Page 68 of In Safe Hands
“More than you know, Dais.” He leaned closer, his gaze flicking from her eyes to her lips and back. Her stomach tightened in anticipation, but he turned his head slightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Even as the contact of his lips against her skin made her blood buzz with excitement, disappointment flooded her. She’d wanted a real kiss, not something a sister or grandma would receive. Shoving down her dissatisfaction, she told herself to enjoy their restored camaraderie and quit wanting more from him than he wanted to give. That was the road to becoming an angry, bitter old lady.
Chris pulled away and headed for the door. “I’m going to go home and grab a shower.”
Lifting the collar of her shirt so she could sniff it, she nodded, scrunching her face to make Chris laugh. “Me too.”
Her efforts were successful, and he chuckled as he unbolted the door. “Remember, it’s a rest day, so no exercise of any kind.”
“I might need to climb the stairs occasionally,” she said, trying to keep her expression serious.
“If you absolutely have to go upstairs, then do it slowly.” He winked at her as he left. “Bye, Dais.”
“Later, Chris.” Closing the door behind him, she started to turn the dead bolts, beginning at the bottom as she always did. When she reached the two chain locks, she fastened the first, but her hand stilled on the second one. Daisy’d had enough of longing and wishing for things to be different. To change, she needed to act. No matter how terrifying it was, the thought of a life trapped in her house, a life without Chris, was even scarier. With her heart pounding in her ears, she released the chain, letting it swing loosely against the door.
She took a step back, and then two, her eyes locked on the dangling, unsecured chain. The floor tilted beneath her, and she sat abruptly, not wanting to fall and hit her head if she fainted again. Her breath came fast and shallow, and her skin switched between hot and sweaty and clammy. To her relief, though, she stayed conscious.
Daisy wasn’t sure how long she stared at that one unfastened chain lock before her body stopped freaking out and returned to normal—seminormal, at least. Her hands still shook slightly, and her stomach felt raw and sore, as if she were recovering from the flu. The sweating had stopped, though, and her heartbeat, although elevated, had slowed from its initial hummingbird speed.
With her hands pressed to the floor, she shifted to her hands and knees. When that didn’t bring any waves of dizziness, she pushed herself to an upright kneeling position. Her vision blurred a little around the edges, so she waited until she was seeing clearly again before climbing to her feet.
Once she was up, she focused on the open lock again. It looked wrong, hanging there when the door was closed, and her fingers itched to secure it. Daisy resisted, though, turning to face the kitchen. She found it was easier when she wasn’t looking at the chain, so she took a step away from the door and then another.
When she reached the study, Daisy lowered herself to sit in the chair. There was an anxious buzz in the back of her mind, telling her that something wasn’t right. She could ignore it, though. She wasn’t fainting or sweating or hyperventilating, so she could handle the slight uneasiness that urged her to run to the door and fasten the lock.
“I did it,” she said quietly to the demon doll with teeth. A laugh bubbled out of her, unexpected and loud. “I did it!” Reaching for the doll, she almost grabbed it and hugged it, but then she pulled back her hand. It probably wouldn’t be wise to let the toy of the devil that close to her jugular. The thought made her laugh again, and she spun her chair in a circle.
It was a single lock on a single door, but for today, it was enough.
* * *
As soon as it got dark, Tyler slipped through the trees to his favorite watching spot. All her blinds were pulled, blocking his view, but he still stared at the house. Anger surged through him at the thought of how much trouble and worry she was causing. There had to be something Tyler could do to help his dad.
Absently, he pulled his favorite Zippo lighter out of his pocket and began flicking it open and closed in a steady rhythm. His dad always told him he needed to think things through before acting. Tyler could manage that. He’d wait and watch and eventually know what he had to do to keep their tiny family of two safe—and he’d do anything necessary.
His gaze dropped to the lighter as the tiny flame flared to life.
Anything.
Chapter 13
“Did you forget one?” Ellie asked, nodding toward the dangling chain.
“No.” Daisy had been waiting for someone to notice. It seemed too small a thing to announce out of the blue, but she’d hoped someone would ask so she could share her tiny victory. “I’m leaving it open. It’s been that way since yesterday morning.”
Ellie’s eyes widened along with her smile as she grabbed Daisy’s arm and jumped up and down. “Daisy!” Her name was an excited shriek that brought the others rushing back through the kitchen in a stampeding herd.
“What’s wrong?” Chris asked sharply, his cop eyes raking over them.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Like Ellie, Daisy couldn’t stop smiling. The night had been hard—really hard. The open lock had haunted her, demanding that she go downstairs to fasten it, but she’d resisted. It had made it worse that she couldn’t kick the stuffing out of Max to relieve some of her nervous tension, but she’d promised Chris to take a day of rest. Instead, she’d cleaned and paced and listed the dolls for sale and tried unsuccessfully to read and stared blankly at the television. It had been miserable, but she’d done it, and she was very, very proud of herself.
“Look!” Ellie gestured toward the door with a game-show-hostess flourish. Everyone stared at the unfastened lock except for Daisy. She’d found it was better if she kept her gaze away from it.
Lou was the first to react. With a high-pitched scream that put Ellie’s earlier exclamation to shame, she lunged forward and grabbed Daisy in a tight hug.
“That’s so awesome, Daisy,” she said, finally releasing her so that Daisy could breathe. For a small woman, Lou was surprisingly strong. The others gathered around and gave her their sincere but more subdued congratulations. Chris stayed back, though, and Daisy sent him a worried look. She’d expected that he’d be the first to share her excitement.
“How long have you had that open?” His tone was even, but there was something in it that made the others come to a silent agreement to head toward the training room after a final round of pats and accolades.
