Daylight Robbery (An Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  Her sunny expression made him grin. Reaching for his coffee, he fortified himself with caffeine before making a plan for the day ahead.

  45

  Friday, October 5th

  7:05am

  Leah had bolted out of the bunker and run at full speed until her lungs burned. Instead of cutting through the cornfields, she’d raced down the driveway, her shoes sounding loud as she scuffed along the dirt road.

  Eventually she’d reached a country road.

  Air had puffed out of her mouth, making small white clouds in the cold night air. Wrapping her arms around herself, she’d let herself walk for a bit before breaking into another run.

  And that was how her night had unfolded. Walk, run. Walk, run.

  She kept going that way until the morning chill had seeped right into her bones and her insides were shaking. She had no idea when the sun would wake to warm her, but she kept shuffling forward.

  Her walk became slower as her blistered feet begged her to take a seat, but she couldn’t stop.

  She had to get to Kellan Marks.

  The deserted country road went on for miles. Farm after farm. She hadn’t wanted to veer down any of the long driveways, afraid she might be taken and held captive by somebody else.

  No, she needed to find a town or gas station or someplace safe and public, where she could borrow a phone and call for help.

  Dawn began to breach the night sky, bringing a sense of hope with it. She couldn’t quit. Blistered feet or not, she had to keep going.

  Clenching her teeth together, she tried to stop them from chattering as she hobbled down the road.

  Her legs were aching, warning her that if she didn’t stop soon, they’d give out altogether.

  That was when she heard it. The faint rumble of an engine.

  Fear spiked through her, sharp and fierce and she edged to the side of the road, hoping whoever it was would shoot right past her.

  “Please don’t be Robin.” She glanced over her shoulder, ready to sprint if she had to.

  But the car approaching her wasn’t a white panel van, and it wasn’t Robin’s navy blue sedan, either.

  The rusty yellow station wagon slowed as it drove past, then pulled to a stop in front of her.

  A guy with shaggy brown hair popped his head out the back window and called to her. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Leah stopped, trying to decide whether to bolt the other way or cut left into a field filled with cows.

  “Do you need a ride somewhere?”

  Pressing her lips together, Leah inched a little closer to the car. The guy was young. Well, adult young, and he had a kind smile. She worried her lip as she stopped by the back door.

  “Where are you heading?” he asked.

  She looked into his eyes. They were a soft brown color, warm and friendly. Her stomach settled as she gazed at him, then glanced at the three other guys in the car.

  They all looked around the same age, with friendly, curious smiles.

  Could they help her?

  Her body was begging her to ignore the biting fear and just take a ride. Jump in their car and get the hell off her feet.

  But would it be safe?

  Her mind let out a scoffing laugh. Is anywhere safe? Robin will be up by now. He’ll be hunting for you. Get in the damn car!

  “Where are you going?” she softly asked.

  “We’re heading to Aspen Falls,” he said. “We all go to the community college there.”

  Her lips parted in surprise. Aspen Falls? They lived in Aspen Falls?

  It was like an angel was watching over her. She let out a breathy laugh and told them. “I’m trying to get to Aspen Falls.”

  “Well, hop in.” He opened the door and slid over to make room for her.

  She hesitated, still unsure about getting into a car full of strangers, but then the threat of Robin nudged her forward. She slipped into the back seat, glanced at the three guys in the car and pasted on a smile. “Thank you.”

  The driver turned and looked her up and down, his eyebrows rising when he studied her face. “How old are you?”

  She shrugged and looked down at her lap, suddenly worried that she was making the world’s biggest mistake.

  The driver whistled, then shook his head with a soft snicker as he turned back to face the road. “You must have one hell of a story, kid.”

  She didn’t tell them what it was.

  They tried, of course, but when she told them she really couldn’t talk about it, they accepted her answer and got busy telling her all about them and how they’d pulled an all-nighter traveling to a nearby town so their other friend could confess his love for a girl who he’d broken up with over the summer.

  It sounded kind of ridiculous, but Leah enjoyed the story anyway.

  They then went on to tell her about their lives at Aspen Falls Community College. It sounded kind of cool.

  She’d never been to school before.

  Between Robin, Margie, Stella and John, she’d been homeschooled. Taught the basics of reading and writing, learned the information Robin wanted her to know.

  She wondered how much she’d been missing out on.

  She wanted to know.

  Dammit, she wanted to learn every freaking thing she could.

  “Here we are.” The driver’s voice was chipper. “Home sweet home. Where do you want me to drop you, kid? The police station?”

  She frowned at his suggestion. “Why would you think I’d want to go there?”

  The guy beside her laughed. “I don’t know if you’ve looked in a mirror lately, but you’ve got runaway, abused kid written all over you.” His expression softened along with his voice. “The police can help you. They’ll keep you safe.”

  She blinked, tears burning the back of her throat. These total strangers were nice and they cared about her welfare. She almost didn’t know what to say to them.

  They were probably right. The police station was a good choice, but she shook her head.

