Текст книги "Fear Us"

Автор книги: B. B. Reid

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

CHAPTER NINE

KEENAN

I’VE BEEN PLANNING for this moment all week long. After two days of searching for Kennedy high and low, I had to rethink my strategy. With Keiran in jail once again, I called up Quentin for intel on the organization that enslaved them both fourteen years ago. Four years ago, they were completely eradicated, and the major players, as well as many of the minor players, were now serving hard time in prison. That didn’t leave many answers left.

Mitch was the likely bet on who took Kennedy and why.

He was after money, and since he couldn’t possibly claim any money with both of her parents alive, it left only one solution.

He would sell her.

But to who?

The leader of the child enslavement ring was murdered in prison shortly after his arrest.

Everyone was currently huddled around the dining table, peering over Jesse’s shoulder who was already typing away on his computer that looked like it shouldn’t belong in an ordinary citizen’s possession.

Quentin had suggested we enlist his help based on the work he did for Keiran years ago. Apparently, he was a wiz with a laptop and internet connection. He was currently an intelligence contractor working for large corporations and the military to help find and bury information.

After high school, Quentin had enrolled straight in the Army and completed two tours in four years. He always seemed to be on the go as if he was running from someone or something. I guess we all had demons though I wouldn’t doubt that his were more fucked up than mine were.

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s fine. She’s lying down to rest and thinks everyone should give her some space.”

“Everyone or just you?” Dash asked.

“Do you want to say what you have to say so you can finally get your panties out of a bunch?”

“Motherfucker, I don’t want to say anything to you, but what I do want is to beat you into an early grave for what you did to my sister.”

“What happened between me and her is none of your business, and your sister can take care of herself. Actually, I take that back. Clearly she can’t, but no worries… Daddy’s home.”

No sooner had I spoke the words Dash was on me. His fist nearly broke my jaw on impact, and I crashed into the wall behind me but quickly recovered. I battled with whether or not to return the favor and effectively ruin our friendship forever, but when he caught my jaw again, I threw caution to the wind.

I pushed forward and used his momentum with my strength to flip him over my shoulder, sending him crashing into the wall behind me. When I twisted around, he was already on his feet. Looking at him, no one would ever guess he was becoming one of this country’s most powerful businessmen, but I was ready for him.

Dash’s next move was thwarted by Quentin putting him in a headlock. Jesse had stepped forward between the two of us, and I had just noticed Lake’s hand on my arm.

“What the hell is going on here?” Sheldon yelled from her bedroom door. Her face was contorted with fury as she took a look around the room. When her gaze landed on a large dent in the wall, she bound forward. When she stood in front of me, she poked her finger in my chest. “Where the hell do you get off on trashing my apartment?”

“You should ask your brother. He started it.”

“News flash—you aren’t sixteen anymore, and you cannot just fight in my apartment. What if someone calls the police? We are supposed to be looking for my daughter, not picking fights. Whatever issues you two have with each other needs to wait until Kennedy is home safe.”

“Watch your tone, girl. I’m here, aren’t I? If you were a good mother, she wouldn’t have been taken in the first place.”

“Keenan!” This time it was Lake to raise her voice.

Where the hell had that come from?

I didn’t want to mean it, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t. Somewhere out there, my daughter, whom I’d never met, was out there suffering because her mother didn’t protect her, and not only that, but she didn’t fight hard enough. She gave up.

“You have no idea what kind of mother I am to her.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Bro,” Quentin interjected as he came between us. “Now is not the time. We’re so close to finding rugrat. You two can fight over who’s the better parent when we get her back.

Sheldon stepped back and disappeared into the kitchenette where she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and chugged it.

When she finished, I watched her plentiful chest heave up and down from exertion before ripping my gaze away to face Dash. He glared from the other side of the apartment while Jesse stood in front of him. Did he think he was protecting him or me?

Dash’s duty was to his sister, and if it were mine, I would have reacted the same. Even so… if he insisted on standing between Sheldon and me, I was prepared to do what was necessary.

“There’s this older boy at school who keeps picking on me. Today, he took my lunch and I was hungry all day because I was too afraid to tell. What should I do?”

“You kill.”

“Kill?”

“Yes. You hurt them before they hurt you.”

I heard Keiran’s voice in my head from when I was eleven and he was twelve. He had just gone to junior high that year, leaving me alone. I had never had to fend for myself before because I’d always had Keiran by my side, but that was the year I learned.

