“But where are we going?”
“Somewhere fun,” Jo promised. She and Art had decided to keep the destination a secret from everyone until he and Lucy were settled. They were heading to his brother’s lake house in Vermont. It had always been Lucy’s favorite place.
“Why won’t you come with us?” Lucy cried.
Jo caught Art’s eye. He didn’t understand, either. “Because I need to stay here and make sure nothing like this will ever happen again.”
“But how are you going to do that?”
“With the help of your aunts Nessa and Harriett,” Jo said.
“Harriett’s going to help you?” Lucy wiped her eyes. Suddenly anything seemed possible. Her daughter’s fondness for Harriett had always struck Jo as unusual. Now she understood: they saw the world the same way. Harriett was feral, while eleven-year-old Lucy still lived by nature’s laws.
“Yes, does that make you feel better?” Jo asked.
Lucy sniffled and nodded. Then she let her arms slip from her mother’s waist and took her father’s hand. Jo gave them both kisses and went inside.
She stood at her bedroom window and watched two police officers help Art pack the back of his SUV. Lucy looked up at the house before she crawled into the back seat, and Jo quickly stepped out of sight. She didn’t want her daughter to see her bawling, and she was terrified of the fury brewing inside her. She didn’t want to punish Spencer Harding—she wanted to destroy him. She planned to rip his bones apart at the joints, pound his skull into mush, and set fire to his flesh. She knew any reasonable psychiatrist given a glimpse of her daydreams would have had her committed.
“Mrs. Levison?”
Jo wiped her eyes before she turned around. “Yes?”
An officer who looked like he was fresh out of high school was standing there in the doorway. “Just wanted you to know that I drove by and checked on your friends. They’re fine.”
“You’re sure? You saw Nessa James with your own eyes? You made sure she’s okay?” Jo asked.
“Oh yeah,” the kid said with an inappropriate grin. “She’s more than okay, as a matter of fact. Mrs. James asked if you could please phone her when you have a chance.”
“Thank you.” Jo searched for her phone and found it right on the nightstand where she’d left it. She’d missed ten calls from Nessa in the past thirty minutes. She cleared her throat before she lifted the phone and dialed.
“Jo?” Nessa answered immediately, her voice breathless with worry. “What’s going on?”
“A man broke into my house around three this morning. He was going to kidnap Lucy.”
“Oh sweet Jesus,” Nessa gasped. “Is she okay? Are you okay? And Art?”
“We’re shaken but fine. The police are here and the guy is in custody. But I need you to call Franklin and have him meet us at your house. I’ll pick up Harriett on the way.”
“What’s going on?”
“I can’t say anything over the phone. I’ll tell you when I see you. And be careful—I’m sure they know where you live, too.”
“They?” Nessa asked.
“Spencer Harding’s men,” Jo said. “They’re coming for us. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
After Jo hung up, Nessa stood by the side of the bed in her robe, staring at the phone. A warm hand slid from her shoulder blades to the small of her back, sending a tingle down her spine.
“I had another look around,” Franklin said. “Everything should be locked up tight. But this evening I’m going to install a security system. You reach Jo? She doing okay?”
Nessa nodded. “I think so. She says the three of us need to talk to you. She’s going to pick up Harriett and come over.”
Franklin grabbed his button-down shirt off the floor and slid his arms into the sleeves. “Glad she gave us fair warning. I plan to be dressed the next time company comes calling.”
Nessa winced. “You think that kid who came by is going to keep his mouth shut?”
“No,” Franklin said bluntly. “I’m sure everyone in the department knows by now.”
“Is that going to cause trouble for you?” she asked.
Franklin finished buttoning his shirt and leaned down to look her in the eye. “I couldn’t care less,” he said, and planted a kiss on her lips.
Nessa had sent her girls back to school the morning after the girl in blue’s funeral. As grateful as she’d been to have them there by her side, Mattauk was not a safe place for young women. She didn’t put her worries into words. Breanna and Jordan were technically adults, but Nessa still did her best to shield them from the ugliness of the world.
When she dropped them off at the train, she’d made them promise to stay safe. Stick together, she told them. Trust your gut and don’t take any chances. It was the same warning she always gave the twins, and given the grim ceremony they’d attended the day before, they seemed to take it a bit more seriously. But nowhere near as seriously as Nessa would have liked.
“We know why you’re sending us away so quickly,” Jordan said. “You want to spend some alone time with Franklin Rees.”
“Excuse me?” Nessa feigned outrage and both her girls cracked up.
“Yeah, we saw him looking at you. Like a big dog drooling over a thick, juicy steak,” Breanna teased.
Nessa felt her cheeks catch fire, and she fanned herself with her hand.
“He’s smoking hot for an old man,” Jordan said. “Good work, Mama.”
“I don’t know where y’all get your ideas,” Nessa tutted. “Did you two ever stop to consider that I might be the dog and he might be the piece of meat?”
It was such a relief to hear her girls laughing. She’d worried about how Breanna and Jordan might feel when they learned there was a new man in her life. But the thought hadn’t seemed to cause either daughter a moment’s unease.
“I like him,” Breanna told her mother. “I’m happy for you.”
“Me too,” Jordan said. “It’s about time you got some action.”
“I’ll have you know I have not gotten any action.” At that point, it was the truth. Even in Nessa’s prim and proper world, two stolen kisses did not count as action.
“Yet,” said Jordan, and the two girls burst out laughing again.
“Look at her face!” Breanna cackled.
“You two been hanging out with Harriett?” Nessa demanded.
They put on their sweetest, most innocent expressions. “What makes you think that?” Breanna asked.
“But seriously, Mama, we’re glad,” Jordan said. “This is some scary business you’ve gotten yourself into. We’re happy you’ve got someone to take care of you.”