Page 43 of Dark Memories
After leveling Harry a look that clearly said,You will keep my daughter safe, he headed for the hamburger counter. When he returned, she said, “I need to call my office. Back in a minute.”
She only stepped far enough away to where Kali couldn’t hear her. Staying alert, her gaze scanning the people in the food court, she called her boss.
“We have trouble.” She filled Eve in on Zach’s four slashed tires, and after making a plan to get Zach and Kali safely home, she returned to the table.
Garth Davidson was making a statement. He was coming for Zach. Harry actually preferred the frontal attack versus a sneaky back-door one, but it was disturbing that he’d followed them. Although Zach had been driving, she’d kept an eye out in the side mirror, but with all the traffic on the road, it really would have been difficult to spot a car tailing them. The mall would have security cameras and hopefully they’d learn what he was driving, might even be able to follow him via the city’s and other businesses’ cameras.
She knew Zach wanted information, but she was hesitant to talk in front of Kali. “Eve’s picking us up in twenty minutes,” she said. The crime scene technicians were on their way to go over Zach’s car, dusting for fingerprints on the outside chance Davidson had touched it somewhere. They would also check for explosives, although Harry doubted there were any. If he’d done that, he wouldn’t have warned them by slashing the tires. Once they were done, Zach could send someone out to replace the tires.
“Why is the police lady picking us up?” Kali asked.
Yep, little ears were listening.
“She’s being nice and doing us a favor by giving us a ride home. Our car has a flat tire,” Zach said.
“Oh. Can we set up my fort when we get home?”
Zach smiled at his daughter. “You bet. A princess definitely needs a fort.”
Kali happily chatted away about her fort and the things she would keep in it. Eve showed up as Kali was swallowing the last bite of her burger. With Zach on one side of his daughter, Harry on the other, and Eve behind them, they walked to Eve’s SUV.
“Why don’t you sit up front? Eve can bring you up to speed while I chat with Kali,” Harry said to Zach.
Kali was such a happy little girl—chatting about her fort, her dog, school, her friends—and Harry wondered if she’d somehow cleansed her mind of being kidnapped. At least during the day. She’d had a nightmare each night since coming home, so the fear was there, hiding in the shadows.
Harry half listened to Eve and Zach’s conversation, her ears perking up when the subject of sending Kali away came up.
“I don’t know what to do,” Zach said. “I don’t want her out of my sight, and I’m not sure who to send her to that I trust more than myself and Delaney to keep her safe. But I don’t want her fearing she’ll be taken again, and if I sent her somewhere without me, she’ll be upset.”
“You could go with her,” Eve said. “Take a vacation somewhere.”
“That would probably be the smart thing to do, but I don’t like the idea that some asshole has the power to run me out of town. And I have a lot going on next week that requires my attention. There’s also school. Kali’s already missed this week. I hate to take her out next week, too. Let me talk to Delaney later before I make a decision.”
Something warm and fuzzy tickled Harry’s stomach. She wasn’t supposed to get warm and fuzzy just because Zach wanted to include her in his decisions. Nor when he kissed her. Or when his eyes raked over her and a wicked smile curved his lips, telepathing his naughty thoughts. She huffed an annoyed-with-herself breath. As if he were reading her again, he glanced over his shoulder, his gaze locking on hers.
“You have something on your mind, Delaney?”
“Not a thing, but thank you for asking.” The aggravating man smirked. She stuck out her tongue, regretting her juvenile behavior immediately when he laughed.
“It’s not nice to stick out your tongue at people, Delaney,” Kali said. “I did it once to Darrin Mackles and my teacher made me write him a letter saying I was sorry.”
Reprimanded by a seven-year-old was a new low. “You’re absolutely right. I won’t do it again.”
“You should write Daddy a letter so he’ll know you’re sorry.”
Zach chuckled. “Yeah, you should so Daddy’s feelings won’t be hurt.”
Daddy was entirely too amused, and Harry almost bit off her tongue to keep from sticking it out again. Her boss—the one who didn’t miss a freaking thing—was watching her in the rearview mirror, also wearing a smirk on her face.
She was surrounded by smirkers and one precocious little girl, and she hadn’t been this happy since the night another woman had walked in the door uninvited and announced she was pregnant. Who would have thought it?
* * *
After Zach had set up Kali’s princess teepee, he’d excused himself, needing to check in with Jackie, and after getting her updates, he told her the reason he was working from home this week. He held the phone away from his ear when she erupted with all the things she’d like to do to anyone daring to hurt Kali. When she finally calmed down, he instructed her to tell security to stay alert and for her to keep an eye out herself.
When he finished with her, he returned some calls. All were business related except for one.
“Robbie,” he said when his brother answered. “Where are you?”
