Page 6 of August 20

He grunted and shook his head.

Her heart skipped a beat. "We can't leave?"

He pointed to the couch.

"We have to stay?"

He nodded.

"I can't leave?"

He cocked an eyebrow as if she was stupid.

"You're kidnapping us?"

Under his beard, his jaw tensed, and the movement shifted the whiskers. But he remained silent.

Why wouldn't he talk? She crumbled the paper in her fist. What he insinuated couldn't be happening. Seaglass Cove was supposed to be a safe beach town on the Oregon coast with less than a thousand people—she'd done her research before moving Skye here.

Staring up into dark, brutal, unwavering eyes, a lump of fear choked her. She had nothing anyone would want. The man was mistaken if he believed he'd get anything from her. She had nothing worth any value and no money on her. He could have her debit card. The couple of hundred dollars on it wouldn't get him far.

Her heart raced, making her lightheaded. She'd take Skye and run to the car the first chance she got.

The man, probably in his forties, was delusional. Mr. Graham, the owner of Sea Lion Hotel, owned the house. He'd hired her to work in town at the hotel. Maybe he was a drug addict and high on something.

Maybe he watched her bring in the boxes and thought she had something worth stealing. All he had to do was look around. She only had household items to help them settle in the house.

"Aunt Brooke?" called Skye.

Fear struck her. She couldn't keep Skye shut in the bedroom until the man came to his senses and left the house. The poor kid had seen enough in her short lifetime. She wouldn’t allow anyone to make her niece suffer anymore.

"Can I go to her?" she asked.

He nodded.

She made her escape and hurried down the hallway. Finding Skye in the smaller bedroom, surrounded by stacked boxes, she shut the door behind her, feeling for a lock on the doorknob. There was none.

Skye sat on the bed with her Barbie in her hand. She quickly went to her niece and sat beside her, pulling her into the safety of her arms.

"Everything is okay." She kissed the top of Skye's head. "We just need to stay in the room a little longer and play quietly, okay?"

"I'm tired of playing." Skye kicked her feet against the mattress. "I'm hungry."

"You'll have to wait."

"I'm thirsty, too."

Brooke exhaled in frustration. She had to think of a way to get out of there.

Gazing at the window, an idea sparked inside of her. She grabbed Skye's face, turning to meet her gaze.

"Let's go out to eat," she whispered, trying to stay calm. "We can go to your favorite place."

"McDonald's?"

"Yeah. Remember, we saw the restaurant in town when we arrived?"

Skye slid off the bed, always ready to get a Happy Meal.

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