Daylight Robbery (An Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  The sweet sound of a pen clicking on made hope rise in her chest.

  She held her breath while Nate shifted forward in his seat and placed his hand flat on the table.

  And then the girl struck.

  Like a viper lying in wait, she acted, plunging the pen into Nate’s exposed hand with such sudden force and ferocity that the pen became a dagger.

  Nate let out a strangled cry of pain, and Melina’s mouth dropped open as the girl jumped onto the table and crouched down like a wild tiger ready to pounce.

  10

  Wednesday, September 26th

  3:45pm

  Curling her fingers into a fist, Leah raised her arm and came down on the smarmy man’s face with as much force as she could muster. Her knuckles crunched into flesh. The impact radiated through her fingers, but she didn’t care.

  He tumbled off the chair, still clutching his hand and wailing like a pathetic kid.

  Write her birthday!

  Like she even knew what that was.

  She’d been abandoned by her parents, left to rot and die. She didn’t have a birthday. She didn’t even know exactly how old she was. Robin guessed fifteen, and so that was what she was, but like she’d tell that to the stupid, cheesy asshole who was trying to get information out of her.

  He didn’t mean the smiles he was flashing her.

  She wasn’t a complete moron.

  “Okay, it’s time to calm down and stop.”

  Leah ignored the woman with her hands outstretched like some animal tamer. Jumping off the desk, she pressed her knee into the man’s chest and roughly patted him down, looking for some kind of keycard or way of escape.

  The woman stepped forward and Leah glanced up with a hot glare, practically snarling at her. She raised her hands and took a step back. “Hey, it’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you, but you need to get off him now. This isn’t the way to help yourself.”

  What the hell did she know?

  As the man recovered from the sudden attack, grabbing her wrist with his good hand, Leah had the thought that maybe the lady knew more than Leah realized.

  Maybe her impulsive attack on this guy was the dumbest thing she’d ever done.

  He was strong. Pain shot up her arm, his grip tight and unrelenting.

  She grunted and struggled free, raising her body slightly and crashing back down on his chest with her knee.

  He jerked and coughed, his hold loosening enough that she could wiggle away from him.

  Jumping to her feet, she scrambled to come up with a solid plan.

  She’d been sitting there all freaking afternoon and all she had was stabbing some guy with a pen?

  Robin would be more than disappointed in her.

  He’d be livid.

  A chill raced through her as she spun and looked at the reflective glass.

  Was it a window?

  She’d been wondering as she sat there trying to stay motionless in case someone was watching her.

  The woman was talking again, her soothing voice trying to get beneath her skin. Leah closed her eyes, forcing herself to ignore the sound behind her. Snatching the chair, she raised it above her head, about to throw it at the glass, when the door smashed open and someone pounced on her from behind.

  She cried out as they both fell to the floor.

  The chair bounced and scuttled away while a heavy weight pressed her to the floor.

  She struggled and writhed, but was pretty much pinned.

  “Stop fighting.” The voice in her ear was cool and unemotional. She heard no anger, just a deep, soothing command that made her muscles want to relax.

  She fought the urge until he spoke again.

  “Just calm down. I’m not letting you go until you’re calm.”

  Something about his voice made her obey. She didn’t understand why at first. Maybe he sounded like Robin and she’d spent her life doing what he told her to…or maybe it was something else. But she went still, finally relenting to the fact that she wouldn’t be busting out of this claustrophobic room any time soon.

  Breaths continued to rattle her, punching out of her nose, but her muscles were under the control of the man holding her down.

  Footsteps rushed into the room. They screeched to a stop, followed by a swift gasp, “Holy shit.”

  “Take him to the hospital,” the man holding her barked.

  She lay still as sounds of a soft moan and shuffling went on behind her.

  It wasn’t until the room was once again still that the man spoke again. “I’m going to get up now, and you’re not going to attack me. Do you understand?”

  She was tempted to lie, to nod and then lash out as soon as she was free, but how far would she honestly get?

  She should have thought of that before attacking the guy who was trying to make her write shit down.

  Her birthday, of all things.

  It ignited the well of anger inside her, like a spark to a barrel of oil.

  She’d never celebrated a birthday in her life. Her parents didn’t want her, so she was left alone. A helpless little kid on the side of a deserted road. If Robin hadn’t found her, she would have died.

  She’d never known her birthday, and she never would.

  The man moved slowly, rising to his feet and lifting her with a tenderness she wasn’t expecting.

  Pushing. Shoving. Iron pincer grips. That was what she imagined. Instead, he held her under the arm and looked down at her, his gaze steady, his voice calm.

  “It’s best if you don’t try that again. I don’t want you or anyone else getting hurt.”

  She frowned at the statement.

  Was he lying?

  He didn’t want her hurt? That didn’t make sense.

  She eyed him warily, recognizing him from earlier in the day. She’d robbed his house.

  Why wasn’t he screaming at her, beating her with his fists?

  “I’m going to walk you to a holding cell.”

  She immediately stiffened, memories of another cell making her panic.

