Quickly getting changed into her pajamas, Leah paused before climbing her ladder to check on Bobby. He slept on the bunk below her, and sometimes she slipped in beside him when the dreams were real bad.
He was the cutest kid on the planet. Skin the color of milk chocolate and big brown eyes. His teeth were all still baby, so his smile was cute and adorable—when he showed it, which wasn’t often.
Leah knelt down beside him to run her finger along the line of his Afro curls. Margie had shaved them all off when Bobby first arrived. He’d bawled his eyes out, but Leah assured him they’d grow back one day.
“My mommy won’t like it,” he’d wailed.
“Your mother doesn’t care about you.” Robin had crouched down beside him, using his soft, soothing voice. “She left you, Bobby. And I found you. I’ll take good care of you. We all will.”
Bobby didn’t know what happened on the left-hand side of the bunker.
None of the little ones did…and hopefully they’d never find out.
Letting out a soft breath, Leah studied the side of Bobby’s face, her heart ripping wide open as her doubts from inside the police station battered her.
She’d been right about that photo.
It was Bobby.
Except the missing person bulletin hadn’t said Bobby. It’d said another name. She couldn’t remember what it was, but it hadn’t been Bobby.
But that photo looked so much like the little kid sleeping in front of her.
What did that mean?
Robin had rescued them. All of them. He didn’t steal human beings.
He—
Her thoughts were interrupted when Bobby stirred in his sleep.
His eyes fluttered open and a sleepy smile spread across his face. “Leah.” His pudgy little arms stretched out for her, wrapping around her neck and pulling her close. “I missed you,” he murmured on a sigh before swiftly falling back to sleep.
Leah untangled herself so she could lean back and gaze down at the kid.
He was so little and sweet. When Robin had brought him home, he’d been a terrified wreck. Robin said he’d found him abandoned in a park, hiding inside one of those playground tunnels. He’d coaxed him out and brought him to the farm to fatten him up and take care of him.
Leah had believed that story; thought Robin was a good person for doing it.
But…
What if?
What if Bobby’s mom hadn’t abandoned him and he’d simply gotten lost?
What if she wanted him back?
Leah chewed the edge of her lip, torn as she debated truth and fiction.
Robin said the police lied. You couldn’t trust anything they had to say.
So were those notices on that bulletin board a lie too?
She thought back to the chief and his story about his missing daughter. The expression on his face. It’d seemed so genuine.
But was it a lie?
A trick to get her talking?
She had to find out.
She had to know if it was the truth.
Because if that was truth, maybe she had seen Bobby’s photo on the wall of the police station.
And maybe Robin was the one who was full of shit.
25
Wednesday, September 26th
11:45pm
Kellan waited at the hospital until Ollie was moved to a ward. His surgery went smoothly and he was going to be just fine. Mick was still in a coma, but doctors were monitoring him carefully.
Kellan alternated between Mick’s room and Ollie’s room, ensuring both their wives felt fully supported. Nate had checked in before he and Sally left the hospital. The APB was out, and a sketch artist would visit Higgs the next day so they could start circulating an image of the teenager who had flagged him down.
The sheriff had called twice with updates.
Higgs’s squad car had been discovered in a field about twelve miles out of town, and would be dusted for prints first thing the next morning. They’d had no luck finding a white painting van, but as soon as the sun rose, they’d get a team of techs out to the vehicle and search the entire area for clues.
Kellan slipped into his car and leaned his head back against the rest. He was bone-tired, but still felt like he should be working.
Logically, it was a bad idea. He needed sleep or he’d be useless to his team when they needed him in the morning. But he didn’t think sleep would capture him easily. The idea of going to his big, empty home was kind of depressing.
He checked his watch. Shorty’s would be closing in fifteen minutes, so there was no point going there.
Tapping his finger on the steering wheel, his thoughts shifted to Melina. He hated the way he’d had to send her out of the station. They’d been on the brink of having “a moment” when the gunfire had started. After that, he hadn’t been able to spare her a second thought…until now.
Would she still be awake?
If she was feeling anything like he was, she would be. Heck, maybe she was having trouble getting to sleep, still reliving the trauma of the smoke bombs and Ollie’s blood. She’d no doubt seen some harrowing things in her time. Domestic abuse cases could be more heart-wrenching than what she’d encountered today.
She was tough.
On the inside.
He could sense that. No one who worked in child protective services could have a soft heart. They needed a truckload of resilience and fortitude, blended with compassion. Melina was the perfect woman for that job.
But some days, she no doubt still cried into a wineglass.
The least he could do was call and check on her. He pulled the phone from his pocket and hoped to God she was awake. The last thing he wanted to do was jolt her out of sleep.
He only had to wait three rings and then her lullaby voice made him smile.
“Hello.” It had a late-night, husky edge to it and Kellan’s heart reacted immediately.
Thrown by the power of the emotion, he forgot all pleasantries and got straight to the point. “I didn’t wake you, did I? I was kind of counting on the fact that you might not be able to sleep.” He winced at the fact that he hadn’t even identified himself…or greeted her, for that matter.
