Daylight Robbery (An Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  The harrowing pain rattled his insides. Why didn’t she like to be touched? What had been done to her?

  She looked at him then, studying his face as a hesitant smile formed on her lips.

  Her eyes glistened with tears and her body still shook and heaved from the sobbing, but she was gaining control. Slowly, inch by inch, she lowered herself toward him, until finally her cheek was pressed against his chest.

  She shuddered against him and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

  Tears burned his eyes, but he didn’t fight them. As he sat cradling his long lost daughter against him, he forced all his doubts, fears, questions and torments aside.

  What if they were wrong?

  What if she wasn’t his daughter?

  What if it was some cruel joke?

  But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he held the crying girl and made her feel safe.

  And as he did that, the knot in his chest began to ease and he knew no matter what the outcome, this girl belonged with him.

  47

  Friday, October 5th

  8:45am

  They belonged together.

  Melina couldn’t stop smiling as she locked up her house and practically skipped down the stairs. Her body was still tingling. Her nerve-endings were electrical sparks that kept hitting together.

  The sex had been great.

  No, it’d been better than great.

  Kellan in her bed, her shower, sitting at her breakfast table, was right.

  She didn’t care what it took, they had to make this work. She’d do everything in her power to—

  Jerking to a stop, she froze in her driveway when she spotted a navy blue sedan parked behind her car.

  Instinct made her heart skip out of rhythm. Her stomach began to tremble as the door creaked open and a man who looked to be in his early twenties stepped out of the vehicle. His eyes glinted with something that made her flinch, and she started inching back toward her house, ready to bolt for safety.

  “Melina Pryor?” The man grinned and she stilled.

  “Yes?” she answered softly.

  Was she just overreacting to this man?

  Who could he be?

  There were plenty of options to choose from. She dealt in child protective services. She was aware that families never wanted to be separated. Was this man after his kid?

  “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know who you are, but if you need to talk to me about a specific child or family situation, then you just have to call my office and make an appointment.” She tried to keep the tremor from her voice and even forced a professional smile.

  “There’s no need to do that.” The man smirked, stepping away from the door and showing her the handgun subtly pressed against his side.

  She sucked in a quick breath, then jumped when a door slammed across the street.

  A tall, imposing man walked away from his white panel van, eating up the concrete with his long strides.

  “Please, help me.” Her words only came out as a whisper, but they were futile anyway.

  This was no friendly neighborhood rescuer.

  He walked right up to her side, clutched her upper arm and softly ordered, “Get in the car.”

  “Why?” She swallowed. “Why do you want me?”

  “You gave our girl your card.” He glared at her. “So now you’re going to help us find her.”

  She frowned at the answer. Which girl? She’d given her card out to plenty of them.

  And what was with the gun?

  “Get in.” The taller man ordered her into the back seat of the blue sedan.

  There was no point fighting, so she slipped into the back and glanced out into the street, hoping someone would spot something out their window. But she’d left later for work than usual and unless someone was home sick, she was on her own. She lived in a neighborhood of professionals; during the day, the street was like a ghost town.

  The younger man jumped behind the wheel, passing the gun back to the older, scarier looking guy. He shifted in his seat and pressed the gun into her stomach. “Where’s Leah?”

  Her insides jolted with surprise. Leah. These guys were after Leah. Was she looking at Robin Hood?

  She kept the question to herself, worried that exposing what she knew would lead to more trouble.

  “I don’t know.” She tried to squirm away from the gun, but every time she shifted, he dug it in a little farther. She winced at the pain, hot tears scorching her vision. “Why do you think I would know?”

  “Because she left your card in her pants’ pocket,” the driver spat. “You’ve obviously had some kind of connection with her. Has she called you?”

  “No, but even if she had, I wouldn’t tell you,” she retorted, scoring a sharp jab with the weapon.

  She gasped and flinched away, but the man snatched her arm and squeezed it, yanking her close enough so that his hot breath was on her skin.

  “I will use this if I have to. There are plenty of places I can shoot you before you’ll die. You want to writhe in pain for a while, be my guest.”

  He placed the gun against her kneecap and Melina quickly shouted, “Alright! But I’m telling you the truth. I haven’t spoken to or seen her since you busted her out of the station.”

  The large man’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”

  “I haven’t,” she whispered, tears trying to get the better of her. She blinked as desperation rocketed through her. That gun pressing into her kneecap was making it hard to think straight.

  “Do you know anyone who has had contact with her?”

  She closed her eyes and the man immediately knew.

  “Who?” he snapped.

  She clenched her jaw.

  And he cocked the gun.

  “WHO!” he shouted in her ear.

  She flinched and whispered, “Kellan Marks.”

  A tear slipped free as the words left her mouth.

  The man beside her stilled, his breathing ragged as he absorbed the information. It took him a while and Melina opened her eyes, stealing a quick glance at him.

  His face was pale, his nostrils flaring slightly.