  That was why he wasn’t hurting her. He didn’t care about physical torture. He was going straight for the mental stuff.

  She wanted to yell at him that she’d be good. She wanted to drop to her knees and beg.

  But Robin had told her not to say a single word.

  She couldn’t admit that she was afraid of the dark and being shut into a black room was her nightmare come true.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” The man’s voice was soft and soothing. “It’s a place to keep you safe until we find out where you belong, alright?”

  She couldn’t nod.

  She could barely breathe.

  Instead, she dipped her head and stared at the floor.

  Another pair of black boots entered the room, and she glanced up to see Officer Moss. He was mad. His lips were pulled into a tight line, and the brown eyes that had been maybe just a little forgiving when he first brought her to the station were now hard with anger.

  Looking past his shoulder, she spotted the woman by the wall. She looked pale but calm, her expression unreadable. Leah glanced away from her as Officer Moss stepped around the other side of her.

  They didn’t bother to cuff her and instead marched her through the station, back to where they’d initially come in.

  She chose to look around again, her eyes darting from the floor to the wall.

  She saw the neatly pinned bulletin board, and this time she actually scanned the sheets of paper. Some were all writing, others had bold black letters announcing things, and then the left side of the board was covered with pictures.

  Wanted posters, just like the Old West. Leah had seen a movie once.

  But these wanted posters were different. There were no rewards, just images of mean-looking people—from the front and then the side. Her eyes dropped to beneath those and she saw some different photos.

  Her already erratic breath caught in her throat and she tripped, her knees giving out when she spotted it.


  “Whoa, are you okay?” The kind man caught her, studying her face for a clue to her behavior.

  She dropped her gaze and kept walking, needing to get away from that bulletin board and what she’d seen.

  It couldn’t be right.

  It didn’t make sense.

  She felt the officers glance at one another over her head. They wanted to know what she’d seen.

  As if she could admit anything.

  Her mind was reeling. She wasn’t saying shit, especially about something she didn’t even understand.

  They reached the door she’d been buzzed through before and walked past the round-faced officer. He gave her a curious glance before looking back to his computer. The men led her through another doorway and into a room with two cells—thick, metal, cream-colored bars with big, un-pickable locks.

  At least there was light.

  Leah looked around the well-lit room while Officer Moss called, “Ready, Mick.”

  A loud buzz sounded, and then the bars slid open and she was led inside.

  This was nothing like the cell on the farm.

  It was big. Light. Airy.

  Shit, it even had a bench seat.

  She stared at the metal bench against the concrete wall. It was long enough to be a bed.

  The bars buzzed shut behind her and she flinched, spinning to look at the man who had put her in there.

  She glanced at his nametag to jog her memory: Chief Marks.

  He was staring at her like he was trying to work her out. Raising her chin, she met his gaze head on but was quickly unnerved by the steadiness of it. He seemed unshakeable.

  Swallowing, she let him win the round and dipped her head, shuffling to the hard bench seat and perching on the edge of it.

  Without a word, he spun on his heel and quietly walked away.

  Leah’s fingers curled around the edge of the seat, her knee bobbing in agitation as thoughts of the image she’d spotted on that bulletin board swamped her once more.

  11

  Wednesday, September 26th

  3:55pm

  Melina still couldn’t believe what she’d witnessed from that girl.

  Poor Nate.

  She felt awful. It had been her idea to use the pen and paper. But the last thing she’d expected was some type of Jason Bourne attack on a police officer.

  Blaine had taken his brother to the hospital. Melina hoped the injury wasn’t too bad and wouldn’t leave any kind of permanent damage.

  She could still picture that pen shoved into his hand, angry red blood oozing from around the puncture wound. She couldn’t imagine the amount of force the girl must have used to get the pen in there. It must have cut right between the bones. Had it been a lucky shot? Or had she known exactly where to strike?

  Melina pinched the tip of her chin as she walked through the station toward Kellan’s office. He hadn’t said anything before leaving the interview room, but she wasn’t going anywhere without talking to him first.

  After the attack on Nate, she’d kept herself back against the wall, not wanting to get in the way, but also desperate to help. She’d tried to calm the girl with words, but they weren’t getting through, and Melina knew nothing about physical combat.

  The second Kellan had burst through the door, Melina had felt her entire body relax with relief. With him there, she didn’t need to be afraid anymore. She’d been 100 percent confident in his ability to take control of the situation.

  And he had.

  Very quickly.

  She found it interesting that the girl had relented to him so easily. The way she’d attacked Nate, and that caged animal look on her face when she’d lifted that chair, had Melina believing she’d do anything to fight her way out.

  But Kellan’s calm voice had relaxed her.

  Melina crossed her arms and tapped her finger on her elbow. She needed to call her boss, Glenda, and see if they could get an immediate psychological assessment done on the girl. It wouldn’t be easy with her stubborn silence, but Glenda might have some good ideas of how to handle it.

  There had to be a key to unlocking the girl—something that would trigger an almost involuntary response.

  Coke and a smile obviously hadn’t worked.

