Page 60 of Comeback
Mackenzie cracked an eyelid open when I changed her into her jammies. But the second I tucked her into her twin-sized bed, she was out like a light. She was so tired—she’d had a long day out on the lake and was completely wiped.
Poor thing,I thought, frowning as I studied her beautiful face. She loved Jack. It was obvious. It almost scared me how quickly and naturally she accepted him. Kids are so loving, so pure—which is exactly why we have to be so careful with whom they get attached to.
One thing was certain: she’d want to see him again soon—and what would I tell her?
Doubts began to creep in again. Maybe my mythical “strong father figure” was just a fantasy. Kind and gentle but strong and moral—was anyonetrulylike that in real life? Or had I gotten the idea that men were like that from books and movies? Real people were flawed, weren’t they?
She loved Jack, Jack obviously cared for her—so what exactly was my problem?
Then I reminded myself:regardless, he won’t be there for Mack, even if you wanted him to be.
He’d told me himself. He was leaving Bayfield. Because he didn’t want to be found. And the thing about people who don’t want to be found is, they aren’t exactly willing to open up to anybody. Because they want to stay hidden. Andthatwaswhy I’d had such a hard time getting any kind of information out of him.
So let it go, Emma.
And let him go.
I changed out of my swimsuit and into a night-gown. I was too tired to shower. Instead, I pulled out my futon mattress and flopped onto it, waiting for sleep to take me.
But my mind was running a million miles a minute. One second, I was sure I’d made a mistake with Jack, and all but ready to call him and apologize and tell him I’m crazy and beg him to take us with him to whereverhewanted to escape to.
The next second, I’d convince myself that we weren’t meant to be together, and talk myself off the ledge.
I couldn’t get the mental chatter to stop. And beneath it all was the eerie, lingering sensation that something in this house wasn’t quite right.
I grabbed my cell phone, turned on the flashlight, and went downstairs. I directed the dim light onto my path. My heart beat against my ribs like a drum as I tiptoed down the metal staircase. Downstairs, I lifted Jeff’s recliner and set it upright. With the help of my flashlight, I found the light switch. I turned on the light and turned around to survey the scene.
Whew.
Besides the recliner, nothing was out of the ordinary.
Maybe they’d had a fight?I wondered, picturing the scene.
I moved into the living room and flipped on the light.
Quietly, I gasped. Nicole’s display cases were strewn about the room, as if someone had angrily tossed them. Her gemstones were scattered throughout the room.
What the hell?
I was certain they’d had a fight—but I couldn’t believeJeffwas capable of getting mad enough to throw anything. There wasn’t a chance Nicole would ever throw her precious stones, either.
A sliver of light beneath the closed kitchen door drew my eye.
Someone’s in there.
My heart banged like a war drum.
Leave,I told myself.Don’t go in there. Grab Mackenzie and go.
But I was determined to be strong and not run from my problems, to face my fears. Steeling my nerves, I crept forward on the tips of my toes.
It’s all in your head,I repeated like a mantra as I slowly turned the doorknob, trying not to make a sound.
I pushed the door open.
Nicole and Jeff were home, alright—they sat at the kitchen table, their torsos bound to the backs of their chairs with rope, their mouths sealed with duct tape.
I wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
