But for now, he looked at his wife. He saw the sparkle in her soft hazel eyes, her trim body, and easy ways. Whatever happened, he would remember this moment. He would remember her smile and the feel of her hands on his face as she kissed him.
“Come on, handsome. Let’s go get some lunch.” She put her arm through his, and they walked off to find something to eat.
* * *
“Dad! You suck!” Nathan laughed as Ethan missed any ball that was shot at his face.
“These balls are coming awfully fast.” He swung and missed again.
Nathan laughed, and Ethan committed each of his son’s features to memory.
“How much longer are we gonna do this?” Ethan swung and connected this time.
“Last time. Now concentrate, Dad!”
Nathan had asked to go to the batting cages. Ethan knew that on the field was one place his son felt confident. The early teen years were no fun—Ethan remembered that much. And he was glad the boy felt at home some place. For Ethan, that confidence hadn’t come until much later—the first time he’d put on his uniform.
And here he was plotting what could very well be a suicide mission. He hoped with everything he was that he would be at his son’s 15th birthday in September.
He wanted to savor the moment, but he also knew if he and Walter had any chance of surviving, he had to get ready.
Ethan’s turn at bat was up, and he stood tall for a moment. He sensed something was in the air. He could feel it, and it wasn’t good. He knew it, just as sure as he knew he loved his son.
Tonight, the shit’s gonna hit the fan.
Chapter 75
He had to feed. He was hungry, and that hunger was making him weak. The Woman was coming. He could sense it, he could feel it, and he needed to be ready.
The movie was still playing in his mind, but the images were starting to come together. He had remembered the boy’s name, and he clung to that. It was proof that he belonged with her and these children.
But first, The Woman had to be dealt with. He wasn’t a killer. He knew that much. He wasn’t like her, but if he had to, he had decided that he would kill The Woman.
Or if it came to it, he would die trying to protect the family.
Chapter 76
“Sit!” I fussed at Maggie. Her hair was a tangled mess, and I was trying to comb it after her shower.
Jessie’s hair was already clean and braided, courtesy of Karie. Karie was getting dressed. Jessie was sitting on her bunk, looking at one of Karie’s Glamour magazines. And here I was.
Maggie was on the floor, and I was sitting in one of the small chairs that belonged with the little table I had found for the girls’ room. She kept trying to edge away, anxious to get dressed and head out to the carnival.
“Mommy! Who cares? I can just wear a hat,” Maggie fussed at me.
“Margaret Klevan!” I pulled out her real name, and she immediately stilled, knowing I only did that when I was really annoyed. “Sit! Your hair is a tangled mess, and it’s only going to get worse if you wear a hat. So sit down for five minutes, and let me comb your hair!”
“Okay, Mommy. Sorry.” And she sat still.
I could see Jessie’s shoulders shaking with laughter, and I cleared my throat. She looked up, and I pointed the comb at her and raised my eyebrow. She stopped laughing.
“Oh… Karie, you look pretty,” Jessie told her. Anything the older girl did was met with awe from Jessie. She adored Karie and never missed a chance to tell her.
“Thanks.” Karie smiled at Jessie.
And Karie did look very pretty. She had long hair that Bee straightened for her a few times a year, and she had pulled it back into a low ponytail. She had on a pair of bright yellow shorts that I’m pretty sure only she and her mother could pull off. She’d paired a pretty, green, sleeveless blouse with it. I would have looked like a leprechaun, but on Karie it looked high fashion. No wonder Jessie looked up to her.
“You ready?” Karie asked Jessie.
Jessie bounced off the bed, looking cute in her navy shorts and white sleeveless blouse, similar to the one Karie wore.
“Mommy, hurry!” Maggie pleaded with me, afraid they would leave her.
“See. That’s what you get. Now everyone’s waiting on you.” I had just about combed out the rat’s nest in the back of her head. “And there! Now get dressed.”
I had laid out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt for her, and she shimmied into them. “Can I wear my Crocs?”
“Sure.” I’m sure Jessie wouldn’t approve. “They’re downstairs.”
She ran off.
I put the brush back on the table and leaned back.
KIDS!
Chapter 77
“This is your last chance,” Ethan told his friend, as they once again sat in the back of Flo’s Diner.
Ethan had dropped off Nathan and gone home to change. He put on a pair of old, broken-in jeans and a black T-shirt. He wanted to be able to move quickly if needed. A pair of reliable cross trainers completed the look. He’d hugged his son tightly as he dropped him off, and Nathan did the same. He knew his dad, and he knew that he wasn’t going to get any further details, so he accepted the hug and waved good-bye to his father as he ran inside.
Walt had enjoyed a wonderful lunch with his wife. They’d ordered a bottle of wine, and he brought up the subject of adoption. She asked him if he was sure, and he said that if she wanted to adopt, he would do anything he had to do to make it happen for her. Tears filled her eyes, and he prayed there was nothing else to them. He prayed she was simply happy that perhaps their dream of having a child would come true. He hoped with all he was that she didn’t know what he and Ethan were about to do.
