“We do everything we can to defend those we love.”
Eric dipped close, his mouth capturing hers, lips softly caressing. When he pulled back, his eyes were dark and hooded, face taut with desire.
She leaned into him, chin tipped up for more as she murmured, “Shower later. Love me now.”
“Always.”
One word.
Fucking, fucking Eric.
Chapter Twelve
Owen
Two weeks after Kuellen had been disappeared, Owen sat in the kitchen eating cereal and watching an early morning news app on his phone. He had the sound turned down to keep from disturbing the kids, only loud enough to hear as the reporter read from her prompter.
“Today the county prosecutor suggested a high level of confidence Ashworth will plead guilty to one count of manslaughter at his arraignment tomorrow. However, a confidential source indicates more charges are pending, which means a guilty plea for Miles Garcia’s death will not necessarily stop the judicial clock. There has been some discussion Ashworth will enter an Alford plea, implying innocence while still pleading guilty, but the defense counsel would be well advised to consider Colorado’s statutes surrounding victim restitution. With so many potential victims, it’s unlikely Ashworth would be able to secure a cash bond to escape pretrial detention.”
He tuned her out until the piece was nearly over, looking up to watch closely as the camera zoomed in on her face. Alace had texted him earlier that Colleen Houghton was supposed to end her segment with a shout-out.
“Finally, before we sign off for the morning, I wanted to give my personal book club recommendation for a local best-selling author. Alace Sweets has written several criminal thriller novels and has a healthy fan base, not just here in Colorado, but around the world. My great-aunt, who grew up in Northern California, has proclaimed them riveting. Of course, my great-aunt also refers to her old Berkeley professor as ‘that nice Mr. Kaczynski,’ so you might not want to follow her lead.” Houghton smiled at the camera, the edges of her mouth curling up so gradually it happened in slow motion. “Take it from me, these books are to die for.”
“What’s wrong?” Owen looked up to see Doc standing in the doorway and realized he was standing, the half-full bowl of cereal and milk splattered across the floor. Kelly peered around Doc, curious eyes scanning Owen up and down before landing on the phone still in his hand.
“Dropped the bowl.” Owen closed the app then locked the phone’s screen, laying it facedown on the countertop. “I’m a klutz today, apparently.” He grabbed a handful of paper towels and stooped to gather the bowl and spoon, swiping the puffs of cereal off the floor. “At least the bowl didn’t break.” He looked up as Doc drifted closer, his gaze now tracking between the phone and Owen. “Did I wake you? Is Shiloh still sleeping?”
He hoped she was…that he hadn’t woken her. The nightmares had returned with a vengeance a few nights ago, sending her screaming to hide underneath Kelly’s bed multiple times per night. The timing was interesting, because while August stayed with them, taking the guest bedroom as his own, Shiloh’s dreams had pretty much ceased, disappearing quickly. She’d been intrigued by the giant of a man, preferring his company over even Kelly’s. Owen had talked to Alace last night, hoping for an update on when they could expect him back.
Weird how he fit into the household as easily as he did. Owen recognized it was odd, but anything that made his kids happier or healthier was way up on his list of good things. August, with his rough country speech and loud laughter, had found a fan in the tiny little girl, and Owen wanted to give her anything she desired. I’ll call Alace in a bit, check again if she’s got an update for me.
“What were you watching on the phone?” Doc knelt next to him, more paper towels added to the mess soaking up the spilled milk. “You looked like you’d seen a ghost when I walked in.”
Owen checked the room, verifying Kelly had retreated back up the hallway towards the bedrooms, then still kept his voice low as he explained, “The reporter said something that caught me off guard is all. The way she said it made me wonder if she knew something.” He shrugged as he stood, tossing the saturated paper towels away. “Just my imagination.”
“That’s Colleen Houghton, right? The reporter Alace met?” Doc handed him the rest of the trash for disposal. He turned on the water at the sink, rinsing his hands and leaving the water running for Owen. “I’ll catch the piece online, see if I see anything.”
“Good idea. Two sets of eyes and all that.” Owen turned off the water and accepted the kitchen towel from Doc to dry his hands. “It struck me odd. Off, you know?”
“Yeah.”
Doc’s hand settled on his shoulder, and Owen caught himself before he leaned into the man. Get a grip, Marcus.
“Dad?” Owen was running up the hallway before Kelly’s shout had a chance to die away. He loved that title, being verbally acknowledged for the position he found he wanted more than anything. Both Kelly and Shiloh had readopted it when August was here, the man’s not-too-subtle encouragement all the motivation the kids needed. Him referring to Owen as “your dad” carried more weight than Owen’s repeated “my kids,” and it had become another reason they’d enjoyed having August with them.
“What’s wrong?” Owen swung through the open doorway into Kelly’s room, his ears telling him both children were present, his eyes confirming Kelly held Shiloh in his lap, the kids seated in one corner of the room.
He didn’t need Kelly’s response to tell him what had caused the kid to call out.
The window above the bed was closed, intact, not even a crack. But on the outside looking in were two large eyes, luminous pupils glinting in the dark. They were too far apart to be human eyes, too tall to be a dog. He cautiously approached the window, and they pulled back, then rose higher. He was close enough now to see more details, the dark fur and snout definite clues.
“It’s a goddamn bear.” Owen lifted his arms as he waved and shouted, “Yeah, bear. Ware, bear. Go on now.”
The bear fell back to all fours, turned away, and began to trundle off through the backyard.
“Life is always interesting with you, Owen.” He turned to see Doc crouched next to the kids. “Being a natural bear repellant one of your many specialties?”
“Yeah, they take one whiff of my pits, and it’s game over for them.” He settled on the floor next to Doc and held his arms out for Shiloh. “Come here, pretty girl. Were you scared?”
Shiloh settled into his lap, her cheek pressed to his chest, face turned away from the window. She nodded and mumbled, a muffled “Uh-huh,” coming from the vicinity of her mouth.
“Most bears are more scared of you than you are them.” Doc made a sound of disbelief as he leaned against the wall, Kelly curled up in his lap. “No, really, they are. There are exceptions, of course. Apex predators like a grizzly fear little, and bears that have been acclimated to human contact won’t be afraid either. Those are what the DNR calls nuisance bears, because they’ve been taught to depend on people for their food. Most of the time, an encounter outside of the woods will be something like this, where a bear wandered out and something smelled good, so they got curious.”