“I tried to warn you away. I tried to help you.”

“Warn me about what?”

“I thought you were smart. You’re just like every other dumb slut.” His enraged and almost psychopathic voice was the last thing I heard when I felt the butt of the gun slam down on my skull.

* * *

She was back. She was smiling down at me but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. In her eyes there was fear. I knew because they were like my own in so many ways. She looked sad too but I could tell she was happy to see me and for the first time since they disappeared I was happy to see her too. I didn’t fear the anger or hated feeling of being abandoned. I felt relieved because they’d finally come back for me. I was going home.

A strong hand appeared on her shoulder. It was him—my dad. But he didn’t smile at me. He wouldn’t even look at me. He was looking at mom. He was saying something to her. She shook her head and reached out for me and I felt my hand reaching for her. A drop of moisture was dropped onto her shoulder. He was crying when he finally looked at me. He was so handsome and tall. I remembered moments spent on his shoulders when he would play with me.

I remember now.

He loved me and I loved him too. I loved them both. I missed them.

“Why?” I tried to ask but no sound came out. I tried again but stopped when I realized he was pulling her away. “No! Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Not again.” I screamed and I screamed but nothing happened.

He looked back at me once more while my mother cried and cried as he led her away. “We can’t help her now,” he said. My mother turned around almost desperately. She was pointing. Pointing at something behind me.

I turned my head and suddenly I was on the playground now. I saw a little boy a few feet away from me.

Keiran.

He was as I knew him first; eight again with the sun shining but this time the world was quiet. Quiet like death. It was then I noticed he was holding a gun in his hand and dangling from his fingers was the gold locket.

His eyes were sad when he looked at me but they were also full of anger. He looked down at his hand and I noticed the discoloring on the locket. It was…blood.

“Keiran?”

“I killed them,” he said.

“Who? Who did you kill?” He visibly shook as he took deep, ragged breaths. “You have to tell me who they are!” I yelled desperately.

His hand rose slowly and pointed the gun at me. I shook my head but instead of trying to get away, I moved closer. “I kill,” he cried and fired the gun.

* * *

I was ripped away from my nightmare and left drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. I would have thought my nightmare was over but my throbbing headache said otherwise. I opened my eyes and was looking out of a window. I could see the unkempt lawn but nothing else. “It’s good to see you awake. I was beginning to think I might have hit you too hard. How is your head by the way?”

“It was fine,” I said sarcastically. He smiled wide and for the first time I didn’t find anything charming about it.

“I’m sorry I had to do that but I didn’t think you would come with me willingly.” I stared back into the cold eyes of Mr. Martin as he sat in the corner of the room.

“Why are you doing this? You were behind the break-in, weren’t you?”

“Why does anyone ever do anything? For money, dear girl, and yes, I did leave the photo. Sad, what happened to that little girl.”

“But my aunt isn’t here and she isn’t rich.” He laughed as if I’d just told a joke or said something witty. Or maybe the man was just nuts. The latter explanation fit better.

“I don’t want money from your aunt or you. In fact, this has little to do with you at all.”

“What? Then why –”

“You are merely bait, Lake.”

“Bait for who?”

“Are you really this blind or is it by choice?”

“I’m sorry Mr. Martin. It must have been the blow to my head I recently received. You’ll have to help me with this one.”

“Well for starters my name isn’t Martin. It’s Masters and I’m here for my son.”

Chapter Thirty-One

The time it took for me to process what he’d just said was two and a half seconds. No shit – I counted. “But everyone thinks you’re dead.”

“No, I’m very much alive.” He crossed his leg over the other and appeared way too casual for my liking.

“If you’ve been alive all this time then why are you just now coming around?”

“Because my son would have put a bullet in my head the moment he saw me,” he answered, full of disdain. I frowned, because like everyone else, I was under the impression that Keiran had never met his father.

“If Keiran is your son…why would he want to kill you?”

“I haven’t been the best father.” He shrugged, noncommittally. “I’ve told a lot of lies, Miss Monroe and have done many ugly things. Things that were necessary to get what is rightfully mine.”

“Are you even sorry for it? Why should I believe you now?” There wasn’t a hint of compassion in the way he talked about his estranged son and his dead mother.

“I really don’t care if you believe or not. You serve one purpose and that is to bring Keiran to me. I’ve watched you both for some time now. Long before I ever made myself known to you. I must say it was intriguing to see the way my son treated the girl he loves.”