Melina laughed softly. “You were right. I can’t. My body sure wants to, but my brain…”
His face bunched in sympathy for her, his own voice turning husky. “Are you okay?”
He meant so much more than those three little words. He hoped his tone conveyed just how grateful he was that she wasn’t hurt.
“Yeah, I just can’t stop thinking about that girl and then everything that happened.”
“Me too.” He gazed into the darkness, images of the little waif eating pizza in that cell stirring something in his chest.
It should have been anger. She’d caused a lot of problems for his police station…his men.
But wrath just wasn’t coming easy. Instead it was pounding worry that consumed him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that “Leah” needed help. That all her actions from that day had been driven by fear, and that her “rescue” may not have been saving her at all.
“How’s your team doing?” Melina’s voice drew him back.
“They’re stable, although Mick’s still in a coma.”
“I heard Higgs was found.”
“Yeah, in one piece, thankfully.” Kellan could sense she wanted to ask more, to find out the details her brother was so adept at getting. But she didn’t say anything.
Instead he listened to her breathe and wondered if she was holding back because she knew he needed rest. She was no doubt oblivious to the calming effect she had on him. Her voice was soothing, and his tense stomach had already started to relax.
“Where are you right now?” she asked.
“At the hospital. I’ve spent the better part of my evening trying to comfort worried wives.” His snicker was hard and short. “I’m exhausted.”
“You need rest.”
“Yeah, I know.” He rubbed his temples, feeli
ng bad for keeping her up. “I should let you go.”
“Hey, Kellan?”
“Yeah?”
“Could you do me a favor on your way home?”
“Anything,” he whispered. He didn’t know why he whispered, but that was all he could manage.
He pictured Melina and tried to imagine where she might be. In her bed. On her couch. He’d never been inside her place and didn’t know what it looked like. He’d have to remedy that at some point. When he thought of her, he wanted to be able to picture exactly where she was—where she drank her coffee in the morning, which couch she sat on to watch TV.
“Can you drive past my place? I just need to—”
“I’m on my way.” It was rude to cut her off, but she didn’t need any excuse or explanation to get him to her door. She wanted to see him, at midnight, and he wasn’t going to give her any reason to change her mind.
She told him her address before hanging up, and he set off as soon as his phone touched the passenger seat.
Melina.
Of all the places in the world he wanted to be right then, it was with her.
26
Thursday, September 27th
12:05am
Melina jumped from the couch as soon as Kellan’s headlights illuminated her front window. Clutching her bathrobe around her waist, she trotted to the door and unlatched it before Kellan walked up the path.
For the first time since her roommate Tasha had moved out, she was actually happy to be living alone.
Losing her best friend to marriage had been really difficult. Melina hadn’t wanted to complain or ruin her friend’s exciting new adventure, but she hated how quiet and huge the small house felt without her.
They still talked or messaged each other most days, but it wasn’t the same as having another body in the house.
Tonight, if only for a short time, Melina could experience the comfort of that feeling again.
Kellan barely had a chance to knock before Melina pulled open the door, her nerves fluttering as she gazed at him. He looked tired, weighed down, and her decision to invite him over was once again confirmed as the right move.
“Come in.” She stepped aside to grant him entry, and as soon as his boots hit the wooden floor, she closed the door and stepped in front him. “Thank you for coming. I just…” Her lips toyed with a smile, nerves nearly getting the better of her until she caught the stricken look in his eyes. “I just needed to give you a hug.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and cupped the back of his head. Resting her cheek on his shoulder, she nestled her nose against his warm neck and held him tight.
Slowly, like the awakening of a new dawn, Kellan’s arms encircled her. His strength and warmth were immediate. One arm locked around her waist while the other traveled up her spine and held the back of her neck. He rested his mouth on her shoulder and… clung. It was the only way to describe it. Melina was almost afraid to breathe, worried their embrace might be thwarted by even the tiniest movement.
Closing her eyes, Melina focused on the feel of Kellan’s arms around her. Like looking through a microscope, she zoomed in on each sensation, noting his musky smell, the feel of his whiskers against her forehead, the way his chest moved as he breathed, the pads of his fingers resting on the nape of her neck.
She wanted to memorize each sound, shape and rhythm.
No one would ever really know how long they stood there. It was like a slow dance without music or swaying. They were locked in a moment of peace, and neither of them wanted to let up.
But inevitably, the spell was broken.
Kellan let out a shaky sigh and stepped away from her. He kept his hand on her arm as the distance grew between them, like he wasn’t quite ready to break contact.
Melina smiled…and no doubt blushed as well.
The edges of Kellan’s lips curled but he dipped his head before a smile could form. “I’m keeping you up. I should go. I…” He glanced around them, quickly taking in the small living area behind him.
“You can stay,” she whispered, taking his hand and leading him to the sofa. “Can I get you a drink?”
Kellan shook his head. “I’m good.”
