Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
I ring the bell, and Lacey checks the video intercom before she opens it. “How are you sweetie?”
“I’m good,” I offer an automatic lie.
Lacey doesn’t question it. She knows I’m not good, but she also knows better than to delve into it. She’s an old friend from my beauty school days, but our lives have gone in wildly different directions. She married a rich stock broker and stays at home now, and I landed myself in the sites of Muerto. Enough said.
She gestures me inside. “He’s upstairs. He’ll be so excited to see you.”
I follow her in and she takes my coat with a frown. “You need something thicker than this. It’s freezing out there.”
“I know,” I mumble. “I just grabbed this in a hurry.”
Another lie. It’s all I have, but Lacey has already done so much for me. The last thing I need is her feeling like she needs to supply me with clothing too.
“Archer, will you come down here please?” She calls up the stairs.
I wait anxiously as the small footsteps bound across the upper level and down the stairs, and when his face comes into view, I almost burst into tears again.
“Hey baby.” I kneel down and brace for impact as the little angel with brown hair and blue eyes flings himself into my arms.
“Hey mama!” he squeals as he buries his face into my neck. “I missed you.”
I choke down a sob as I squeeze him in my arms. “I missed you too. So much.”
“Are you hungry?” Lacey asks. “I could fix us all some lunch.”
“No.” I pull Archer up and hold him against my hip. Even though he’s getting too big for this at four years old, I can’t help it. “I think if you don’t mind, we might go down to the park and play for a while.”
“Of course.” Lacey nods in understanding. These moments with Archer are so precious that I don’t want to waste one second of them. “Let me grab his coat and gloves.”
Five minutes later, Archer and I are walking hand in hand down to the local park. It’s a nice community, and I’m grateful that he’s here. This is a safe place for Archer. Far away from Boston and in a house that’s secured like Fort Knox. Something Lacey insisted on when she had her own son.
“Tell me what you’ve been doing.” I help Archer onto the swing set and give him a little push.
He flutters his legs and shrugs. “We built an airplane.”
“You did?”
He smiles. “Lego airplane.”
My heart warms at his happy, easygoing expression, and I can only hope that in the end, when we come out of this, he will be okay. I hope someday he will understand that everything I’ve done is to keep him safe.
“Mommy got a new job,” I tell him. “Do you know what that means?”
“What?” He curls his arms around the chains and stares up at me with a face untainted by the darkness in this world.
“We’re going to be together very soon.”
He beams at me with a smile that could melt even the iciest of hearts. “Really? Can I bring my Legos?”
I laugh as tears spring to my eyes. “Yes, you can bring all your toys.”
For the next hour, we burn out all his energy and mine while I chase him around the park and utilize every square inch of the playground. It amazes me every time I come here to see how much he’s grown and changed. Even if it’s only been a few days, it seems like a lifetime.
As happy as I am to see him, it’s always bittersweet because I know it will be over soon and I’ll have to leave him again. And as much fun as we’re having, I can’t help the nagging sensation of doom in my gut. It’s potent today, and I find myself glancing around the park more often than usual, seeking out potential threats. Archer even asks me several times what I’m looking at, and I try my best to assure him that everything is okay, but I can’t shake that awful feeling that we’re being watched. As we’re leaving, it finally becomes apparent why.
Acid burns the back of my throat when I recognize the black BMW with Massachusetts plates parked across the street. I don’t know how long he’s been there, but when our eyes lock through the window, I know he’s done hiding.
“Please.” I shake my head as terror clogs my voice. “Please, no.”
Conor rolls down the window and gestures to the passenger seat. “Get in.”
I shake my head again, and Archer looks up at me. “What’s wrong, mama?”
“Nothing, sweetheart.” I give him a smile for his benefit. “Everything is just fine.”
“Don’t make a scene.” Conor’s lips flatten. “Just get in the car. It’s too bloody cold for you two to be out here like this.”