After he had told me what to do, he taught me how to use a knife and showed me the gun he mysteriously had hidden in the backyard. Whenever my father wasn’t home, we’d practice with the knife on snakes or whatever we could find.

But all that changed the day Keiran had dared me to use the knife for real. I’d come home with a black eye courtesy of Tommy. Keiran had said it was time to teach him a lesson, and at school that next day, I did.

I didn’t kill him, but after he’d gone home with his face mutilated, his parents no longer deemed the area a safe place to live.

I made sure he would never talk before deciding not to kill him. Unlike Keiran, I couldn’t kill as easily, but it was safe to say we weren’t all that different after all.

“I think I’m going to take off,” I announced unnecessarily because I had nothing else to give.

Once her apartment door closed behind me, I placed a phone call.

“Get everything ready.”

Once I gave the order, I ended the call.

* * * * *

“Don’t look so surprised to see me, brother. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need your help.” I took a seat in the plastic orange visiting chair, facing Keiran.

“I figured as much. I’m just surprised you’re here at all.”

“Well, the daughter I never knew I had is missing. I feel a certain obligation to stay.”

“And after she’s found?”

“Look, I’m just taking this one fucked up situation at a time. I can’t see that far into the future,” I lied.

“You would leave behind your kid?”

“She’s been doing okay so far without me.” My words came out bitter, which was unexpected. The thought of leaving them behind again made my blood run cold, but I wouldn’t allow my feelings to ruin me again.

This time I would be the one doing the ruining.

“She could do better if she had you.”

“Why are you so sure about that?”

“Because you know what it’s like to be without a father.”

I wasn’t expecting his response and wondered when Keiran had become so insightful.

“That won’t be a problem if we don’t find her soon.”

“I don’t think it was anyone from the organization. Most of them were arrested and the rest have likely scattered to unknown parts. It’s Mitch. It has to be, and if it is him, then there is a great chance Kennedy is still alive.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because he’ll try to use her for ransom.”

“What would make him think we have the money?”

“Because we’ve inherited the second portion of our inheritance.”

“How much?”

“A whopping ten million each.”

“He’s going to want it all.”

“And we’re going to give it to him right before I kill him.”

“My daughter, my kill.”

“You’ve never killed anyone before.”

“I think it’s as good a time as any to start.”

Keiran didn’t respond. Instead, he held my stare as if trying to read me. After a few moments of intense silence, I broke it.

“What if he sold her?”

“He won’t.”

“And you are sure of this how?”

“Because what he can get for ransom from us is a thousand times more than what he will get for selling her. The girls don’t sell for much.”

“This is my fucking daughter we are talking about,” I growled. I didn’t like the casual way he spoke of bartering her as if she were a fucking goat.

“And this is real life. If you can’t handle what I’m saying, what makes you think you could kill him when the time comes? Because it will come, Keenan. He isn’t walking away again and I’m not walking on the right side of the law this time.”

I nodded my head in agreement. Mitch had many reasons to die. My mother and my daughter had suffered at his hands… and my brother.

I could see the worry and fear that Keiran tried to hide with a hard visage. He was fighting himself to be a protector.

“Did Quentin tell you about Camden?”

“He did, but I wondered what was taking you so long to tell me yourself.”

“Because nothing’s changed.”

“I never said it had.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between us once again as we both became lost in our thoughts. A part of me wished I’d never come on to Lake and yet a part of me wished I’d been successful. I also wish I knew which part was stronger.

“So, what was that at the hospital?” I knew I wouldn’t have to elaborate given the way he hung his head and took a deep breath before meeting my stare again.

“I fucked up.”

“No shit. I thought things were good between you two.”

“They are… they were. It’s not her. It’s me. I fucked up in California.”

“What did you do?”

“Those men I killed. I promised Lake I wouldn’t murder again. I convinced her I had put the past behind me, but clearly, I haven’t. I don’t even know how to tell her.”

“Are you afraid she’ll leave?”

He laughed though a dark look clouded his features. “No.”

“Because you wouldn’t let her?”

“I couldn’t even if I tried.”

“Is your guilt the reason why you pushed her away?”

“Partly, yeah. That and because I blame her for Kennedy not being home yet.”

“Why would it be her fault?”

