purse that I can color any color I want. I’m going to make it pink with yellow stripes. Don’t you think that will be pretty?”
“I think that will be beautiful,” he agreed and his gaze shifted from Emily to Brittany.
“Did you get the job?” she asked.
“I did.” A sense of pride deepened his voice. “It’s a full basement remodel and should keep me busy through most of the summer.”
“That’s good.”
“I guess I’ll get the kid home and try to unwind her from all the sugar I’m sure she had at the party.”
Brittany smiled. “Good luck with that. I think I have a little sugar crash in my future, too.”
“Emily, tell Brittany thanks for taking you,” he instructed.
Emily wrapped her arms around Brittany’s waist and hugged her tight. “Thank you, thank you!”
Brittany leaned down to return the hug. Just before Emily released her she took her hand and lightly caressed Brittany’s cheek. Her green eyes sparkled with determination. “I know I’ll never, ever forget you in my whole life.”
And then she and Alex were walking away and Brittany stared after them, tears burning in her eyes. She’d been so afraid that Alex might steal her heart but already his daughter had torn off a huge chunk that she had a feeling she’d never get back.
It was almost ten and Alex sat on the sofa, Emily sprawled next to him sleeping. She’d begged him to let her stay up late since it was Saturday night so they’d decided to watch a movie. It wasn’t long after the intro credits had rolled that she’d fallen asleep.
He should have moved her to her own bed an hour ago, but instead he’d remained next to her, just enjoying the sweet bubble-bath scent of her.
Getting the remodeling job had only confirmed to him that he was where he belonged, doing what he was supposed to do. With the real-estate market in the tank, many homeowners were opting for remodeling rather than selling their homes and he had a feeling that once word got out that he was good and dependable he’d have more work than he knew what to do with.
He’d consciously willed himself not to think about Brittany all day, but it had been difficult. Thoughts of her struck him at the craziest times.
As he’d slipped into his shoes that morning he’d rem
embered how badly he’d wanted to take hers off after they’d gotten back to her place from Harley’s. Those sexy strappy black heels had made him half-insane.
He’d not only wanted to take off her shoes, but also slide that sexy black dress from her body and carry her to her room where they would make love until dawn. But that hadn’t happened. She’d shut him down with a quick good-night kiss on her doorstep.
He would be finishing up her deck Monday and maybe then it would be easier to gain some distance from her. And he needed distance. He was definitely getting too close, wanting more of her than she’d indicated she wanted to give back to him.
Friends with benefits was fine as long as nobody’s heart got involved, but his heart was already pretty far gone.
He rubbed Emily’s back, deciding it was time to get her into bed. When she didn’t stir he rose and then scooped her up in his arms.
Her legs wrapped monkey-style around his waist and her head rested on his shoulder and his love for her roared like a lion inside him.
She needed a mom who could take her shopping and talk about girl stuff. She needed a mom who could hold her when she cried and tell her everything was going to be okay.
Alex worked at being the best father he could be, but in his heart he knew it could never be enough, that little girls needed mommies to be completely well- adjusted.
And Brittany didn’t want to be a mom, didn’t believe she had what it took to be a mom. How selfish was it of him to stay involved with a woman who had already told him she would never be anything meaningful in his life…in Emily’s life?
Emily’s room was an explosion of pink. Pink bedspread and curtains, throw pillows and lamp, it was a room for a princess. His little princess. Still holding her in his arms, he pulled down the spread and placed her on the bed.
Sleepily she opened her eyes and smiled at him, a sweet smile that shot through Alex’s heart, his very soul. The moment was fleeting and then a tiny frown danced across her forehead. “Where’s Lady Bear?”
Uh-oh. A sinking feeling overwhelmed Alex as he realized he hadn’t seen the beloved pink bear all evening. “You stay right here. I’ll go downstairs and see if I can find her.”
He left her bedside, hoping he could easily find the stuffed animal, or if he didn’t, that she would have fallen back asleep by the time he returned to her room and they could do a full search in the morning.
He did a cursory search downstairs without the bear showing up and then climbed the stairs once again, hoping this wasn’t going to be a big deal.
Emily hadn’t fallen back asleep; rather she was sitting up in the bed, a look of wild panic in her eyes. “Did you find her, Daddy?”
“I didn’t, but I’m sure we’ll find her in the morning,” he replied.
“No! I need her now. You know I sleep with Lady Bear every night.” Tears welled up in her eyes, breaking Alex’s heart. He knew how important that bear was to her.
“When was the last time you had Lady Bear?” he asked, knowing that there was no way Emily would go back to sleep without that bear in her arms.
Emily’s frown deepened as tears trekked down her cheeks. “I took her to the party.”
Alex groaned inwardly. It was already after ten; he wasn’t eager to call the Jefferson home to find out if a pink bear might have been left there.
“But I didn’t take Lady Bear into the party,” Emily said. She swiped at her tears. “She’s in Brittany’s car. We buckled her into the backseat before we went into the party. That’s where she is!”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll call Grandma and see if she can come up and sit with you for a few minutes so that I can go to Brittany’s and get Lady Bear.”
Emily threw her arms around him. “Oh, thank you, Daddy. You’re the best in the whole wide world.”