  She didn’t want to see Kellan Marks at the station. She remembered the house where he’d caught her stealing. The big yellow house—his house. She could go there, hide in his backyard if he wasn’t there.

  Clearing her throat, she licked her bottom lip. “Actually, this…” She pointed at her face, her nose starting to tingle with tears. “I just want to go home.”

  “And where’s that?” the driver asked.

  “Bleeker Street.” She couldn’t believe she’d remembered the name. But she’d spotted the sign as she and Cricket had walked from the park to the house.

  Had it been this town?

  Was she right?

  “Yeah, I know Bleeker.” The driver glanced over his shoulder, flashing her a smile.

  Her shoulders relaxed, her body flopping back against the seat as he drove her to Kellan Marks’ house.

  “That one.” She pointed to the yellow house about halfway down the street.

  He slowed to a stop outside and murmured, “Nice digs, kid.”

  “Thank you for your help.” She handed back the coat she’d been using as a blanket. “You guys are really awesome.”

  They all grinned at her, and then the one in the back gently patted her arm. “Hey, you take care of yourself, okay?” His voice was rich with sincerity, making her want to cry again. “I don’t know what kind of shit you got messed up in last night, but… well, I hope you’re gonna be okay.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she rasped.

  “So…” He pointed over his shoulder at the yellow house behind him. “This place is safe for you?”

  “Yes.” She smiled without hesitation. “It’s safe.”

  He studied her for a second, then nodded. “Well, okay then.”

  “Thanks again.” She gave them each a nervous smile, then slipped out of the car. Walking up the front path, she turned to wave goodbye when she reached the steps. She didn’t want them seeing her breaking into the house if she couldn’t find a good hiding spot in the backyard.
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  She wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to do, but she didn’t need witnesses.

  The car pulled away and she walked around the side of the house like she knew exactly what she was doing. Scrambling over the fence, she landed with a wince, then shuffled around the side of the house.

  Her blistered feet were not happy with her. Sitting down on the back step, she carefully removed her shoes and socks and studied her beat-up feet. They were a mess, scraped raw down by her little toe with a huge blister on one heel and another beneath the ball of her other foot.

  With a shaky sigh, she placed her shoes neatly by the back door, then scanned for activity in the house.

  She didn’t know what time it was, but she was guessing Chief Marks had already left for work. She searched the open backyard, then turned to eye the house again. The guy would probably hate her breaking into his house yet again, but she needed to pee, and she’d quite happily take huge gulps of water from the kitchen faucet.

  Eyeing it through the window, she knew there was no way in hell she could last without a drink.

  She had to break in.

  Without her lock picking tools, she had to resort to smashing the pane of glass closest to the lock. She used a rock from the garden, wrapped in her sweater. As soon as she entered the house, she dodged the shards of glass on the floor and quickly raced to the front where she bashed the alarm with the rock until it died. Standing still, she waited just in case there was some trigger she’d missed, but the house remained quiet. The cop obviously didn’t believe in high-end security, even after being burgled.

  Walking into the kitchen, she gulped down some water, then went to the fridge.

  Surprisingly, it was totally empty, and for a second Leah wondered if she’d gotten the wrong house.

  She did a spin to make sure.

  It looked way too familiar.

  Still rattled by the lack of food, she walked to the stairs, knowing one room would confirm either way if she were right.

  After a quick stop in the bathroom, she shuffled to the room she’d nearly been caught in. Flicking on the light, she walked in and found the family photos on the wall and dresser, just the way she had before.

  She stared at the image of the mom and dad swinging their little girl in the air, studying it carefully.

  “You Are My Sunshine” wafted through her brain and she flinched.

  She could see that man singing it to her.

  She could hear his voice in her head.

  Stumbling away from the photograph, she fought for air as an idea struck her like a lightning bolt.

  “No.” She shook her head.

  But her heart wanted to say yes.

  Her heart was begging her to scream out that Kellan Marks—her marker, the guy who would save them—was the person she was ultimately looking for.

  The father who’d lost his daughter.

  “Am I her?” she whispered.

  No, it couldn’t be true.

  Could it?

  Tears flooded her eyes and she blinked at them, desperately trying to clear her vision. She needed proof. For all she knew, she was injecting the man into her memories because he was the first man she felt like she could trust.

  Pulling open the dresser drawer, she frantically started searching for something, anything that would confirm what she wanted.

  The first two drawers were nothing but different sizes, colors and shapes of clothing. She pushed them aside, finding nothing beneath them. Dropping to her knees, she yanked open the next to find children’s storybooks. She frowned and moved down to the bottom drawer. It was filled with more books, but those looked different.

  Pulling out the top one, she flipped back the hard cover and found pages and pages of photographs.

  They’d been stuck in carefully with artwork and stickers around the edges.

  A smile pulled at her lips as she flicked through the pages. Images of happy families. A couple with three young children. She kept flipping through, watching the children grow and then become parents of their own.