“Because if I didn’t care so much about disappointing her, I might have found her by now.”

“That’s insane.”

“No more than you blaming Sheldon for losing Kennedy.”

“Who told you about that? Dash?”

“Q. He told me about the fight, and I know what you’re thinking.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.

“I practically raised you. All those thoughts and feelings in your head I planted there just as they did me. You’re going to kill him if he stands in the way.”

“Dash’s future is entirely up to him. Sheldon and Ken are mine. They don’t walk away unless I allow it.”

“Dash is our friend, Keenan.”

“Since when did you ever care about anything other than getting your way? It was you who taught me by any means necessary.”

“Yes, but I also didn’t run away for four years and come back and expect everyone to just fall in line.”

“Not everyone. Just Sheldon and my kid. And you forget… I didn’t come back. You brought me here, and now you’ll bear the consequences. You all will.”

I stood and left without another word or a backward glance.

* * * * *

“Hey, boss.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Well, stop being so bossy if you don’t want to be the boss.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and prayed for patience. Sometimes I felt like Di was a pain in the ass on purpose.

“Did you do what I asked, Diana?” I used her full name, knowing how much she hated it though she never said why. I never cared enough to ask.

“Yes, I did, boss man, so when should I expect you?”

“However long it takes to find her.”

“I can’t believe you have a kid.”

Yeah, me either.

“It serves you right that it’s a girl, though.”

“And you say that because?”

“Because the players always get a little girl. You’ll be beating the boys away with a bat when she’s older.” She shouted over the phone as if she had just found a pot of gold.

“Will you fucking stop yelling?” I was two seconds away from hanging up on her.

“I’m sorry, baby doll.”

“Don’t call me baby doll.”

“Why not? It fits you because you’re pretty.”

“I’m… what?” I meant it to sound more menacing. Instead, it came out as a shriek.

“I bet the poor, insecure little boy inside you is grateful for my compliment even if the douche isn’t.”

“Why do you refer to me as two different people? And I’m not insecure.”

“Oh, but you are.” She fell silent for a moment before blurting out, “Is that why you’re such a slut?”

I hung up on her.

It took everything not to make the phone a permanent part of my old bedroom wall. Instead, I clutched the phone tight, willing my anger away. I thought I would be used to her by now but had to admit that Di knew where to hit when she wanted to. She always claimed to be a good people reader, but I’d always believed it to be complete bullshit. She just never knew when to shut up.

I wasn’t the least bit insecure.

Why would I be?

I’d never had a problem catching the attention of a woman before. They would always flock to me and I would accept them because…

My ringing cell phone snapped me out of my wandering thoughts, and when I checked the caller ID, I debated not answering, but I knew I couldn’t do that to her again.

A week ago, Di had completely freaked out when she realized I had disappeared, either assuming I was dead or I had ditched her, but once she found out Keiran was behind it, the jokes haven’t stopped rolling in since—

“Does he have you chained in the basement?”

“Would I be on this call if I were?”

“It’s possible. He’s got a soft spot for you, you know.”

“No, he doesn’t. He tolerates me.”

“Well, he hasn’t cut off your hand for touching his girl yet, so I guess toleration will work” She snickered.

I knew I shouldn’t have told her about that, but one thing I realized over the years was that Di was easy to talk to. It’s too bad Sheldon never liked her. Maybe that was why I kept Di so close all these years. We could have parted ways a long time ago but never did. It was my own little pound of flesh.

“What?” I barked into the phone.

“I’m sorry, okay? I know how you feel about being a slut.”

“Di…”

“I meant being called a slut.”

My only response was almost unintelligible, but it was all she would get. Neither of us had ever been good at apologies, and if I were, the last four years would have gone a lot different.

“Just keep everything in place and stay out of trouble.” With that, I hung up and jammed my phone in my jeans pocket.

I headed back downstairs where I had left Quentin and Jesse. Jesse had been up all night digging for simple information that someone had gone through a lot of trouble to bury and keep buried.

“I found an address,” Jesse hollered as if I weren’t just three feet away. The table littered with Red Bulls might have had something to do with his high energy. “Camden is pretty big for a town. It’s bigger than this place, but I found the place. It looks like it sits on its own land. There is no one around for miles.”

“How the hell do you know all this? We’ve never even been to this place.” Quentin asked a little harsher than necessary. The vibe between the two of them was too strange for two people who had only met once, but like everything else, I kept my head low. I wasn’t planning to stick around.

