Chapter 2
GEORGIA
An ice maker.
I still can’t believe I was on the verge of panic over an ice maker.
As I make my way down the stairs, I shake my head at myself. A rueful chuckle bounces off the walls of the stairwell.
Of all the things to be frightened of.
In the aftermath of our brush with danger in the form of the big, bad ice maker, Elle reasoned why we were all so jumpy. “It’s partly because the guys are gone,” she explained. “It changes the dynamics of things. Even though Rylan’s still at HQ, it’s different from when everyone’s here.”
“But they go away on business at least once a month,” Maya protested. “And I don’t know about you two, but I’m usually not about to call for reinforcements over a home appliance.”
“I think it’s the weather, too,” Elle replied. “With a Nor’easter coming in, and the wind picking up… Plus, this time of year, with the days so short… It just makes things feel a little…”
“Creepier,” I finished. I headed over to the window and pulled the curtain aside to look at the view outside.
A thick blanket of clouds gave the sky an almost claustrophobic feel.
Gusts of wind caught the branches of the trees, casting eerie shadows and creaking softly.
Whorls of leaves moved across the dead grass in a solemn remembrance of fall.
“I hope it snows,” I added. “I hate when it’s just all dead grass and bare branches. It’s kind of depressing.”
“It is,” Maya agreed. “The fall is nice with the leaves changing color. And I love it when we get a fresh snow. But this in-between time… it’s not my favorite.”
Elle grabbed her phone and tapped the screen a few times. “They’re predicting at least six inches of snow now. It’s supposed to start at midnight and end around noon.”
A flutter of anxiety hit my belly. “I hope it doesn’t keep the guys from coming home tomorrow. If the roads from Boston to here are bad…”
Maya came up beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Then they’ll just drive a little slower, that’s all.”
I knew she was right. Intellectually, at least. But Elle was right, too. On a dark and stormy night, the shadows get sneakier. Unexpected sounds shift from innocent to sinister. Everything feels colder. Lonelier. Long-tamped down nightmares threaten to resurface.
“They’ll be fine,” Elle assured me. Her expression turned empathetic. “If you’d rather not stay at your place tonight, you’re welcome to stay over at mine. We can put Lily in my bedroom, and we can camp out in the living room. Watch movies until we fall asleep.”
“Or you can stay here,” Maya offered. “Lily’s already sleeping. You could just crash in my room with her. I don’t mind taking the couch.”
Turning away from the window, I smiled in appreciation. “Thanks. But I’ll be fine. And you’re right. The guys will be back before we know it.”
Normally, Leo being gone doesn’t bother me this much. I miss him, of course, but I’m not scared to be without him. Especially not when I’m home at Blade and Arrow HQ, protected by a top-of-the-line security system my brilliant husband installed.
But there’s just something about tonight that’s making me uneasy. Maybe it’s the weather, like Elle said. Maybe it’s residual stress from the holidays.
Or.
Maybe it’s that feeling Leo’s talked about before.
An inexplicable feeling that something’s about to go wrong, despite all evidence to the contrary.
“I’d get this odd, prickling sensation on the back of my neck,” he explained.
“Or this weird, unsettled feeling in my gut. When that happened, nine times out of ten, the op was about to go sideways. We just didn’t realize it yet. ”
A chill catches me, making me shiver.
My pulse speeds up.
Though I know I’m the only person in the stairwell, I can’t resist casting a quick glance over my shoulder, just to make sure.
And of course, I’m the only one here.
With another wry laugh, I hurry the rest of the way down the stairs.
Once I reach the first-floor hallway, the light softens, shifting from fluorescent overheads to softly glowing wall-mounted lamps.
The scent of pine hits me from one of the many Christmas trees set all over the building.
We have one in the reception area, another in the newly-added communal living room, where we host parties and celebrations when the weather isn’t nice enough to have them outside, and two more, smaller ones, one in each of the conference rooms.
“Why do we need Christmas trees in the conference rooms?” I remember Cole asking years ago, when Maya first insisted on including them. “Those are spaces for business. Not celebrating holidays.”
Maya gave him one of her patented men just don’t get it looks.
“Because it’s stressful being in there. Answering all these questions about why you need Blade and Arrow’s services.
Especially if it’s a pro-bono client, and they’re already scared and stressed.
