Page 12 of Keeping Caroline

A cold chill crept down my spine at the thought of what that could mean for us—for Evie. The last thing I wanted was to thrust her into another situation she had no control over. The last thing I wanted was to make her leave her home when we’d only just built a new one. “Are you thinking we will have to go into protective custody as well?”

Although Ethan shrugged and took another sip of his beer, I could tell by the tension in his jaw that he wasn’t completely unfazed by the prospect.

Scarlett shifted in her chair, her hand sliding protectively over her stomach. Soon, Evie wouldn’t be the only child in our family that needed protecting, and we all knew that.

“What’s protective custody, Mommy?”

Evie’s question made me cringe, and I saw the same reaction on Ethan and Scarlett’s faces.

Reaching over, I rubbed Evie’s head. Her hair had a long way to go before it grew back to how it had been before her cancer, but feeling those fine strands between my fingers still made me smile. They reminded me that she was getting better.

“Well, my little Nosy-Rosie, you just reminded Mommy of how much your little ears hear, and just how clever you are.”

Seeming to have already forgotten about her question, she grinned, her slice of cheese pizza hanging out of her mouth and dribbling grease down her chin.

It was clear Ethan had more he needed to say, however, and Scarlett seemed to realize it too, so she stood from the table and walked around to Evie’s side. “Let’s go look at the fish aquarium, munchkin. I hear they have some new babies in there.”

Eyes lighting up, Evie jumped up from her chair, taking Scarlett’s hand and allowing her aunt to lead her away.

The moment they were out of ear shot, Ethan blew out a breath. “It’s possible. The one thing we have going for us is that, at least as of now, and from what our sources believe, the feds don’t know about Scarlett’s abduction months ago. This should prevent her from having to testify. However, what was left of her ex-husband was found at the scene, which could cause her to be dragged in anyway, even if they don’t believe she knows anything. Also, we don’t know if the remaining members of Victor’s gang know about us, or whether or not they will seek retribution.”

After dinner, Evie and I rode with Scarlett and Ethan back to the bookstore and hopped into my car, heading to our home as they went to theirs. The general tone of the night, at least for me, had somehow shifted. I loved my little cottage, as did Evie. We loved everything about it. But something nagged at me, even as I climbed into bed that night—even as I tried to ignore it, there was a fear inside me that wouldn’t abate, something telling me that we weren’t safe. I realized it may have just been paranoia, but the mysterious black SUV that I’d seen parked outside my house a few times over the past several days didn’t help. With everything my little family had gone through, I certainly wasn’t someone who walked around with rose-colored glasses, but the voice in the back of my head told me there was more to it than that. It told me there was something I needed to be afraid of, even when all I wanted to believe was that Evie and I were finally safe.

Needing to do something, I climbed out of bed and turned on my bedroom light, removing the shadows that could have been hiding monsters. When I looked out the kitchen window, the SUV wasn’t there, but it didn’t ease my paranoia. So instead of going back to sleep, I made my way around my small home, checking the locks on the doors and windows before double checking the alarm system. Everything appeared to be secure, but when I returned to my bedroom, unease still crept along my spine like the legs of a spider, sneaking up on me and ready to bite.

Glancing toward my bedroom door, I bit the corner of my thumbnail, trying to convince myself that I was just being silly, but my mind knew better. Unable to shake the feeling, I blew out a breath and rose from my bed again. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to settle with how I felt, so I left my bedroom and went into Evie’s room down the hall, scooping her up.

With my little girl in my arms, I went back into my bedroom and laid her down on my bed, grateful she did not wake up. After checking the hallway again and leaving the lights on, I closed my bedroom door and locked us inside. I knew I was probably going overboard, but I didn’t care. The update Ethan revealed at dinner seemed to have burrowed itself into my subconscious, making me sense things that probably weren’t there. I needed to know we were safe, so if I had to sleep with mace under my pillow and a child who slept like an octopus in my bed, then so be it.

Fast asleep on my bed, Evie’s tiny frame was lost amid a sea of plush blankets and satin sheets. I brushed a kiss on her forehead, her skin cool and fragile beneath my lips.

“Goodnight, sweet girl,” I murmured, but my heart was pounding wildly against my ribcage, a staccato rhythm fueled by fear.

Retreating to my bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face, trying to quell the rising tide of panic. In the mirror, the reflection looking back at me had eyes that flickered with shadows not cast by the room. My mind raced, cataloging the sounds of the house—the hum of the air conditioner, the distant drone of crickets, and the soft breaths of my daughter asleep just a wall away.

“Caroline, you can’t fall apart right now,” I whispered to myself, gripping the edge of the sink.

As the minutes ticked by, the weight of responsibility settled heavily on my shoulders. Ethan and Scarlett deserved their slice of happiness, unmarred by the darkness that seemed to follow our family like a relentless storm. I couldn’t bring myself to shatter their newlywed bliss with my own fears, not until I knew those fears were grounded in reality. The last thing I wanted to do was call them in the middle of the night with nonsense, but the longer I stood there, the more uneasy I became.

Pushing my desk chair against the door and wedging its back under the doorknob, I let out a breath and reached for my phone. I stared at the dark screen for a few minutes before I dialed my brother’s number, and then Scarlett’s, but neither of them answered, only thinning the air more. They always answered the phone. Always.

For a few slow heartbeats, I held the phone in my hand, waiting for the screen to light up with Ethan’s number, but when it didn’t happen, acid rose in my throat, threatening to spill the pizza in my stomach onto my crisp white sheets. I wasn’t sure why my instincts led my fingers to pull up the contact info for someone I’d only spoken to a few times, but they did. When Tristan had slid his number into my phone on the drive back to his hotel, he said it was only a precaution, and I hadn’t dialed it since, but he was someone I knew could help me—or at least I hoped he could.

Swallowing back my hesitation, I clicked on his contact information and typed a message. “Hey, it’s Caroline. I think I need your help.”

Chapter 8

The Phantom

The shrill vibration of my phone on the nightstand jolted me awake, slicing through the thick darkness that enveloped my bedroom. I was still in that stage between sleep and wakefulness where my dreams seemed real, so it took me a moment to read the message. To be honest, the name of the sender had me rubbing my eyes and wondering if I was indeed dreaming.

After a moment, my brain caught up with my squinting eyes and I grabbed my glasses off the side table, my heart rate picking up. It was 12:47 AM, and a message from Ethan’s sister at such an ungodly hour could only mean trouble.

“Hey, it’s Caroline. I think I need your help,” was all the message said.

Her words sent a shiver down my spine as a cold sensation of dread settled in my chest. Although I’d given Caroline my private cellphone number when I was in Alabama, I never expected her to call.

Heart dropping into my stomach, I pushed myself up in the bed and sent a quick reply. “Is everything okay? Did something happen?”

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