“Satellite. I hacked into one that had slack security and pinpointed the location. We’re getting live video feed of the house now. It’s pretty big, and it’s completely isolated. It’s the perfect place to hide someone.”

“Have you seen any movement?”

“Not yet. If they are smart, they will keep their heads low so it could be a while before we can confirm anyone is even there.”

“We don’t have a while. Text me the address, stay on the radar, and keep me posted on any activity. If a bird shits on the roof, I want to know about it. I’m going out there.”

“I’m going with you,” Quentin announced. I nodded once but was already on my way out the door.

* * * * *

The house was exactly how Jesse described it. Along with the address, I had him send me pictures of the house and surrounding area, so we were able to pick out a scouting spot before ever reaching the house.

Quentin convinced me to wait a couple of hours to survey the area to see if anyone was coming or going, but after forty-five minutes of nothing, I was tempted to ditch the plan and charge in with guns blazing.

It’s amazing how much I was willing to risk and how far I was willing to go for someone I’d never met.

“Keenan, your phone has been going off the last five minutes. You going to get that?”

I looked on the dash of Keiran’s car just in time to see the screen light darken. By the time I picked it up, the phone was ringing again.

“Yeah?” I answered while keeping my eyes trained on the house.

Sheldon’s frantic voice caused my heart to feel as if it were being ripped from my chest. I could barely hear her babbling over the pounding of my heart.

“Slow down, baby. What’s wrong?”

I was torn.

Torn between staying and saving my daughter or racing to comfort my high school sweetheart. I had to steel myself against the onslaught of emotions and remember that love wasn’t part of the equation.

“I came home and found a note asking for money or Kennedy will die.”

“Fuck!” I banged my fist against the steering wheel, forgetting that Sheldon was on the phone.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone delivered a ransom note.”

A knock on my window interrupted whatever Quentin had been about to say. We both had our guns drawn quickly, but the driver’s car door was opened, and I was yanked out before I could pull the trigger.

CHAPTER TEN

KEENAN

“WHAT THE FUCK are you doing here, son?”

I brushed away my father’s—no, John’s hands and took a step back. “You seem to have selective memory. I’m not your son.”

“Have you always been this stupid or just today?”

“I don’t have time for this.” I turned back to the car, but he yanked me up by my shirt and slammed me against the side of the car.

“Then you make time, and for the record, you little shit, I don’t care what biology says. You’re my son. Question it again and I will kill you myself.”

I saw the truth in his eyes along with anger and the anguish even though I didn’t want to. “How did you find me?”

He had been missing for the last week and chose now of all times to show up.

“I found a kid in my home doing something that didn’t look the least bit legal. Do you know something about that?”

“He’s helping me find my kid.”

“What makes you think she’s here?”

“It’s the only place we haven’t looked.”

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.”

“It’s not the best time to start caring, Dad. If she’s in there, I need to get her.”

“How did you find this place?”

“Is it true?” I asked, ignoring his question. I knew he knew what I was asking. I wanted to know if his parents, my grandparents, had been living right here all this time. I’d never met them, and John had never spoken of them.

“It doesn’t matter. You have no business here. You don’t belong here.”

“You’ve got it partially right. I don’t belong anywhere.” I realized four years ago, but time changed a lot, and I eventually learned not to give a shit.

“Are we doing this?” Q asked, coming around the car. John kept his eyes on me.

“Yeah, we’re doing this.” The tension in his shoulders increased. “But not today.”

One thing I liked about Q was he didn’t ask questions.

We made the drive back in half the time when I sped all the way to Sheldon’s apartment. If there was now a ransom note, it could mean finding Kennedy safely rather than shooting blindly in the dark.

I didn’t care much for what would happen to me, but Kennedy didn’t deserve to die because of her mother and me.

“Where is it?” I asked as soon as I was through her apartment door.

Lake had her arms wrapped around a trembling Sheldon as they huddled on the couch. I made it a point to avoid looking in her eyes or going near her and not being able to comfort her.

It’s not that I couldn’t.

I just wouldn’t.

Lake seemed to pick up on my inner turmoil because she plucked the note from the floor where it lay by Sheldon’s feet and brought it to me. She quickly turned back to Sheldon but not before glaring.

