AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I would love that more than anything.”
“So, you like Hawaii now?”
She leaned back. “Yes, and Alana and you.”
He blinked and realized his eyes were burning. She was smiling, at him, that big grin and right then and just like that, his heart tumbled out of his chest and fell with a splat against the dock. He brushed his hand over golden hair, realizing he had just fallen in love with his little girl.
Alicia watched the scene out at the dock. She was too far away to hear what they were saying, but she knew it had been important. Each moment longer they spent with Devon, the more attached he was getting to their daughter. She waited for the panic to set in. Since birth, she had kept Bridget a secret from everyone in her life, even her cousin Millie. She thought it would be best not to let anyone know there was the most precious piece of her running around in the world. If they had killed her father, they wouldn’t hesitate killing Bridget.
She forced herself away from the window and tried to get her thoughts in order for the meeting. It wouldn’t do to look like an idiot in front of Devon and Conner.
She pulled off her shorts and shirt, then grabbed the one sundress she had with her. After slipping it on, she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She looked like hell. She might have had a decent amount of sleep the night before, but no amount of rest could erase the fine lines of worry on her forehead. This life on the run was aging her more every day.
She ran a hand through her hair and tried to calm raw nerves. Being in peril was her main issue, which was a definite. Seeing Devon again…that was just making it even worse. The conflicting emotions she had during breakfast and just now made it hard to concentrate. She wanted this done with so she could decide what to do about the man who had always tangled her up.
She had to get her head screwed on straight. If she didn’t keep her wits about her, there was a good chance that she would miss something. From the start of all her troubles, she had known there was something off about the whole situation. Her father always confided in her. Always. They never hid anything from each other, but for some reason, he had done that with this case. She knew he trusted her, so there had to be an aspect he didn’t want her to know.
What was his involvement?
Before she could work through her thoughts, there was a soft knock at the door. Then it opened and Bridget’s head popped through the crack.
“Mummy, Dev says it’s time for the meeting.”
“Dev is it now?”
Bridget smiled and walked across the room. “That’s what everyone else calls him, and he said I could call him that. It’s okay, right?”
“If he said so, then it is. You’re going to have to stay here while I have this meeting, but there are a lot of toys in your room. Will you be okay up here?”
Bridget smiled. “Yes.”
Without a thought, her daughter turned and ran to the other room. Alicia was chuckling when she turned to look at herself one more time in the mirror. She ran her hands down the front of her dress then realized she was stalling. The sooner she talked to them, the sooner this might be resolved.
As she walked down the stairs, she heard the low murmur of male voices. Then, there was a female voice she recognized. She stepped off the last stair, and made her way to the living area that opened to the back lanai.
The first person she saw was Dee. Devon’s sister turned and smiled. “Hey, there, Ali. I got a couple suits that might work for Bridget and I thought I would come over to help with Bridget. Plus, Alana here was wanting to play today and I thought they would wear themselves out.”
Bridget laughed. “Spoken like a true mother. She’s upstairs. I’ll go get her.”
“I know where. You stay here.” Alicia gave her a grateful smile as she watched Dee try to keep up with her daughter.
“Alicia Hughes as I live and breathe.”
She turned toward the sound of the voice and laughed. A vision from her past stepped forward. He was dressed in a custom made suit, no tie—of course, and he had the same smirk she remembered from ten years earlier.
“Sean?”
He came to her as he always did and gave her a huge hug, picking her off the ground. By the time he set her on her feet, Devon was standing beside the two of them.
“I take it you two know each other.”
Sean smiled but didn’t take his gaze from hers. “Yes. Alicia here and I worked a few jobs together. And when did you get rid of the blonde?”
“Oh pooh. You worked with my father. I was just along to observe.”
One elegant eyebrow rose. “I think you did a little more than that.” He looked up at her hair. “When did you go brunette?”
“Three or four years ago.”
