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Hunt rubbed at his neck. “That is really fucked-up.”
“He’s not in his right mind, yet he was competent enough to stand trial. Who knows what all those years behind bars did to him. All I know is that Shelby and Eliza are not safe with him, and he’s not thinking rationally enough to see that Shelby will never forgive him for what he’s done.”
“Then we give him an ultimatum. He comes out peacefully, or he doesn’t come out alive.” Hunt meant that, but of course he’d have to use protocol.
Chase wasn’t bound by any restrictions. He had no qualms about killing Kyle. The man was a threat to his family, and he’d take him out without a second thought.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Shelby feared the horrifying sight of Kyle’s dead parents would haunt her forever. She’d probably have nightmares about that gruesome scene the rest of her life. But right now, she needed to focus and plan her next moves.
She held Eliza in her arms, her little head on Shelby’s shoulder. Shelby looked around the kitchen, noting the flat of bottled water, the nonperishable groceries on the counter, and wondered what Kyle planned. “What are we doing here?”
“Dad.”
She cocked her head, not understanding.
He prompted her, “What are we doing here,Dad?”
Hell no. Even the thought of calling him that made her stomach knot and sour.
“I’ve never had a dad. That’s something other kids had and I missed out on. I don’t know what it feels like to have a dad like Chase has been to Eliza, like his father was to him.”
Kyle had been the monster in her family’s story. He was someone who had to be locked up because he was not fit to be around good and decent people.
She wished they’d never let him out.
Kyle leaned against the counter, careful to stay awayfrom the boarded-up windows, even though no one could see in through these.
The kitchen was dark, though he’d turned on a battery-powered lantern that cast a soft glow in the room.
“We have all the time in the world to make up for the things I missed. I can be your dad and Eliza’s grandpa. You’ll see. It will be everything you ever wanted.”
“I wished you weren’t my father my whole life.”
His eyes narrowed and filled with anger. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do. Look at what you’ve done to my life. Because of you, my mother took her own life and tried to kill me. We’re the town’s most talked-about gossip. This will only make that worse. For me. For Eliza.” She hated to think of her daughter growing up with people talking about her behind her back, or worse, kids teasing her because of her madman grandfather. “You stabbed Eliza’s father, the man I love.” Choked up, she tried to hold it together. “I don’t even know if he’s alive.” She prayed he was okay and being taken care of at the hospital right now.
Kyle waved that away with the knife. “He’s probably fine. I made sure I stabbed him where it would do the least damage.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “I knew you’d be upset if he got really hurt, but I needed him out of the way so we could talk and you could see that we can finally be together as a family.”
“You stabbed my boyfriend so we could talk, and you think that’s okay and I won’t be upset about it?” She really hoped he’d see the crazy in that statement.
“Don’t be so dramatic. He’ll be fine. If you’d simply let me speak to you all those other times...”
“Are you saying that it’smyfault you stabbed my boyfriend?” It dawned on her that she was talking aboutChase being stabbed and whether he was dead or alive in front of Eliza, who seemed to have grasped the danger of the situation and gone quiet on her. It gave her an opportunity to do what she needed to do.
“Would it have killed you to have a simple conversation with me?” Kyle eyed her, like this truly was all her fault.
And maybe it was, because she hadn’t given him the time of day.
He scared her. For good reason. Look where she was right now.
But could it have been different if she’d just talked to him?
“I planned to bring you here sooner, but Mom and Dad kept telling me that I needed to give you time.”
She didn’t think that had been a real conversation. “How long have your parents been back here?”
