Page 13 of Shadows Relived
He looked at her, one brow cocked. “I promise you, those kids know about superhero movies and Jurassic Park.” He turned back to the fire, stoking it. “They all start too young with that bull…” He sighed. “Bull crap.”
She glanced around at the kids. “Well, be that as it may,they need to get some sleep. Do you think they’ll be safe in the bedroom?”
He nodded as he leaned the poker against the wall and stood. “No one knows we’re here. We got rid of your phone, and no one knows your father called me, so they wouldn’t know who you drove off with. We’re safe here.”
She blew out a breath, but even with his reassurance, she couldn’t relax. Still, she forced a smile on her face as she knelt beside the couch. “All right, guys. Let’s get you to bed. I’m going to figure out how to reach your folks and get you back home while you rest.” She knew Callen had suggested his friend do it, but it was her responsibility; it had to be her.
Lucas’s voice trembled as he pulled the blanket tighter around himself. “What if those bad guys come here next?”
Meaghan rested a gentle hand on Lucas’s knee. “They won’t,” she assured him. “You’re safe now. I promise.”
Lucas frowned, eyes darting toward the shadowy windows. “But they were at the school.”
“I know,” she said, brushing a bit of dirt from his cheek with her thumb. “And it was scary. But who got us out of there? Huh?”
The boys hesitated, and then Willie’s voice came out a little unsure. “Mr. Callen?”
“That’s right.” She smiled faintly as she glanced over her shoulder at Callen, still standing near the fireplace, watching her. “Callen’s not just some guy. He’s a former Ranger. A real one. He used to be in the military, and now he works for a special team that protects people in danger. They’re like the superheroes ofreal life.”
She glanced at Callen, who merely rolled his eyes at her.
Lucas’s eyes widened a fraction. “Like… like secret agents?”
“Exactly,” she whispered, leaning in as if it were classified intel. “He’s already saved us once today, right? And he’ll do it again if he has to. He doesn’t miss, and he doesn’t stop.”
Willie blinked at her, then peeked over her shoulder toward the man now silently standing at the fireplace. “Even when he’s kinda grouchy?”
Meaghan bit back a smile as Callen rolled his eyes again. “Especially when he’s grouchy. It’s part of his superpower.”
That earned a breathy giggle from Sophie, tucked under the blanket and barely peeking out. The boys relaxed just slightly, the tension in their small shoulders unwinding bit by bit.
She turned back. “Now, let’s get you into bed, and tomorrow, we’ll make pancakes if we can find the mix. Maybe even with chocolate chips. Okay?”
Lucas nodded first, then Willie. Sophie mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “chocolate,” and Meaghan stood brushing her palms on her jeans.
Still unsure, still afraid, the kids followed her down the hall to the small bedroom. There were two sets of bunk beds, and she coaxed Lucas onto the bottom bunk of one and then Willie onto the opposite one. Sophie insisted on the top.
Meaghan stayed until the boys’ breathing slowed, and until Sophie’s thumb fell from her lips and her lashesstilled. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment longer, her fingers brushing the top of Sophie’s blanket, her chest tight with emotion.
She loved them. Every single one of them. And they didn’t deserve any of this. Hell, she didn’t deserve any of this, and the only reason it was happening was because she had the unfortunate luck to be born in the wrong damn family.
When she returned to the main room, Callen was digging through the trunk he’d hauled inside. From it, he pulled out a heavy black satchel and tossed it onto the kitchen table with a soft thud.
“What’s that?” she asked as she moved over, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Satellite phone,” he said. “Figured you’d want to check in. You did say you needed to call their parents.” She shrugged. “Figured you’d want to do it instead of Blaze.”
She blinked at him. “Really? You said they could track us that way.”
He chuckled. “Really. And they could track your phone. They don’t know about this.” He pushed the phone closer to her. “I’m not a total asshole.”
“You’re at least seventy percent asshole,” she muttered.
A faint twitch at the corner of his mouth was the closest he came to smiling. He slid the phone toward her, then turned away to check the locks on the front door.
“How did you know I worked with a team?” he asked as he crossed the room.
She shrugged as she moved toward a chair. “My dad’s a senator, remember? I hearthings.”