Having a cheerful tree there… it might help them feel like everything’s really going to be okay. ”
Ever since then, Cole’s made sure to include Christmas trees in both conference rooms. And in the client apartments, if they’re occupied during the holidays.
Which I think is a really nice touch. After all, I remember how scared I was coming here to ask for help.
How worried I was that they wouldn’t believe me. That my last hope would be a dead end.
I might have been cheered by a small Christmas tree back then.
Although having Leo there didn’t hurt, either.
I smile as I head towards the living room, thinking back to that day when my life changed forever.
My hand twitches towards the scar on my cheek, a mark I’ve grown used to after almost six years.
Before Leo, I was convinced the scar made me ugly.
But he showed me I’m so much more than that.
That I’m beautiful, not despite the scar, but because of it.
Slowing my pace, I trace my finger down the six-inch scar, just the way Leo did back in those early days. And I remember the reverent way he looked at me as he said, “You’re beautiful, sweetheart. Everything about you is beautiful, inside and out.”
I wasn’t sure if I believed him back then. But now? I do. And I don’t think of the scar as a flaw anymore. I think of it as a symbol that I survived.
Anyway, if not for the attack that gave me my scar, I would never have met Leo. I wouldn’t have Lily. I wouldn't have Maya and Elle and the rest of my Blade and Arrow family. And I’d go through anything for them.
From my pocket, my phone vibrates, jolting me back to the present.
My heart jumps, though there’s no reason for it to.
As I reach into my pocket, I silently scold myself, First ice makers, now phones? What’s next? Hiding from shadows?
But as soon as I read the incoming message, my body unclenches, releasing a tension I didn’t realize I was carrying. It’s Leo, sending a goodnight text.
Hey, sweetheart. Just got back to the hotel and talking to the guys for a few before heading to bed. How’s it going?
I stop walking so I can respond.
We’re good. I’ve been wrapping presents with Maya and Elle. Lily’s getting very excited about Christmas.
Three dots blink on my screen as he types his reply.
Oh? Is she giving you a hard time?
I shake my head while I type.
Not really. She just doesn’t want to sleep. First, she was trying to practice dance while she was supposed to be in bed. And now she’s refusing to go back to sleep until I find Miss Twinkle Shoes.
Miss Twinkle Shoes is a stuffed unicorn dressed up like a ballerina, and it’s one of Lily’s favorite toys, along with Dave the Dancing Dragon and Hildy the Happy Hippo.
And Miss Twinkle Shoes’ disappearance is why I’m downstairs searching instead of still upstairs with Elle and Maya, enjoying more macarons and petit fours while we finish wrapping the last of the gifts.
Leo answers almost immediately.
Miss Twinkle Shoes is missing? That does sound like a crisis.
I laugh at his droll response.
It is. She’s very insistent on sleeping with Miss Twinkle Shoes tonight. So I’m conducting an intensive search for the missing person. Or unicorn, as it is.
The three dots blink again.
I’m sorry I’m not there to help you look.
I start walking towards the living room again while I type my reply.
It’s okay. I bet she left it in the downstairs living room from when we were watching TV in there earlier. Maya and Elle are entertaining her with another reading of The Nutcracker while I search.
A few seconds pass before another message appears.
Still. I wish I were there. I miss you guys. It doesn’t feel right without you.
Aww.
Even five years on, he can still make my heart melt.
I miss you too. But I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive carefully on the way home. We’re supposed to get snow later.
Leo’s reply blinks onto the screen.
We’ll be careful. I can’t wait to see my beautiful wife and daughter. I love you so much.
Awww.
Smiling at my phone, I send one last text.
I can’t wait to see my handsome and sexy husband. I love you, too.
Then I tuck my phone back into my pocket and continue on my way towards the living room, where Miss Twinkle Shoes is hopefully waiting.
I already checked my apartment, only to come up empty.
Same for Maya and Cole’s place. If I don’t find Lily’s toy down here, that means it could be somewhere outside, and I’m definitely not searching the backyard right now.
Yes, it’s safe out there. But wandering alone in the dark, well past ten at night? I don’t care how many security measures there are. That’s too much for me.
Just before I reach the living room, my phone buzzes again. This time, it’s Maya.
Any luck finding Miss Twinkle Shoes?
I shake my head, though she can’t see me.
Not yet. She wasn’t in the apartment. So I’m searching downstairs now. Is Lily giving you trouble? I can come back up.