  “Is that the guy?” the driver softly asked.

  The man ignored him and faced Melina again. “Where is he?” She didn’t even have a chance to answer before he screamed against her cheek, “Where! Is! He!” His voice pitched hysterically, and it only made her cry.

  “Please,” she whimpered. “Stop.”

  The man’s upper lip curled, anger contorting his face into a monstrous expression that left Melina struggling to breathe.

  “Where is he? You’ve got until the count of five. One! Two!—”

  “Okay! Okay! He’s, uh…” She pressed her lips together, trying to find her voice, but all that came out was a raspy whisper. “He’s going into the station this morning. He works at the police station.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “Call him. Tell him you need to meet him somewhere private.”

  Her eyebrows dipped together. “He’ll know something’s wrong.”

  He pressed the gun down on her leg until she felt like the metal would be pushed right through the skin. “No, he won’t, because you’re not going to give it away or the only thing he’ll hear over the phone is you screaming.”

  The idea made her insides curdle. Closing her eyes, Melina reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.

  “Put it on speaker.” The man shifted the gun but still kept it aimed at her. “Tell him something’s come up and you need to talk to him alone.”

  She nodded, clearing her throat and willing her voice not to tremble.

  One shake and her kneecap could be blown off.

  48

  Friday, October 5th

  8:50am

  Leah—Rae, if he dared to believe it—had stopped crying, but her body still shuddered as she tried to catch her breath. She was down to those dry hicc
up-like sobs, and Kellan had resorted to rubbing slow circles on her back.

  “Hey,” he finally whispered. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll keep you safe. You’re home now.”

  She sat back, her eyes sparkling with hope. “I’m still scared.”

  “I know. We’ve got a long road ahead of us. But I promise you never have to go back to the farm again. I will find this Robin guy and I will bring him down. Do you think you can help me do it?”

  She held her breath for a long beat then gave a hesitant nod.

  He smiled at her, brushing the back of his finger down her face.

  Could it really be?

  He searched for signs of likeness and thought he might have spotted them. She had Carrie’s smile, the way her lips curled at the edges like that. And was that his nose he was seeing?

  He wanted to freeze time for a moment so he could examine every inch of her face, watch the girl move, walk, talk, so he could confirm she was his.

  Her hair was dark and straight. He always figured she’d have blonde curls like her mother, but she’d taken after him. When had that happened? He felt cheated that he’d missed it. That he’d missed all the little stages of development.

  Could she really be his?

  There was one surefire way to confirm it. When Rae was a baby, they’d had her fingerprints recorded. One simple comparison and things could be confirmed in a moment.

  He hoped she’d be willing, that she wouldn’t be offended by the fact that he couldn’t 100 percent believe in the girl’s memories from a decade before.

  Glancing down at the photo album, he had to wonder, though. She’d described the moment exactly how he’d remembered it.

  “So, listen—” His phone cut him off and he reached for it automatically, excited to see Melina’s number pop up. She was just the person they needed. His heart did a giddy jump as he lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey…” He didn’t know what to call her—honey, sweetheart, darling?

  The way he’d made love to her that morning, she could be all of those things. Maybe even “love of my life,” but he swallowed the sentiment down and instead finished with a smile that she couldn’t see.

  “Hey, Kellan, I just, um…” She swallowed, sounding kind of nervous.

  He frowned. “Are you okay?”

  There was a pause before she answered, but then her voice came through bright and breezy. “I’m fine. I’m totally fine, I just… I was wondering if we could meet up somewhere. There’s something I need to talk to you about, but I don’t really want to do it at the station. Is there somewhere private we could go?”

  “Sure.” He rubbed his forehead, glancing at the girl and figuring it was perfect timing. If Melina came here, he could tell her about Leah…Rae…in the privacy of his parents’ home and they could figure out their next steps together. “I’m at my parents’ place right now. Why don’t you swing past and we can have a quick chat. I’ve got something important to tell you too.”

  “Sounds good.”

  He gave her the address and then asked one more time, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “Yeah, of course. I’ll see you soon.” Her voice was trembling by the time she ended the call and Kellan was instantly alert.

  Did something happen at the house?

  Or was she having regrets about their night together?

  She felt things deeply and was no doubt the kind of person who couldn’t move on with her day if something was eating away at her.

  He had to admit that it kind of felt good to be the needed one for a change.

  “Who was that?”

  “Melina. She’s my…” A small smile tipped his lips. “My girlfriend.”

  “What about Mom?”

  Kellan closed his eyes and winced. “There’s so much I have to tell you. Ten years is a long time.”

  When he opened his eyes, he saw hers were glistening again. Placing his hand on either side of her face, he said, “It’s all going to be okay. It’s not going to be pain-free, but we will work through everything together. Okay?”

  She nodded, then swallowed. “Is your…girlfriend alright?”

  Kellan frowned again. “I’m not sure. She sounded kind of nervous on the phone. Something’s up and she needs to talk about it.”

