“More,” Zelda decided, returning to her task with renewed determination.“He needs more sparkles.”
Penny watched us with a complex mixture of emotions I couldn’t fully decipher.Gratitude and fear and something warmer all tangled together in a soft look of wonder as she watched us.Our gazes met over the heads of her daughters, and I saw tears glimmering in her eyes, though none fell.I understood.Some joy cuts as deep as sorrow when you’ve been without it for too long.
I remained perfectly still as the girls continued their work, allowing myself to be transformed into the world’s least intimidating Christmas giant.The weight of tinsel on my shoulders was nothing compared to the weight of the trust these two girls had placed in me.Trust was a heavy thing, especially when it came from those who’d learned the hard way that the world wasn’t safe.I’d carry the weight proudly, though.
“There,” Zelda declared finally, stepping back to assess their handiwork.“Now you match the tree.”
“Sparkly,” Kira added solemnly, clutching Mr.Hoppers to her chest.
“Very sparkly,” I agreed, my deep voice rumbling through the tinsel.“How do I look?”
“Like a Christmas giant,” Zelda said with unexpected frankness, and then, even more unexpectedly, she smiled again, a full, unguarded expression that transformed her entire face.
My laughter filled the room once more, joined now by Kira’s softer giggles and even a small chuckle from Zelda.Penny pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes never leaving her daughters.
This Christmas would be different for them.I’d make damn sure of it.Whatever it took, whatever they needed.
Chapter Five
Penny
I carried the plate of Christmas cookies through Haven’s common room, the warm cinnamon, sweet aroma wrapping around me like a comfort I’d almost forgotten.For a brief moment, I allowed myself to savor this slice of normal life we’d carved out here.I knew it was only temporary, but Violet had promised I could stay as long as I needed.She said to not even think about leaving until my lawyer, Lana Thompson, said it was safe to do so.Violet said Ms.Thompson had helped her and Caleb when she’d left her own abusive husband.It had taken us a while, but I thought we were all feeling better about the situation.
I glanced out the window… My heart stuttered, my chest constricting painfully.A silver BMW crawled past the building, moving slowly, deliberately.Andy’s car.My husband had found us.The plate trembled in my hands.My lungs seized, each breath a conscious effort as the car rolled past the shelter a second time.
I set the cookies down on the nearest surface, my fingers suddenly numb and clumsy.Crumbs scattered across the tabletop as the plate clattered louder than I’d intended.A woman reading nearby glanced up, her eyebrows drawing together in concern, but I was already moving, my body operating on instinct honed through years of danger.
The girls.I needed to find my girls.
I hurried through the common room, scanning each corner frantically.The familiar weight of dread settled in my stomach, heavy and cold.Three weeks.We’d had three weeks of safety.I should have known it wouldn’t last.
I spotted the girls by the back window, sunlight catching in their hair as they hunched over a board game with Caleb.Laughter bubbled from Kira, actual unguarded laughter that sent a jagged pain through my chest.Zelda was smiling, her perpetual wariness momentarily set aside as she moved a game piece across the board.The sound of their happiness was a cruel counterpoint to the terror clawing at my throat.
“Mom?”Zelda looked up, her smile fading as she registered my expression.She could always read me.
I forced my voice to stay steady.“Time to head back to our room for a bit.”
Caleb glanced between us, his young face showing wisdom beyond his years.“We can finish the game later,” he said easily, already standing as if he, too, sensed my fear.
My hand shook as I fumbled with my phone, turning slightly away from the children as I pulled up Violet’s number.The device felt slippery in my sweating palm.
“Penny?Everything OK?”Violet’s voice came through clear, concerned.
I turned farther away, dropping my voice to an urgent whisper.“He’s here.Andy found us.”The words burned my throat like acid.
The silence on the other end lasted only a heartbeat.“Where are you right now?”
“Common room.With the girls and Caleb.I was going to go up to our room.”
“Good.Stay inside Haven.You’ll be safe as long as you stay inside the building.I’m contacting Knight at the compound right now.”Her voice shifted, becoming brisk, professional.“Don’t go near the windows.Keep the kids away from them too.I’ll be there in five.”I ended the call, tucking the phone into my back pocket where I could feel it vibrate if necessary.
“Mom?”Kira’s small voice pulled at me.“What’s happening?”
I knelt before them, checking the nearest window with a quick peripheral glance.“We need to go up to our room.Just for a while.”I gave them a smile I knew had no hope of being reassuring because tears burned my eyes.
Zelda’s studied me for a long moment.“Is it him?”she whispered, and I hated that my twelve-year-old daughter knew to ask that question.
I didn’t answer directly.“Caleb, do you think maybe you could move the game upstairs to keep us company?”My gaze met his and I saw understanding flash across his features.
