Chapter 16
Palmer
I’d spent the last two days up in Hailey’s bed with her as she recovered from whatever virus had been making its way through her school.
I’d done my best to make things cozy with extra blankets, her favorite movies queued up, and a small mountain of stuffed animals. But the fever had been stubborn. She hadn’t been able to eat much of anything except Popsicles and a few small bowls of chicken noodle soup.
Roman had offered to take off work, but I didn’t mind staying with her.
I was here to do a job, and taking care of Hailey was my priority. I wasn’t going to sit around doing nothing while Roman stayed home from work when I was here.
More reluctantly than I’d expected, he went in like normal, leaving Hailey in my care. The worst of it finally seemed to be over.
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better.” I sat cross-legged on Hailey’s bed as we made friendship bracelets with brightly colored string.
Hailey nodded. “Oh my gosh, me too. That was not fun.”
Her forehead crinkled in concentration as she worked through a complicated knot, carefully transitioning from one color to the next. When she got it right, her whole face lit up with satisfaction.
Then she looked up at me. “Thanks for staying with me.”
I smiled. She was so sweet.
“Of course.” I ruffled her hair, and she giggled when some frizzy curls fell over her eyes. “That’s what people do when they care about each other.”
She studied me for a second, then scooted a little closer on the bed, her shoulder bumping mine as she went back to her bracelet.
“I like it when you take care of me,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Well, I like taking care of you.” I winked.
She grinned happily at that, looping another string through her fingers. I returned to working on my own bracelet, when a tiny growl and thrashing noise distracted me.
Phantom was batting something across the floor. He chased it down and pounced on it.
I grinned at the playful kitten, but then I looked closer at what he had.
It was small, but colorful. Pieces of whatever it was were scattered over the floorboards.
“What do you got, buddy?” I sighed, and uncurled myself from my spot.
The kitten glared at me. He nabbed the thing with his mouth, and growled low.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re vicious, I know,” I mused.
I grabbed the cat toy Hailey had discarded earlier, a stick with a bundle of feathers attached to the end, and waved it in front of Phantom’s face. His tail flicked, eyes tracking the feathers before he couldn’t resist anymore and lunged for it, dropping the thing between his teeth.
I played with him for a few minutes, leading him away from the mess he had made, and then dropped the toy.
When I went back, I tensed.
It was a butterfly.
The kitten had been batting around a dead monarch butterfly. Its wings were broken and flaking apart, the bits sprinkled along the floor.
My heart rate increased, though I wasn’t sure why.
It was only a dead insect.
But it was the middle of the winter, and I had no idea where the hell he would’ve found something like that.
I tried not to let it get to me. The sudden anxiety fluttering in my chest was silly. Perhaps it had died somewhere last summer or spring and he’d found it lost under furniture or in the corner of a closet.
That had to be it.
Still, it was hard to see a butterfly and not think of the Shadow Stalker—and the cruel calling card he carved into his victims’ skin.
Ismiled down at my new friendship bracelet as I put plastic wrap over the plate of dinner I’d set aside for Roman. He was late tonight, though I wasn’t sure why. He hadn’t texted me like he usually did.
I slid the plate into the refrigerator and started on the dishes, careful not to get my bracelet wet.
Hailey and I had exchanged them when we’d finished earlier today, and the gift was already precious.
She’d used my favorite colors, green and pink, even though I’d never told her what they were. She was an observant one.
As I finished drying the last of the dishes and put them away, the sound of the front door closing rattled the house.
Hailey had already gone to bed. It was a little earlier than her usual bedtime, but she needed the extra rest if she was going to return to school tomorrow.
Roman’s familiar, heavy footfalls neared the kitchen, their cadence a tad slower than normal.
I moved toward the fridge, sensing his presence in the entryway.
“Want me to warm up your plate for you?”
There was a long pause before he said, “No thanks.”
I frowned, closing the refrigerator door and turning toward him.
At first, nothing seemed off. His shoulders were a little rigid, but that wasn’t unusual for the slightly grumpy fire chief—especially if he’d had to stay late at the station. I tilted my head, my gaze wandering over him.
Was he pale, or was it the lighting?
He turned himself away, as if he knew I was searching for something.
“Did you already eat?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”
“Why were you late?”
I didn’t normally ask so many questions, but something was definitely off.
He ran a quick hand through his hair. “I had trouble focusing. It took longer than usual to finish.”
Before I could pry, he glanced around the empty kitchen.
“Where’s Hailey?”
“She’s in bed.”
His mouth thinned. “How was she today?”
Roman had been worried about his daughter, and it showed in the purple shadows under his eyes and the stubble growing out along his jaw.
“She’s much better,” I answered. “I think she’ll be able to go to school tomorrow.”
“Good.” Relief washed over his face. “That’s good.”
I stepped closer as something occurred to me. A slight sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead.
“Roman,” I said, immediately drawing his attention.
His eyes were much darker than usual, the whites veined with red.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked away. “Nothing.”
I stepped closer. Roman tensed.
I kept moving until barely any space separated us. Roman tilted back, but I rose up on my toes and leaned forward.
“Roman,” I repeated slowly. “Are you sick?”
His hands fisted at his sides. “No.”
But there was uncertainty in his tone.
My eyes narrowed as I tentatively reached out and pressed my palm to his forehead. He didn’t pull away, but he went more rigid.
His skin was burning hot.
He blinked slowly, and for a moment he seemed lost.
“You have a fever.”
“I’m fine.”
I lingered another moment, his scent surrounding me—like smoke and cedarwood. Then I rocked back onto my heels.
“You’re definitely sick.”
When he didn’t say anything, I muttered, “You should get to bed.”
He shook his head. “I need to fix the loose railing on the back steps.”
I frowned at him disapprovingly.
Roman was always doing little fixes around the house between getting off work and going to bed. Honestly, he was exhausting in the way he never seemed to slow down or rest. Of course he would refuse to go to bed, even when he was sick.
“The railing can wait.” I used the tone I reserved for stubborn toddlers. “You need rest.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll take some Tylenol. It’ll be fine.”
He didn’t sound fine. He didn’t look fine either.
My expression hardened. “If this is what Hailey had, it was pretty nasty.”
He opened his mouth—probably to downplay it—so before he could, I grabbed his hand and pulled.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Roman was big and broad enough that I couldn’t have moved him an inch if he didn’t want to be moved, but he relented anyway.
“Where are we going?” he grumbled.
“I’m bringing you to bed.”