  “Are you worried?”

  Yes! But he wasn’t about to tell her that.

  He forced a smile. “I’m sure everything will be just fine. Besides, she’s the first person I want you to meet. Actually, you’ve already met her. She was the social worker at the station the day you came in. She’s going to help us sort through all of this. She’s the kindest, sweetest woman I know. You can trust her.”

  The girl swallowed and bobbed her head. “If you trust her, then I’ll trust her.”

  “That’s my girl.” He kissed the side of her head and stood.

  She grinned at him, taking his hand so he could help her up.

  It was weird how natural it all felt. Doubts still flickered within, but even if the DNA test came back negative, he had a feeling he could easily be this girl’s father. The trusting look on her face warmed him right to his core. He couldn’t wait for Melina to see her.

  The front door opened and he heard Melina’s light step.

  A smile grew on his face, but it disappeared the second she called his name. “K-Kellan?”

  He heard a second set of steps walk through the door and instantly tensed. Grabbing Rae’s shoulders, he guided her toward the closet.

  “Hide.”

  “What?” Her face went pale. “Why?”

  “It’s just a gut feeling. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.”

  “But—”

  “Kellan? Where are you?” Melina’s voice sounded so vulnerable, and his stomach twisted with warning.

  “I’m coming!” he called.

  “Well you better hurry the hell up!” a male voice shouted and Rae’s eyes grew large, her chest concaving as she sucked in a ragged breath.

  “It’s him,” she squeaked. “It’s Robin.”

  Kellan’s nostrils flared, anger firing through him. “Stay here.” He pulled out his phone and placed it in the palm of her hand. “Call the police.”

  “I can’t.” She shook her head, panic taking over.

  “Hey!” He snapped his fingers to get her attention. “I’m not going to let him take you. I promise.”

  Bolting from the room, he raced down the stairs to find Melina standing next to his mother’s favorite armchair. A tall man with burly arms and a barrel chest stood behind her, his arm pinning her shoulders against his chest.

  He wanted to maul the man for even touching Melina, but he wanted to kill him for the gun he had pressed against her cheek.

  “What do you want?” Kellan’s voice was soft and easy.

  “I want my kid back. Now tell me where she is.”

  A hot rage fired through Kellan’s chest and it took everything in him to stay calm. “She’s not your kid. She never was.”

  “Yeah, well, if you want this woman to remain in one piece, then you’re going to help me find her and we’ll do an exchange.”

  Kellan shook his head.

  Robin grabbed Melina’s wrist and held it up, pressing the gun against the back of her hand.

  She screamed and started crying, and Kellan’s insides shredded at the sound.

  “Stop it!” he yelled.

  “I will blow her apart one piece at a time! I’m serious!” The man’s voice shook with desperation. “Now give me my kid!”

  “I don’t have her!” Kellan lied. “Why do you think she’d even come to me?”

  The steely challenge in the man’s eyes wiped every one of Kellan’s doubts away.

  He knew.

  He knew Leah was in fact Raelynn Joy Marks.

  Kellan had never truly wanted to kill a man. But in that moment, he would have happily taken this asshole’s life.

  49

  Friday, October 5th

  9:00am
>
  Leah listened from the top of the stairs, her body trembling as Robin threatened to kill her father’s girlfriend.

  “Shit,” she whispered, clutching the phone in her hand. “Shit!”

  This was all her fault.

  She shouldn’t have come back. She should have disappeared someplace else.

  Why did Robin even think to come back here? How did he know she’d go to Chief Marks?

  Biting her lips together, she looked down at the phone and pressed the button. A keypad came up and she punched in 911, but it just shook and said to try again.

  With a frown, she was about to repeat the number when she spotted the word emergency at the bottom of the screen. She punched it and got a fresh keypad. Cringing, she tapped 911 again and got the result she was after.

  “911, what is your emergency?” The woman’s voice was calm and efficient.

  “Uh, yeah, um… there’s a bad man at the house. He’s threatening. He wants to take me and…he’s gonna hurt my…my dad.”

  “Okay, we’ll send a police unit right over. What is your address, please?”

  “Um…” Leah squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to remember. “It’s a yellow house. It’s on Bleeker. I… Shit, I tried to rob it last week!” Her whispered shout silenced the operator for a moment. “Hello? Are you there?”

  The dispatcher immediately replied, “Miss, we have a police unit en route to your location. Can you please give me your name?”

  The idea froze her.

  Her name?

  What did she say? Leah…or was it actually Rae?

  The chance to reply was quickly taken as the phone was snatched out of her grasp and thrown to the floor. A black boot heel drove through it, smashing the screen.

  Leah looked up with a gasp and nearly passed out. “John?”

  “Hey, you little shit.” He snatched her shirt and hauled her out of the room. “I’ve got her!” he hollered down the stairs.

  “What are you doing here? Where have you been?” She jostled against him as he forced her down the stairs.