I had the feeling she was beginning to think less of me these days—that is if she could think any less of me. In high school, I had made it a point to be her friend when it became obvious to me that she had nothing to do with framing my brother even when he refused to see it.

I shook off thoughts of another time that I no longer allowed to exist anymore, not even as a memory. It had all been a lie.

The notepaper crinkled in my hand reminding me of the present—

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO FOR HER?

“It’s not Mitch’s handwriting,” Lake offered emotionlessly as soon as I was done reading. I turned the noted over, searching for more, but there was nothing else.

“How the hell is that possible?” I hadn’t realized I’d spoken the words aloud until I felt the rumble in my chest rise with each word. Mitch was the only person who made sense. If not Mitch, then who?

“I believe I know the answer to your question,” John said, stepping forward.

* * * * *

I had no time for this. After four hours, I was more impatient than ever. I was in a race against time and losing meant my daughter’s life.

John had led Sheldon and me out west. He had insisted we drive together, but I insisted harder that we drive separately, and when Sheldon attempted to drive herself, I put an end to that, too. If being near me unhinged her as much as I thought it did, then it would be exactly what I would do.

Lake, Quentin, and Jesse stayed behind. Quentin and Lake offered to pick up the search while Jesse kept watch on the house in Camden. Each of us attempted to convince Lake to stay behind knowing Keiran wouldn’t like her putting herself in danger, but her anger towards him made her pigheaded.

My anger towards my brother wouldn’t allow me to care.

“What is this?” I asked when we pulled up to a building that resembled a hospital. The sign we passed read Summit Rehabilitation for Cancer Survivors.

John hadn’t given much explanation for the reason for this trip across state. “Just trust me,” was all he bothered to give.

I didn’t trust anyone, least of all him.

A blast of cool air hit as soon as the automatic doors slid open, allowing entrance into the facility. Sheldon had managed to remain silent, but I could tell she was feeling as anxious as I was. We approached the large receptionist’s desk where three women who looked like nurses bustled around each other in some sort of harmonized frenzy.

“Good evening, Mr. Masters,” a nurse close to John’s age greeted. “I’m sure you are aware that visiting hours are almost over.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Suzy.” John’s monotonous greeting was as empty as his expression though his eyes seemed to bore into her. “This won’t take long,” he half-heartedly assured.

The nurse didn’t respond but, instead, pursed her lips in disapproval. I read the sign on the desk and realized that visiting hours weren’t over for another thirty minutes so what was her problem? When John moved away without another word, I decided it wasn’t important. His heavy footsteps led us down a long hallway. He took a quick right and came to a stop at the first door down the corridor.

Sheldon still had yet to say anything but continued to check her phone repeatedly.

Time was running out.

The chance of a victim of kidnapping being found alive or at all after the first twenty-four hours was slim. Kennedy had been missing for over a week now.

“Look, son, when I open this door, I want you to keep your cool.”

“Who the hell is in there, and what do they have to do with my daughter?”

John didn’t bother to answer. After giving me a stern look, which I ignored, he turned the knob and entered slowly. I stepped inside and looked around cautiously before my eyes settled on a figure that appeared to be sleeping.

Five seconds was all it took for me to realize who it was that I was seeing. He was hooked up to a machine with many wires running in and out of his body. His form was no longer as large as I remembered. Instead, he looked frail and weak.

A compassionate person would have seen a man who needed healing.

All I saw was an opportunity.

I didn’t realize I was charging until my father locked me in a chokehold. Sheldon stood in the corner appearing shocked and more than a little frightened. An accidental glance in the mirror next to the bed revealed just how savage and dangerous I must have appeared to her.

“Keep your head, son. He can’t hurt you.”

“But I can hurt him.”

What did this mean? Here lay Mitch, who barely looked able to walk much less kidnap or orchestrate a kidnapping.

“You’ve been keeping him here?” I roared. “You’re protecting this motherfucker?”

Sheldon’s gasp drew my gaze to her, but the sight of Mitch’s eyes open wide and staring at me stopped me.

“Oh, my God,” Sheldon cried. She bent over in half and used her arms to clutch at her stomach as she began to dry heave.

The primal desire to protect reared its misguided head, but I ignored my instincts and focused on the shit unraveling in front of me.

This situation had just graduated from bad to seriously fucked up. If Mitch didn’t have our daughter, then it could mean anyone with nothing to gain by keeping her alive was responsible.