“You stay here in bed. I’ll be right back.” Alex left Emily’s room and went into his own. Thankfully he knew that Rose wasn’t an early-to-bed kind of woman. He was sure she wouldn’t mind coming down for a few minutes while he retrieved the beloved bear.
Within fifteen minutes he was opening his front door to allow Rose inside. She’d driven down since it was after dark and she greeted him with a smile of humor. “There’s nothing so dire as a missing Lady Bear at bedtime.”
“You’ve got that right,” he agreed. “At least we know where Lady Bear is and it should only take me five minutes to get it, but I didn’t want to leave her here alone while I ran down to Brittany’s and I also didn’t want to get her out of bed and all revved up again.”
“Go, get the bear and in the meantime I’ll go sit with Emily and tell her a story. Maybe I can get her back to sleep before you come back home. My bedtime stories are usually boring enough to put anyone to sleep.”
“Without her bear, good luck with that,” he said drily.
He stepped out into the warm night air and wondered if perhaps he should have called Brittany to let her know he was coming. But he had a feeling she wasn’t an early-to-bed kind of person, either, and it was only a few minutes after ten.
It was a perfect night, the moon almost full overhead and the scent of dewy grass and flowers hanging in the air. Alex walked leisurely, enjoying the sound of crickets chirping and the relative hush of a small town at night.
In Chicago at this time of night there would have been the rush of traffic, sirens blowing and bus brakes squeaking. The city had been a cacophony of noise he definitely didn’t miss.
As he approached Brittany’s house he saw a light shining dimly from some room in the back of the house. Good, she was still awake. Her car was parked in the driveway and by the light of the moon he could see Lady Bear in the backseat, appearing to give him a gleeful smile.
He was about to head to the front door when something caught his attention…a shadow…a faint noise…he wasn’t sure what, but something drew him around the side of the house.
Noise. It was definitely a faint noise that didn’t belong in the stillness of the night. Maybe somebody was trying to steal some of the lumber that was still back there. He rounded the corner to the back of the house and froze.
A figure stood at one of the back windows. The man obviously didn’t see Alex as he worked to remove the screen from the window. He was clad in black jeans, a black T-shirt and wore a ski mask over his face.
Brittany’s phantom. The words thundered in Alex’s head. He wasn’t a figment of her imagination. He was as real as the sudden rapid heartbeat in Alex’s chest.
He must have made a noise…something that alerted the man of his presence. For a split second Alex saw the glittering eyes beneath the mask and then the man whirled and ran in the opposite direction.
Alex took off after him. There was no way he wanted the man to get away. The man jumped the chain-link fence that surrounded Brittany’s next-door neighbor’s backyard and Alex followed, easily clearing the fence without trouble.
His only thought was to catch the man, to find out who he was behind his mask, who was tormenting Brittany. What had been his intention in trying to take off the screen? To get inside? To harm her in some way?
Alex was in good physical shape but apparently so was the man he chased, who sprinted over the other side of the fence and continued to run.
By the time Alex had chased him for three blocks his heart felt as if it might explode in his chest and the only sound he could hear was his own gasping breaths. Still he pushed on, keeping the man in his sights as he tried to gain ground.
Desperation drove him, burning in his chest as they continued to race. As the masked man turned a corner, Alex pushed harder, faster but by the time he turned the same corner the man was gone.
Alex halted, eyeing the darkness before him as he tried to catch his breath. He had no idea in what direction the man had run, no way to know how to catch him. He’d disappeared, as if the very night had swallowed him whole.
For several minutes Alex remained stock-still, watching the darkness all around, trying to get a sense of
where he might have gone, but it was no use.
With a sense of failure, he turned and headed back to Brittany’s house. His chest ached from his exertion, as did his leg muscles, but he was eager to get to her, to tell her that she wasn’t going crazy.
Then it suddenly struck him and he didn’t know what was worse—the fact that she wasn’t losing her mind or the knowledge that somebody was really after her.
The Real Professional, that was how he liked to think of himself. He leaned against the side of a house to catch his breath. Adrenaline flushed through him, pumping blood through his veins with a power that made him feel more alive than he’d ever felt in his life.
It had almost happened. He’d almost gotten to her. He’d almost gotten caught. He wasn’t sure which made his heart pound faster.
When he knew that his pursuer was gone, he left the side of the house and hurried to his truck parked along the curb in the distance.
He’d almost made it happen…the beginning of a new reign of terror for Black Rock. He’d read and researched everything he’d been able to find about Larry Norwood and his crimes, crimes that had been left incomplete in Black Rock.
He intended to re-create those crimes and make sure they were done right. He was going to kidnap five women and then kill them slowly, one at a time.
He’d worked for the past month in a shed on the back of an abandoned property and now everything was ready for the party he’d throw, a party that would have the entire town talking about The Real Professional instead of The Professional, who hadn’t managed to finish what he’d started.
People would tremble in their beds at night. They would respect his cunning, his cleverness and his evil.
Sliding into his truck, he tamped down both the excitement and the tinge of disappointment that threatened to consume him. It was all supposed to have started tonight, but unfortunately his plans had been ruined.
No problem, he told himself as he started the engine. There was always tomorrow. He placed the syringe and Taser in the glove box. It was amazing what you could buy on the internet. The Taser would have incapacitated her long enough for him to inject her with the drug that would have knocked her unconscious and lasted until he could take her to the special place he’d built.
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