AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mary laughs, flashing me her chewed popcorn. I cup the back of her head and tilt it forward, even the cringe at the thought of her choking doesn’t take my smile away . . . but the knock on our door does.
I shoot up out of my seat, snagging the fork off the top plate. It’s sharper than the blunt knives we ate with, so I’ll make do.
“You girls, go get ready for bed, please,” I say, pointing at the hallway that holds the bedrooms.
“Awwww,” Piglet whines.
Lulu swallows when a second knock sounds.
“Pajamas and clean teeth,” I tell her with a raised brow.
“But then I can’t have more popcorn.”
“Mary Lou . . .” I force myself to take a deep breath, bending closer to her height. “Go.”
“How about we get you in your pajamas, and I’ll brush your hair instead so we can have more popcorn?” Lulu offers as a compromise.
Mary contemplates for a second, then looks at me.
My fingers twirl the fork behind my back. “Fine,” I fold.
“Can I sleep in Daddy’s room?” Mary asks as they walk to her bedroom.
Lulu glances back at me. I shake my head and call out, “No. Lulu is.”
“Awww,” Piglet moans, and her little shoulders drop.
A third knock sounds, pissing me off. I glare at my phone on the kitchen counter. I missed the notifications that someone was close. They shouldn’t have gotten to the door without me knowing.
I’m motherfucking pissed, yet I have no one to blame but myself.
After one more glance in the direction of my girls, I go to the front door. Sheriff McCallister stands on the other side.
“Sorry to interrupt your night.” He smiles.
“No problem, it’s bath and bedtime. Everything okay?” I ask, keeping my hand on the door handle. The thought of the three plates on the living room table makes me sweat.
“Yeah, great actually. Well, not great since two people are dead.” He grimaces, threading a hand through his gray hair. “I meant I have great news for you. The FBI has agreed to open the roads leading in and out of Cromwell.”
The fork clatters loudly behind me.
“Great, thank you for popping by.” I start to close the door.
The sheriff looks at the fallen cutlery.
“I was just cleaning up.”
He smiles. “A few officers are letting everyone know they’re free to leave. The feds are doing car searches,” he says, rolling his eyes. “And I’d advise waiting until morning. Everyone’s going to be rushingto get on the road tonight.” He glances at his watch, and I copy the move.
7:23
Shit, how did that happen?I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.
I glance toward the bedrooms again. McCallister tries to peer around my large body to follow my eye line, but he can’t.
“I thought your daughter was in the bath?”
I nod. “She is old enough to want to be independent but young enough that I worry,” I explain.