And there, in Flo’s Diner, Walt and his best friend of more than two decades were sitting, plotting.
“Shut up.” Walt was firm. “I should be at their lake house in about 45 minutes. I’ll call when I get there.”
“Promise me you’ll be careful.” Ethan looked at his friend. “Don’t be stupid. If you see something, call, and then call the local PD if needed.”
“Same goes to you, my friend. Don’t be a hero.”
Two old friends—they’d seen a lot together, done a lot together. They ate their burgers in silence. They were as ready as they could be. After they paid the check and walked outside, Ethan grabbed Walter by the arm.
“Stay home,” he told his old friend.
Walter searched Ethan’s face, saw the fear, and held fast. “No. It’s you and me. We’re gonna do this.”
Ethan dropped his hand from Walter’s arm and ran his hands over his face. “And what if I’m wrong? What then? What if this is all just some crazy animal shit? What if I’ve lost it?”
Walter smiled a sad smile and said, “I trust you. I trust your gut. You’ve gotten us out of more trouble just because you listened to it. If she doesn’t show up tonight, we’ll go back tomorrow, and the next night and the next. We’re right, Ethan. You know we are.”
Ethan gave Walter an equally sad smile. “That’s the longest speech you’ve ever made. You know that?”
Walter just shook his head. “Yeah, yeah. See you soon.”
Ethan prayed Walter was right.
Chapter 78
“Just eat something here,” I told the kids. “Carnival food is nasty.”
“Mom, sorry… you are so wrong,” Carey told me.
“But I have corn dogs here! I bought some at the store the other day.”
“You can’t compete with a carnival corn dog, Mrs. J,” Ant told me.
“Fine! If you guys get belly aches, I don’t want to hear it. And if you puke on one of those rides… same thing.”
I gave Sam the money I got for them, and he put it in his wallet.
“I don’t like leaving you here alone, Mom—especially without a car.” Sam looked concerned.
The kids had been trying to get me to come with them for the past 10 minutes.
“I’ll be fine. I want to ge
t the coleslaw shredded and make the vinaigrette. Then I’m just going to watch some TV and relax. I’ll be fine.”
“You sure? You should come with us, Mom. It’ll be fun.” Sam tried one more time.
“Sam. Go. I’m fine. What’s gonna happen?”
Chapter 79
Ethan sat in his beat up, old Chevy truck and watched the Klevan house. So far, all was quiet. He popped the tab on his Diet Coke. And then something happened. The air shifted. Birds and bugs had been buzzing, and now nothing. He sat up, putting the soda in the drink holder.
He rolled up his window and got out of the truck. The air was heavy, and despite it being a warm night, Ethan shivered.
When he was younger, his dad would come home drunk once in awhile. His mom would put him to bed and tell him to stay in his room, and then she would lock the door on her way out. Ethan could feel the anger—a cloud of evil seemed to settle over the house. He would hear his dad yelling and his mom crying as the slaps rang out. Ethan would cover his ears with his pillow, praying that his dad would just go away.
He felt that same evil as he stepped out of the truck. It seemed just a little bit darker outside, and the air a little more pungent. And the silence was deafening.
He crept up the driveway and crouched low. He looked around and ran for the side of the house. He peeked in the window and could see much of the first floor. It was dark. He saw only stillness. He watched for a moment, praying he was wrong. He prayed, for just a moment, that maybe he was insane, maybe all of this was just his imagination—that whoever broke into this family’s house was just some kid.
“Deep breath, Ethan,” he coached himself. “Deep breath.”
And suddenly, the back door just vanished.
He blinked. Still no door. Moonlight filtered in from the hole the ruined door created, and he strained to see. The kitchen counter blocked part of his view, but not enough that he didn’t see her step into the kitchen.
Ethan would never forget that face.
Her hair was shorter now, cut into what he knew was a stylish bob—Melissa had the same hair cut. And her eyes still glowed silver. She looked around, and he was once again struck by her beauty.
And yet, he’d seen what she was, what she could do, and he didn’t let it sway him. She was out of breath, he could see her chest rise and fall, and the anger emanating from her was palpable, real. He said a silent prayer, and then crept around the back.
* * *
Walter could see Julie Klevan moving around the kitchen. Her car wasn’t there, so he assumed she was alone, or maybe some of the kids were out. He knew the older two boys could drive. She was a pretty woman. She looked young for her age, just like his Cindy. She moved with an ease about her. She was comfortable, safe—or so she thought.
His phoned trilled, signaling a text message. He looked at it.
She’s here.
It was from Ethan.
Walter’s first instinct was to crank the car and go back to the Klevan’s house, to help his friend, but they had come up with a plan, and they both promised to stick to it.
Now, all he could do was sit and wait.
Chapter 80
“Sam! Can we do the Ferris wheel one more time?” The girls pleaded with him, even Karie joined in.
“We ran out of tickets. We need to go get some—,” he started, but Jessie and Maggie had already snatched the $20 bill he had in his hand and ran over to the ticket line.
Karie put her arm through Sam’s. “You’re a good big brother.”
