At Peace (The ‘Burg #2)(32)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“Shit,” she muttered, losing, and looked at me, getting up. “Can you take care of Jack? I gotta go get more beer.”

I smiled at her. “Absolutely.”

“Momalicious!” Keira called as Feb walked away. “Joe loves your cupcakes!”

Everyone turned to Keira, Heather and Joe but I only saw Joe’s eyes on me. I doubted he told Keira that he “loved” my cupcakes (though, he’d be a freak of nature if he didn’t at least like them, they were delicious) and I further doubted he was thrilled that Keira announced it to everyone.

But, whatever.

I avoided Joe’s eyes and shouted back, “I can die happy.”

Then I looked down at Jack, cooed at him softly while smiling. He smiled back and did a baby giggle and I snatched him in my hands, shoving him into the air while he emitted another baby giggle then bringing his belly down to my face to give him a nuzzle so I could get another giggle.

Baby Jack didn’t disappoint.

* * * * *

“Nice cupcakes, buddy,” I heard from behind me half an hour later and I saw, in front of me, Feb, who I was talking to, lift her gaze to some high point over my shoulder.

Joe obviously was there.

It sucked that he could sneak up on me.

“Crap, Scout got hold of my shoe,” Feb muttered. “Be back.”

I watched as Feb rushed across the yard to the puppy who looked really pissed at one of her flip-flops. The dog was jerking his head back and forth, flip-flop between his teeth then putting a paw to the shoe and tugging at the strap with his mouth.

“Violet.”

My eyes went from the dog to Joe.

“Yeah?”

“We need to talk about your system.”

I didn’t say anything but I also didn’t move away, I just looked at him and waited.

“Chip f**ked up the wiring, not a big deal but it’s gonna take some more time.”

“Whatever,” I muttered, looking away.

“I’ll do it in the morning.”

“Fine.”

There was a pause then a terse, “See you haven’t decided to grow up.”

My eyes went back to him and I opened my mouth to speak but I heard a shouted, “Mom!”

It was Kate’s shout, it was high-pitched and the sound turned my blood to ice.

I felt Joe tense at my side and he and I both turned to look along the side yard of Colt and Feb’s house toward my house. Dane’s yellow pickup was in the drive beside my Mustang but Kate was running fast across the street toward me, Dane coming after her.

I started running to Kate and met her in Colt and Feb’s front yard. As I moved, I felt Joe moving behind me.

My hands went to her shoulders and I got close.

“Honey, what’s goin’ on?”

“The porch,” was all she said.

Dane stopped behind her but I looked beyond him to my porch.

Then my heart stopped.

There was a huge, flamboyant bouquet of purple flowers – roses mixed with dainty violets – on my welcome mat. So huge and wide, I could see them from across the street. They came halfway up the door and spread wide across it.

Daniel Hart’s calling card.

He knew where I was.

And Kate knew what those flowers were. Since Tim died I got a delivery, exactly like that, like clockwork every Saturday morning for months. I’d called the florists and told them to stop, which they did but then a new florist would send them. Eventually Barry or one of Tim’s other cop buddies would sit in our drive on Saturday morning and take them away before the girls could see them but, until I sold the house and moved, they never stopped coming.

I looked at Kate and saw she was trembling. “It’s okay, honey.”

“But, he knows where we live.”

“It’s okay,” I lied to and for my daughter.

I felt movement and looked to my left to see Joe was stalking toward my house. Then I felt more movement and I saw Colt and his partner Sully following Joe.

I looked at Kate. “Go and get yourself and Dane a burger, okay?”

“But –”

I gave her a smile and hoped it wasn’t as shaky as it felt. “Dane’s a football star, honey, he needs his grub.”

“Mom –”

I moved my face close to her face and squeezed her shoulders. “Go, look after your sister. Yeah?”

That would get her, giving her something to do, something responsible, something which made her feel she was helping out her Mom. Kate’s mind would be turned from panic to duty by that.

“Okay,” she whispered, I let her go, nodded to Dane who looked worried (therefore, I knew Kate had shared the situation with him) and he followed Kate as she walked to the backyard.

I turned and watched only to see Keira standing in the yard, Feb’s squirming puppy in her arms, her eyes locked on our house. Feb and Cheryl were standing on either side of her.

“Feb,” I called, her eyes went from my house to me and I tipped my head to Keira.

Feb nodded, put her arm around Keira’s shoulders, moved Keira’s stiff body around and she led her to the back of the house, Cheryl, Kate and Dane following.

I watched until I lost sight of them then I ran to my house.

Joe, Colt and Sully were standing at my front door. Joe had a little white card between his fingers but he looked from it to me when I hit the yard and he watched me run until I stopped at their huddle.

“Talk us through this,” he ordered the minute I arrived, his head jerking to the flowers.

“It’s Saturday,” I explained stupidly.

“And?”

“He sends me flowers every Saturday.”

Joe’s mouth got tight and even in the bright sunshine of the day he shifted straight to sinister.

“You been gettin’ flowers?” Joe asked and I shook my head.

“This is the first here,” I answered.

His eyes went to Colt.

“Moratorium,” he growled and I blinked in confusion at his strange word.

“We’ll call the florists in town,” Sully said quickly and I got it then.

“That won’t work, I tried that,” I informed them, Joe’s eyes came to me and it took a lot for me not to shrink from him, he looked so pissed.

“We’ll be thorough,” Joe told me and I couldn’t do anything but nod because, the way he said that, I didn’t doubt for a second they would.

“What comes after this?” Colt asked and I looked at him.

“Gifts,” I answered, “then visits.”

“What kind of gifts?” Colt asked.