Page 13 of Cross My Heart
Inside, I see a little boy sitting under a table, so I call out, "Hello? Hey, buddy, are your parents home?"
He shakes his head and climbs further under the table before speaking.
"You b-better go. My d-dad will be back soon, and he will h-hurt you for being here."
I make my way over the broken door and head towards Max. When I hear a car door slam, the little boy starts shaking. I know this isn't going to be pretty. I grab for Max and instruct him to hide under the sink.
“Whatever you do, Max, do not come out of this hiding spot for anything, no matter what you hear until I or the police come to get you. Do you understand?”
With eyes so wide and terrified, he tells me, “Y-yes.”
I back away from Max while reaching for my phone to call 911. Before I can hit send, the phone is taken forcefully from my hands.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing in my house, bitch? Where's my son?"
I can tell he is drunk; he is slurring and smells like a distillery. Now I am shaking, but I try to steal my nerve.
"I'm s-sorry, the police were called, they just took him into town. I was waiting here to explain everything. I'm sorry for the intrusion. I'll just be on my way now."
I'm pushed hard into a wall.
"You're not going anywhere, you filthy whore."
I see the blade of a knife as he walks towards me. Then I feel the first cut, not deep enough to kill, just enough to cause pain. I get a blow to the head next, and instantly everything goes black.
I sit upright covered in sweat. I must have fallen asleep. I’m not sure what wakes me as I can rarely wake myself from those nightmares. When I search for my phone, it's 4:58 am. I know there will be no more sleep to be had, so I get myself up and make some coffee. I might as well start my day off watching the sunrise over the ocean. It is my favorite way to start the day anyway.
Dex
Chapter 6
It has been three days since Lanie Heart was here, and two since I got the report on her from Ryan. No wonder she didn’t want to talk about it. After reading her file, I ran to the bathroom and was sick for a full hour. She’s stronger than she realizes.
I think back to our interview. That was the craziest interview I have ever conducted in my entire fucking life.I can’t help but remember how she jumped in between my daughters and me, protecting them. I would never hurt anyone, but she didn’t know that.
She is not a small woman. I outweigh her by at least fifty pounds, and she stood between perceived danger and my girls. I didn't understand why she seemed so ready to run when I raised my voice. After, I read in Ryan’s file that she protected Max by enduring the abuse of her attacker, doing so in complete silence so she wouldn’t scare the child. All because she wanted him to stay hidden.
I wish Ryan hadn’t sent the pictures that painted her attack so vividly. I will never get them out of my head.She was so broken and bruised. The report even lists all the bones that had been broken; it takes up an entire page. She wasn’t lying when she said she was recovering. She must have scars too, although I didn’t see any. The animal took a knife to her—my stomach rolls again at the thought.
I am sitting in my office in the corner chair with a glass of scotch perched on the end table, having just put the kids to bed. The bookcases have been filled with law books, but the rest of the room is still in disarray.There are fewer boxes in this room.I just haven’t had the time to put anything away.
I put my head in my hands, pulling at my hair. Molly thinks I should hire her. She is probably right. I’ve gone strictly by paper for the last three nannies and look at how they worked out. Something in my gut is telling me to hire Lanie, that she is the one even though her resume may be lacking.
The one for our nanny or the one for me?The nagging voice in my head keeps repeating.I’ve got to get that little voice out of my head.
I text the guys and ask them to come over. It’ll be about an hour before they arrive, so I stand up and head to my room for a quick shower. They’ll know what to do.
Preston arrives first. If I were ever to use the word suave, that would be how I would describe him. “Are you living at the gym these days, Pres? If you’re not careful, you’re going to end up looking like one of those Jersey Shore meatheads.” I notice as he walks through my house that he is really starting to bulk up.
“Jealous, buddy? I can get you out of that Dad-bod in no time,” Preston teases. He is full of shit. All four of us are in excellent shape, it’s like an unspoken competition. I can imagine the four of us entering any establishment would look intimidating. Loki arrives shortly after him.
“Why didn’t you guys drive together? You live in the same damn building?” I ask.
“Pretty boy over there was taking too long,” Preston says, pointing to Loki.
Loki is in his normal state, his hair slightly mussed, the five-o’clock shadow on prominent display. His clothing consists entirely of cargo pants and t-shirts.
He scowls, “Fuck off, I was working, and I left five minutes after you. You could have waited for me, dickhead.”