The memory of the ransom note, even though it wasn’t much of one, was the only thing keeping me sane at this point. Kennedy had to still be alive. I just needed to figure out what the note meant.

“I’m not protecting him, but he is my brother. I didn’t have any other choice.”

“You always have a choice, John, or did you just forget he had my mother killed by his own son?”

“Believe me. I haven’t forgotten. I never forget. It’s all I can think about every minute of every day.”

“So how did you find him?”

“I didn’t. He came to me.”

“When?” I didn’t bother keeping the disgust from my voice. All the anger and hatred building quietly inside forced its way to the surface.

“About a year after you disappeared and Keiran left for college.”

“This is so fucked up.” I hadn’t realized I was pacing until I bumped into Sheldon. I peered down at her shivering form, but my heart was just as cold as my mood. “Move,” I barked down at her. Surprisingly, she moved without a word, but if looks could kill…

“Keenan, I need you to promise me one thing.”

“Are you serious? Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m asking you to. I know I have no right to ask you for anything, but I need you with me on this.”

“What?” I growled through my clenched teeth.

“Your brother. He, uh…” When John’s face paled, I knew. I fucking knew.

“Son of a bitch…” My gaze traveled back to Mitch, who continued to stare. “He doesn’t know he’s here, does he?”

“No, and if he ever finds out—”

“He’ll fucking slaughter this motherfucker.”

* * * * *

I promised John I wouldn’t tell Keiran where Mitch was, but what he didn’t know was that I had my own reasons. I’d finally found a way to get my pound of flesh from one Keiran Masters. I, like anyone, knew Mitch was the only demon Keiran had been unable to exorcise, and as long as he remained unfound, Keiran would never be able to lay those demons to rest.

Mitch would die soon anyway, and Keiran would be none the wiser. John would likely never tell Keiran of his part in keeping Mitch hidden for the last three years because Keiran wouldn’t see it as anything less than betrayal.

If I weren’t so set on a course for revenge fueled by hatred, I would have literally skipped from the facility.

After all Mitch had done, it was cancer that would kill him.

Even though the facility’s name indicated it was for cancer survivors, it also serviced patients who essentially came to die after every treatment and medical theory failed.

The ride back was filled with tension and silence. Sheldon and I had retreated into our own thoughts. She could have been a porcelain doll the way she sat all stiff and silent. Her eyes were trained forward as she stared mindlessly out the window.

“You need to stop sulking.”

What the fuck? Even to myself, I sounded like a heartless asshole, but it was too late to take it back. I decided to see where this would go.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re fucking sulking,” I repeated.

“This may be hard for you to grasp, but my three-year-old daughter has been missing for a week, and I just found out the only person who could have been a suspect had nothing to do with it. Mitch was a dream compared to the nightmare I’m living in at the moment.”

“I don’t think anything could possibly be worse than the unscrupulous greed of a man who once sold his own child for gambling money.”

“That didn’t help.”

“It wasn’t meant to.” I took the risk of taking my eyes off the road to face her. Her face was drawn tight and her fingernails dug into her jeans. I’d forgotten how good the pain of her nails digging into my back felt, but I promised myself I would have that feeling again soon.

“Keiran should have never brought you back.” She whispered it so low, had I not been playing close attention to her, I wouldn’t have heard it.

“No, he shouldn’t have, but he did, and I won’t be going anywhere, baby, so get used to me. I’m a different animal now… so don’t fuck with me.”

“What do you want from me?” Her voice had risen so high and unexpectedly that I swerved before quickly righting the car.

“I want you to tell me about her.”

“That’s it?” I could tell she wasn’t expecting my answer, and I didn’t miss the wariness in her voice. She had every need to be suspicious.

“For now.”

She was silent for a few heartbeats before finally asking, “What do you want to know?”

I blew out air in frustration because I really didn’t know. “Anything. What color are her eyes? What kind of food does she like? What’s her favorite color?”

“Well… she has my eyes and your hair. She likes anything that is covered in ice cream… even meat.” I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t fight the smile similar to the one Sheldon currently wore as she spoke about Kennedy.

“Her favorite color is blue. She hates anything to do with pink. She’s obsessed with the Ninja Turtles. Michelangelo is her favorite.”

“Did you teach her that?”

“What?”

“To like Mikey?”