His voice was croaky and worn. She wondered how many hours he’d spent comforting, questioning, commanding.
“I bet it’s been a long day.” Melina sat on the couch and tugged him down beside her.
He flopped onto the plump cushions and rested his head back. “I don’t remember the last time I felt this exhausted.”
He winced and Melina wondered if that was a lie he was only just realizing. His mind was no doubt being attacked with memories of longer days when a little girl disappeared from his life.
She glanced down and noted his boots were still on. Without a word, she slipped to the floor and started unlacing them.
“You don’t have to—” He leaned forward to take over.
She shooed him away with the flick of her hand. “I want to.” She caught his eye and made sure he could hear her. “Even if you’re only here for another five minutes, I want you to relax.”
With a grateful smile, he sat back and watched her work. She set his shoes back by the front door and returned to the couch, tucking her foot beneath her butt as she sank down. Perching her elbow on the back of the couch, she sat sideways so she could study him.
“You can stay for as long as you need. Heck, fall asleep if you want to.” She held her breath and reached for him, running gentle lines along his forehead, trying to smooth out the worry.
He closed his eyes. “That feels good,” he murmured.
“Good.” She rested her head against her knuckles and watched him with a smile as the tension ebbed out of him.
So many questions swirled through her mind, things she wanted to know about him, deep-level stuff that was no doubt buried beneath years of pain and rubble. Kellan was guarded, that much she’d learned, but he’d let her in that afternoon. He’d told her about Rae and his feelings surrounding her disappearance. That felt like a huge breakthrough. Would he end up giving her more?
She bit her lips together, resisting the urge to press. Opening up would do him a world of good, but these things couldn’t be forced. They—
Kellan lifted his head, gently removing Melina’s hand and placing it back in her lap. He cleared his throat and forced a smile. “I’m going to fall asleep if I’m not careful.”
“I’m glad you’re starting to relax. You need to.”
She squeezed his shoulder, already feeling the tension returning.
“I need control,” he whispered.
Her eyes narrowed at the comment. Interesting.
“I can’t…” He shuffled uncomfortably before leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. “I can’t lose it again. They need me. I need to stay focused and…and I need to control this.”
“You can’t control everything, Kellan.”
He let out a sharp breath, his muscles coiling even tighter. “But I can control me. I have to.” He glanced at her, his wretched gaze swirling. “I nearly lost it once. Fell apart after Carrie left me and I just… I’m fighting those feelings again. That darkness that just wants to swallow me and fill my mind with fog.” He shook his head, struggling to voice what he was feeling. “I couldn’t eat or sleep. I shut down. And that girl tonight. That attack. That sense of turbulence. It’s knocking on my door again. I’ve got to fight it.” His breaths were getting punchy and ragged. “It’s not until you stop that it hits you. I’ve got to keep moving.”
He went to rise from the couch, but Melina quickly caught him and tugged him back down.
He gave her a confused frown, obviously not used to being pushed around.
She shuffled closer, so her knee was resting against his thigh, and placed her hands on his face. Holding him steady, she gazed into his eyes and whispered, “You are not going to lose it again. I won’t let that happen. You’re not alone in this fight, Kellan. You’ve got a team of people who love
and respect you. You’re going to be facing this together, and you don’t have to hold them up all by yourself. You’ll lean on each other and you’ll get through this.” She smiled as her eyes began to glass with tears. “I believe in you, because it’s in our weakest moments that we’re made strong. You’ve already survived so much, and you’re a better man for it. You’re the best man I know.”
Her impassioned speech made him go still. He searched her face, his breath on hold as he gently trailed his hand across her cheek, like he was exploring new terrain. Melina moved her hands to his shoulders, her heart thundering as she sat still and let him stare at her like she was a new phenomenon.
It unnerved her just a little. The flutters in her stomach had turned into an orchestra that was building to a rich crescendo. The kind that made the heart swell and the head feel light and fuzzy.
She couldn’t breathe. Her lips trembled.
And then he whispered her name. “Melina.”
Like the bow of a ship breaking through the fog, he came for her.
She met him halfway, anxious for the connection.
His lips were soft and pliant, the way she’d imagined them. There was nothing rushed or hungry about the kiss. It was soft and delicate, a gentle exploration that quickly grew to more. As his other hand snaked beneath her arm and around her waist, she inched closer to him, delighting in the feel of his strong body pressed against hers.
His warm tongue slipped into her mouth and she eagerly welcomed him, deepening the kiss. Her heart began to ring, the chimes sounding in her head and blocking out the rest of the world.
All she could feel was the heat and comfort of the kiss. The slow give-and-take dance, the small moments of breaking away only to be pulled back together by a magnetic force that was determined to keep them together.
It wasn’t until her lips were swollen and tingling that she finally pulled back to smile at the man who had just sealed the deal on her heart. He’d had it for months now, but that kiss was her undoing. Even if it was just a one-off. Even if he regretted it later, she was done for. And in that moment, she didn’t even care.
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