Cotter led the way upstairs and she let her hand skim over the smooth polished mahogany railing, savoring for a moment the cool caress. They climbed to the third story and hung a right down a wide maroon carpeted hallway lined with paintings and portraits. “I had the staff hang your favorite paintings here while you were gone. I wanted to make everything as perfect for you as I could.”
Nightshade glanced at the heavy gilded frames and antique paintings of ladies in waiting and picnics from what had to be the 18th century with a concealed shudder. No, thank you. She’d never had the time, or the inclination, to indulge in art.
“And I had them place Precious right here next to your bedroom. I thought she might give you some comfort.” Cotter stopped directly in front of a portrait of a tiny white fluffy dog with a pink collar and a diamond heart pendant. In the background sat a matching pink glittery bowl, and a heavy gold frame encased the whole painting, which took up the entire panel of the wall.
“Oh. This is...”Absolutely appalling.Nightshade slapped a hand over her mouth and tried not to laugh. What was the point? It definitely didn’t have a chance in hell of stopping an enemy unless it got under the attacker’s feet and caused him to trip.
Besides pets were just a time suck. They couldn’t feed themselves, clean up their own crap or aid on a mission. Especially little Precious here.
“I miss her too. It's hard to believe the old girl finally gave up last year, but I thought since she's been with you since you were a toddler, it would make you feel better.” Cotter gave her a light fatherly hug.
“Come on, why don't you get comfortable in your room? I'll have Harriet bring up the snacks later.” Cotter ushered her to the end of the hall and a set of double white doors.
Pictures hadn't done Caroline’s bedroom justice, not even close. Everything in here was some sort of shade of pink. Nightshade gave a brief inward shudder. She would give her life for her twin, but they were going to have to have a serious talk about Caroline's obvious obsession with pink things.
“Thanks, Dad. I think I might sleep the next two days straight.”
Some of the tension left his body and he pulled her into a hug, leaving Nightshade to stand there stiffly, unsure of how to react.
“I was so sure I’d lost you,” Cotter's voice cracked.
“I’m happy to be home.” The words tasted so foreign on her tongue, and even more so for a man she'd been brought up to hate.
Finally, he released her, dabbing at the fresh tears on his face. Nightshade checked her gut reaction to tell him to suck it up and quit crying. Instead, she gently patted his arm, much like he'd been patting her hand this whole time. “I'm not going anywhere.”
“You'll have to forgive me; this whole thing has left me a little bit emotional. When I lost your mother and then your sister right after that, I thought I’d never find the will to live. But then I looked into your eyes in the hospital and your tiny little hand wrapped around my finger.”
Anger engulfed Nightshade’s insides and she struggled to maintain the act. How could he stand there and lie like that? Nightshade hadn’t been kidnapped at birth. Caroline had. Tom Cotter killed Nightshade’s mother and kidnapped her sister for revenge. And now he stood here, sopping up his fake tears….
Nightshade spun to face the dresser before Cotter saw the heat blazing inside her. “Well, I'm home now and that's all that matters, right?”
“Right. Listen to you comforting me, and you're the one injured.”
Nightshade glanced his way in time to see Cotter's gaze freeze into hard crystals.
“All right, I'll leave you to rest. I think I might turn in early myself tonight. I love you, Caro.” He pressed a brief kiss to her forehead and yanked her in for another hug.
All her life, Nightshade had wished her father would hug her and tell her he loved her. That everything would be okay. In her wildest dreams, she'd never imagined Tom Cotter would be the first one to do it.
The thought left her shaken.
He stepped back, holding her arms, seeming to wait on her response, which Caroline would probably have already done by now. After all, she had supposedly been through a huge and terrible ordeal and was just now safely back in her father's presence.
Nightshade reached deep inside, remembering the words Mankel had said. The life of her team depended on Nightshade, as did her chance for revenge against the man who destroyed their family — the very man gazing down at her with such fatherly love right now. “I love you too, Dad.”
