Page 108 of Her Dark Angel

I hear the excitement in his voice as he speaks. It’s easy to picture him behind his desk bouncing in his chair like a giddy child on Christmas morning. “Well, I received an invite from the production team you worked with years ago when you starred in your first television show Schoolyard Quest, expressing their desire to get you back for a reunion special they want to film. How exciting is that?”

In a split second, the good mood I felt moments ago, thinking life couldn’t get any better, disappears. In the blink of an eye, I’m left feeling numb where I sit.

Just when I thought I had put some distance between me and my demons, they are now right on my fucking heels, threatening to drag me to the depths of the darkness they came from.

Of course, I was never truly safe from him. It was just a matter of time until he caught me after running for so long. And now he has me right where he wants me.

37

KINSLEY

1977

12 years old.

“Have a good night, Kinnie,” Mom says from the front seat. I notice there isn’t much excitement in her voice. At least not as much as I’m feeling. “I will be back later to pick you up.”

“Okay.” I unbuckle my seat belt and hesitate, waiting to see if she’ll lean into the backseat to plant a kiss on my cheek. When she doesn’t, I swallow hard and force a smile on my face as I swing the back door open. “I’ll see you later.”

Stepping out of the car, I gaze up at the large house. Woah, is this place a mansion? It looks like it would have six bedrooms and four bathrooms with many other rooms in between. Many plants line the pathway to the front door and the grass is cut short and smells fresh like a warm summer’s day after heavy rainfall.

“Kin!”

My head snaps to the side in time to see Travis approaching from down the sidewalk. He’s dressed in black chinos and a crisp white button-up. His black shoes are polished with not a single scratch or speck of dirt on them. The blonde curls atop his head are styled away from his face neatly, likely with lots of gel to tame the strands.

In one word, he looks handsome.

Travis stops in front of me, a warm smile touching his lips as he peers down at me from behind long eyelashes. “As usual, you look great. Is this the nice dress you were telling me about yesterday?”

My cheeks flame at his words as my eyes fall to the baby pink dress flowing around my knees. The material is soft with thin straps holding it in place on my shoulders. I found a pair of black, leather strap-up shoes in the back of my closet and paired them with white, frilly socks. I had forgotten I owned them until I pulled everything out last night in search of something to wear.

“Thanks, Trav.” I clear my throat and point toward the house. “Should we head in? I don’t want to be late.”

Travis nods and gestures toward the front door. “Ladies first.”

He follows me along the pathway that leads to the front door and up onto the wooden porch. Before I can knock on the door, it swings open to reveal Reggie. He’s not dressed in his usual shorts and stained T-shirts. Instead, he’s wearing blue jeans and a short-sleeved button-up.

“Kinsley and Travis!” he announces loudly. “I’m so glad you could both make it. Please, come in. I have some people I want to introduce you to.” The beer bottle in his hand acts as an object to direct us into the house.

“Thanks,” I murmur quietly as I enter with Travis hot on my heels.

As Reggie guides us into the living room, I notice the wooden furniture placed throughout the house and the light green walls that kind of remind me of boogers. The beige carpet beneath my feet is shaggy—I just know it would be soft if I were barefoot. Reggie’s house is so much nicer than my house in Hart or even the hotel we’re staying at.

In the blink of an eye, Reggie is introducing us to older men in the living room whom I have never met before. They don’t even look remotely familiar as they shake my hand and smile wide at me. Their gazes are intense as they peer down their noses, making me squirm slightly. Having Travis beside me though puts me at ease enough to make it through the introductions—although, I don’t remember a single name that was told to me—before we’re moved along by Reggie.

We greet the other children working on the show with us and some of the make-up artists and wardrobe designers. Seeing their faces has me excited to see where the night will go.

“Would you two like a drink?” Reggie asks as we enter the kitchen. It’s a large space with wooden countertops and light green cabinets like the walls throughout the house.

“I’ll have a drink,” I murmur.

Travis says he wants one too.

Reggie walks to the refrigerator and pulls out three bottles of beer. He holds them in the air in front of him, shaking them slightly with a sly smile. “If you promise not to mention this to either of your parents, I’ll let you have an adult drink.”

My eyes widen at the yellow liquid floating in the glass bottle. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Reggie shrugs as he lowers the bottles and pops the lid off them one by one. He walks across the kitchen to where Travis and I stand by the island. When he hands me the beer bottle, condensation slicks the inside of my palm, and I nearly blanch at the stench coming from it.

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