“Yeah?” He smiled down at her. “Shouldn’t I get a kiss for that or something?”
Karie obliged. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. A few seconds later, he heard giggling. The girls were back with $20 worth of tickets clutched in Maggie’s hand. They giggled, and Sam grabbed Maggie throwing her over his shoulder.
“Come on midgets—one more time on the Ferris wheel.”
Chapter 81
He saw the oldest boy throw one of the little girls over his shoulder. He sensed her laughter rather than heard it. The pretty girl the boy had been kissing grabbed the other girl’s hand, and they ran to catch up to the boy.
He stood behind a tent, the night hiding him from most people. When the boy had driven off in the van with all the children, he’d felt compelled to follow them.
The boy, the oldest boy—he was a good-looking kid. Tall, strong, and devoted to her. She was his mother. He knew that much. He’d heard him call her “Mom.”
The Woman was after the boy. He didn’t know how he knew it, didn’t know why he was so sure of it. But the boy was in danger.
Chapter 82
Ethan was hiding at the back corner of the house. He texted Walter, and then put his phone away. Ethan wasn’t a religious man, but he figured he had nothing to lose at this point, and so he prayed. He prayed that he would see his son again, that he and Walter would share a beer and watch the Super Bowl. He prayed that Melissa knew how happy he was for her. But the one thing he prayed for the most, begged for, was to do whatever he could to make sure this woman didn’t hurt anyone.
It didn’t dawn on him to pat himself on the back. He’d been right about her all along. He’d been right that she was back, and that she was after this poor widow and her young children. He saw a young man on the ground, 20 years ago, his chest ripped open and blood pooling under his lifeless body. Ethan prayed that he would be able to give that victim, and any others, the peace they deserved.
He moved closer to the door and crouched under the kitchen window. He peeked up and looked in. The woman wasn’t in the kitchen any longer. He heard a crash from the second floor and took a deep breath.
Time to go in.
He moved over to what used to be the back door and looked at it. It had been ripped right off the hinges, and now lay about 20 feet away. He’d seen the door. It was a heavy, reinforced, solid wood door. He guessed it weighed at least 140 pounds. There was no way that woman should have been able to chuck it 20 feet into the yard. Ethan ignored the warning in his gut and stepped into the kitchen, gun drawn.
He could hear her upstairs. Crashes and bangs filled the house, he didn’t know what she was doing, but her rage came raining down on him. He crept over to the stairs. A guttural cry came from upstairs, and the hair on his arms stood on end.
It sounded like an angry animal was tearing apart the house. Ethan said one final prayer and started up the stairs.
Chapter 83
“Ohh, I love this song!” I couldn’t sing, not well anyway, but I didn’t care. I turned up the volume and sang along. I was alone in the house, the cabbage had been cut, and I was whipping up a dressing for the coleslaw. P!nk filled the kitchen, and I sang along. I danced around the kitchen and opened up the fridge to get the champagne vinegar I had picked up at Target the other day.
I looked at the clock—8:30. I didn’t expect the kids to be home for at least another hour, so I turned up the volume on my iPod even more and sang along as Bruno Mars took over the kitchen.
Chapter 84
He watched the boy get off the Ferris wheel with the girls. They looked so happy. The boy looked happy. He wondered briefly where the other children were. They must have split up at some point.
One of the girls held the boy’s hand, and the other little girl held the older girl’s hand. They pulled the bigger kids toward a cart that had a man selling cotton candy. The boy shook his head, but the older girl bumped him with her hip and took some money out of her own pocket. The vendor handed her two bags filled with the spun sugar. She gave one to the girls and opened one herself. She held out a tiny pillow to the boy, and he opened his mouth, taking it from her.
An image flashed in his mind. They were at a carnival—no, it was nicer. They were at an amusement park of some sort, and she was eating cotton candy. The children were all there, and they each held their own bag of the sugary sweet. The beautiful woman was there. She held out a sampling of cotton candy to someone�
�� to him?
He made a fist and pounded it against his leg. He had to remember. Something told him that their lives depended on it.
Chapter 85
The stairs didn’t make a sound. Ethan was relieved. He had crept all the way up to the second story without making a sound. Blood drummed in his ears, and he was struggling to control his breathing. He flinched as something flew out of one of the bedrooms—a dresser drawer.
The hallway was littered with debris. Pieces of furniture, clothes, toys, sports equipment had all been flung out of the rooms.
“Bitch!” A voice said with a growl.
He heard it, and it flashed him back 20 years ago. That same voice had haunted him for months following that night at 7-Eleven. It didn’t sound human.
A crash and the sound of splintering wood filled the house.
“My son! That’s MY SON!”
Ethan heard a mirror break. A cry filled the air. At first it sounded like a woman crying out in pain, and then it dissolved into an angry, gritty growl.
“Oh, God. Shit… Oh, God!” Ethan braced himself.
* * *
Walter sat in his car, not moving. He had turned off the radio. He told Cindy he picked up an extra shift, and he texted her. He didn’t trust himself to call. His wife would hear the fear in his voice.
Hi, Babe! Love you!
He hit “Send.”
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