  Pulling out one album after another, she got caught up in the story of this growing family until she came across an album dedicated to Kellan Marks.

  She brushed her finger over his graduation photo from the police academy. He looked so young and vibrant. So confident, like he could take on the world and still come out clean as a whistle. Then there was his wedding photo. The woman beside him looked sweet and beautiful. Leah wondered what the woman’s name was, but the question was soon lost as she got distracted by baby pictures.

  A little girl who grew into a toddler two pages later.

  Then a page after that, the girl was a little older, wearing stained jeans and pigtails. The braids were tied with yellow ribbons, but one of them was coming loose. Leah grinned at the photo, turning the page and stopping as she gazed down at the same girl on a jungle gym.

  There was one of her standing on the top of the bars with her arms outstretched and her mouth wide open.

  Then there was another of her swinging upside down with her arms crossed.

  She looked very proud of herself…and Leah remembered it.

  The feeling.

  The triumph.

  “Look at me, Daddy!”

  “Wow!” He laughed. “You be careful now. You don’t want to break anything.”

  “I’m fine, Daddy. I’m being a monkey.” She giggled. “Take my picture.”

  He held up his camera and snapped a photo of her before she sat down on the bar and tucked her feet beneath. Wiggling her body through, she dangled from the bars and shouted again, “Take my picture, Daddy. Take it!”

  “I remember.” Leah breathed out the words, her body trembling as she gripped the edge of the album. “I remember this.”

  Tears lined her lashes as her chest began to heave.

  A noise came from the front door.

  She tensed as it opened but still couldn’t move.

  “Leah?”

  Footsteps thumped on the stairs, and she waited cross-legged on the floor with the photo album perched in her lap.

  A moment later, her marker appeared in the doorway, his expression flooding with relief.

  46

  Friday, October 5th

  8:45am

  Kellan was struggling to process the swell of emotions roaring inside of him. When Steph had called him to say a guy from Aspen Falls Community College had phoned in, telling her he’d dropped off a beat-up teen to 1182 Bleeker Street, Kellan had struggled to believe her.

  “I was going to send a unit out. The caller was obviously concerned about this girl, but I wanted to call you first, since it’s your parents’ place and all. Do you think it might be the girl you’re looking for?”

  Kellan had immediately checked his rearview mirror, then veered left, heading away from the station. “Steph, you’re an angel. Don’t send a unit yet. I don’t want to scare her off. Let me head over and see what I find. I’ll call if I need backup.”

  “Roger that.”

  The last thing he’d expected when he’d headed in for work was to get a call like that. It felt like he’d been holding his breath ever since hanging up the phone.

  But there she was.

  The teenage girl everyone was looking for.

  He spotted the bruise on her face and his stomach clenched with anger. He was about to kneel down beside her and check that she was okay when she threw him for a loop.

  “Are you this girl’s father?” Her finger shook as she pointed to the photo on top of the chest of drawers.

  He nodded, unable to speak as he spotted the albums scattered around her. What was she doing?

  “She was the one who went missing?”

  “Yes,” he croaked. “Ten years ago.”

  “What was her name?”

  His eyebrows dipped together as a strange feeling shimmied up his spine.

  “What was her name?” Leah shouted, her voice catching on the last word.

  “Raelynn.”
He cleared his throat. “I…I used to call her Rae.”

  Her lips formed a wonky line as tears spilled from her eyes. “Your ray of sunshine.”

  The tingling sensation in his spine was spreading, constricting his chest and making his head spin.

  How did she know that?

  “I remember.” Her voice caught again as she sucked in a shaky breath. “I remember you.” She held up the album, spinning it around so she could jab her finger on the photo of Rae swinging on the jungle gym.

  Rae’s distant laughter echoed in the back of his mind. He remembered flinching when he spun around to see her standing on the bars. He’d been worried she was going to fall.

  “I was being a monkey. I wanted you to take my picture.” Leah’s voice trembled.

  Kellan’s knees buckled and he landed on the floor with a thud. His eyes were so wide he thought they might fall out of his head. It instantly hurt to breathe, but icy air was moving in and out of his lungs anyway.

  His mouth opened and shut, searching for words. Any words.

  And finally he rasped, “Rae?”

  She covered her mouth with her hand, dropping the album and then slumping forward to cry. Her body shook with sobs—soul-wrenching ones that pulled him out of his shocked stupor.

  “Rae,” he choked out and crawled across the floor to sit beside her.

  He was struggling to wrap his head around the miracle.

  His little girl. Right there. So close he could touch her.

  All that searching and he’d never found her.

  But she’d found him.

  She’d found him!

  With a trembling hand, he reached out, gently resting his fingers on the top of her head. Gliding them down the back of her ratty brown hair, he rested his hand against her neck and tentatively leaned in. He placed his chin lightly on top of her head and slowly encircled her with his arms.

  She tensed beneath him and he instantly let go, stretching his arms wide. “I’m not going to hurt you.”