  Melina walked up the two steps to Kellan’s office and let herself in. She hoped he wouldn’t mind her waiting in there, but she needed a private place to think.

  Skimming her hand along the edge of his desk, she smiled at the neatness of it. Everything had a place. There were no loose pages unaccounted for. The files he was obviously working on were stacked in a neat pile on the right-hand side. His computer took over the left, and he had a desk organizer that was actually being used to its full potential.

  It made Melina grin.

  He really was a man of order.

  She wondered if it was a coping mechanism. If it made him feel safe.

  He obviously needed control in his life. Was that some kind of protective defense? An outcome of the devastation he’d faced years ago?

  Losing a child and then his wife only eight months later had to be rough.

  She didn’t know all the details specifically. She’d only heard comments throughout town. Louanne had once given her a rundown, then quickly felt guilty and told her not to say anything.

  When the FBI had given up hunting for Kellan’s daughter, his wife had lost it. Within a matter of weeks, she’d packed her bags and left him. The only other contact Kellan had with her was when the divorce papers arrived. He’d signed them and that was it—Carrie Marks was no longer.

  Melina wondered if Kellan even knew where she was.

  Probably not.

  The woman had obviously needed to cut ties completely.

  The door behind her clicked and Melina spun with a smile. Kellan walked into the room, not surprised to see her waiting for him. He didn’t say anything, just brushed his eyes over her.

  He looked sad.

  Sad and restless.

  Melina’s eyes narrowed as she studied him. The girl wasn’t the only person for Melina to worry about.

  Something was up with Kellan, and for once he hadn’t bothered to hide his emotion from her.

  She took it as a good sign and unwound the long cotton scarf from around her neck, placing it over the back of the padded chair before taking a seat.

  Kellan paced for a minute, scrubbing a hand down his face before quickly relaying where the girl was.

  “She just stared at me,” he ended with a whisper. “I mean, I can’t even describe…” He shook his head. “There’s just something…about her.”

  “She’s touched something inside of you.” Melina reached forward, nearly tipping out of her seat in order to grab his hand and slow him down.

  He stilled and glanced down at their connection.

  Melina didn’t say anything for a moment, too caught up in memorizing the feel of his hand within hers. It was strong and steady, with long, sure fingers that gently gripped her palm.

  It felt so good that she struggled to find her voice for a moment. His eyes were on her, quietly drinking her in.

  Butterflies danced from her stomach to her throat, tingling behind the back of her nose before finally giving her a chance to think. As they flittered out of her frazzled brain, she softly whispered, “Talk to me, Kellan.”

  12

  Wednesday, September 26th

  4:10pm

  When she said his name like that, how could he refuse her?

  Kellan’s throat swelled with emotion as he lowered himself into the chair beside Melina. It wasn’t graceful. His knees kind of gave out and he plunked down beside the gorgeous woman, his insides raw and scratchy.

  He didn’t talk about his past.

  The devastation.

  Voicing it was too hard. But Melina’s thumb rubbing soft circles over the back of his hand pulled the truth out of him.

  “Rae,” he rasped.

  He didn’t like saying her name out loud.

  It hurt too muc
h.

  But there it was.

  Rae.

  His little ray of sunshine.

  Melina didn’t say anything, just squeezed his hand and silently told him to keep going.

  “If she was alive today, she’d be fourteen. I don’t know how old that girl is, but she looks about the same age and I just…” He shook his head. “It makes me wonder what Raelynn would look like now if she was still here.” He winced, his expression contorting as he tried to hold in the emotion. “She was so little. So…” He let out a ragged, pain-filled breath and slumped back in the chair.

  Memories swamped him before he could gain control of his mind.

  “Look, Daddy! Look at me!” Rae jumped from rock to rock along the shoreline, her little legs carrying her along faster than he expected. He couldn’t help a flash of pride at her athleticism. For a four-year-old, she seemed pretty damn capable.

  But she was still only four and didn’t always know when something was too much or how dangerous it could be.

  It was his job to guide and caution her, so he called out both praise and warning. “Clever girl, but you be careful.”

  “I am being careful,” she retorted in a voice that was too cute for her own good.

  Carrie chuckled as she ambled along beside him. “She’s always got a comeback.”

  “Does she ever,” Kellan muttered, throwing his arm around his wife’s shoulders as they walked along the edge of Balsam Lake.

  The sun was getting ready to set, which meant Rae was up way past her bedtime. But it was their final night at Balsam Lake Recreation Park, and Carrie thought they should enjoy it together.

  With his wife tucked against him, Kellan was already looking forward to that moment of absolute peace when Raelynn was asleep and he could enjoy every inch of his wife’s body. They had a two-room tent and Rae slept like the dead…once she finally got to sleep.

  The girl was boundless fun and energy.

  They’d had a blast hanging out by the lake—hiking, fishing, jet skiing, swimming. They’d packed as much into the week as humanly possible. Rae had made tight friends with a set of twins who’d left that morning. She’d been restless and needy since they’d pulled out of the park. It was probably good they were getting back into routine the next day.