Page 88 of Night Moves
Drake nodded, reveling in the fact that he put the joy on her face.
She charged across the room and down the hall toward the bathroom.
“You might as well grab the picnic basket while you’re in here,” his mom said.
“You’re going to have lunch with us, aren’t you?” Natalie asked.
“I thought I’d let you all enjoy yourself without the old people around.” She gave Russ a pointed look.
His smile fell. “I have some things to catch up on in here.”
“C’mon, Dad,” Drake said. “Join us. Willow would love to have an expert like you teach her how to get her kite up into the sky.”
“You’re sure.” He cast a wary look at Drake’s mom.
“Oh, go ahead.” His mother’s reluctance deepened her tone.
Drake gave her a hug. “You can come too, Mom. It’ll be fun.”
“More like you’re avoiding some feelings you need to deal with,” she whispered in his ear.
Yeah, more like that.
Natalie tucked Willow into the guest bed on the first floor of her townhouse. The space served as Natalie’s office and guest room, but children had never occupied it. She looked at Willow and marveled at everything that had happened in a few short days. The younger children were going with the flow for the most part, Logan wanting his dad at times, but Erik and Drake had stepped in. They weren’t here tonight, though, when Logan didn’t want to go to bed and asked for his dad.
Kirk might be in custody, but Natalie wasn’t going to tell the children about their dad until he was officially charged. She’d seen time and time again in court when people were released on technicalities before charges were brought. True that none of those people were potential serial killers, but still, she wanted to be cautious with the children’s fragile psyches.
“Sleep tight, sweetheart.” Natalie pressed a kiss on Willow’s forehead. So what if that wasn’t allowed on the job? The child’s expression said she was crying out for love and affection, and Natalie couldn’t turn her back on Willow’s pain.
Willow grabbed Natalie’s hand. “My dad’s not coming back for us, is he?”
“I don’t know,” Natalie answered honestly. “Get a good night’s sleep, and maybe we’ll know tomorrow.”
She released Natalie’s hand and clutched the personal alarm that Drake had given to her.
“Are you afraid of something?” Natalie asked.
“I like it better when Drake is with us.”
“Because you like him?”
“Because he won’t let bad things happen.”
Nobody had that kind of power, but Natalie didn’t say so. “How about I ask him to come over and spend the night on the couch?”
Natalie doubted he would, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Now that they were safe, spending time with them wouldn’t be his top priority.
Excitement. Adrenaline. A challenge. Those were what he would be seeking. Not caring for a young child’s fears. Sure he’d bonded with the kids for the time they were together, but he’d made it perfectly clear right from the start that he wasn’t ready to settle down and have a family. She had no one to blame but herself if she wanted to believe his growing to care for the Gentry children would change anything.
“It’s okay.” Willow held up the alarm. “I have this. If I need him, he’ll come. He promised.”
Drake would keep his promise if he could. He would do just about anything if he thought a child was in danger. Or even Natalie. But now that they were safe, she didn’t know where she stood with him. They needed to talk once the children were settled.
She left the door open a crack and rested her forehead on the nearby wall. The children were all tucked in, peaceful now, but the morning would bring such hardship for them. She could feel the pain as if it were her own. It had pierced her tender emotions so often as a child, it wasn’t hard to imagine. She didn’t want to think about it, but she had to face facts. These precious children were going to be hurt. Big time.
Tears sprang to her eyes and rolled down her cheeks and onto her hallway floor. Her job inflicted havoc on her emotions. Always had. But to be effective, she couldn’t dwell on the heartbreaking aspects. She had to look at the wins. Linger on the times where she helped children and their families. Where she made a difference. Not look at a child who was an emotional wreck, wondering what her future held.
Because of that fear? That fear Willow was facing—that Natalie understood all too well. It was hard to obliterate. For years she’d clung to the belief that finding Gina’s killer would erase some of the pain. But it didn’t. It just left a big gaping hole that needed to be filled. Right there next to the giant-sized hole she’d allowed Drake to put in her heart.
