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Satisfied, she lets me lead her to my truck.
I glance back at the steps once she’s safely tucked away inside, the groceries on the bench beside her.
He’s still standing there, the girl now on his hip.
Our eyes meet as I return the cart. He turns to look at where Lulu sits crying in the back of a beat-up Ford.
His eyes find me again. It takes me a second to realize . . . he’s asking for permission.
I frown. Lulu is a good girl, stuck in a situation my brothers and I meant to take care of two years ago.
He looks at the car again, but it’s not Lulu that he glares at. It’s the two in the front.
He wants her parents.
That I can oblige.
I give a discreet nod but then give a quick shake of my head, my gaze zeroing in on Lulu.
Them he can have, her he can’t.
A smile spreads across his face.
And with that, we go our separate ways.
My phone is out before I’m even in the truck. My family needs to get to the cabin quicker than tonight.
There’s a killer in town, one that doesn’t carry the Cromwell name.
He should be busy enough with those two, but who knows when he’ll strike. When it comes to family, you can never be too safe.
And there’s power in numbers.
Our lucky number is three.
Daniel, Kaleb, and I.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Michael
My body is vibrating; there’s no other way to describe it. I’m wound up and ready to blow.
We’re in the truck on the way to my parents, so killing someone just isn’t an option.
It’s barely one in the afternoon, and my family has dropped all their plans, including work, to come out to our cabin. They were willing to squirrel away here just because I asked them to.
That’s the meaning of family. Blind faith, no questions asked.
Lara sits beside me in my truck, being her perfect self. No longer scared, she’s happy for me to take control.
I glance over at her. “Do you need to call in towork? I didn’t see your schedule on your laptop or in your dorm.”
Lara squints at me. “No, I got fired, but now that you mention it, you shouldn’t go through my laptop . . . it’s rude.”
“Why?” I ask. “What are you hiding?”
“Nothing,” she insists defensively.
