Page 79 of Never Fall Again

“I can’t wait to see it.” He pulled Eliza to the side so Landry could use the keypad to open the door. “Hold up, jitterbug. Let me tie your shoe.” Eliza stood still while he leaned down to tie it, and Landry stepped inside the studio.

Her gasp was the first warning that something was wrong. He grabbed Eliza’s hand and pulled her behind him as Landry backed out of the doorway. Slowly at first, but then she picked up speed until she ran into him, her back to his chest. He wrapped his free hand around her waist, held her tight against him, and then led both Landry and Eliza to the side of the building.

“What is it?” He whispered the words against Landry’s ear.

“It’s...there’s...” She shook her head.

“Do I need to call Gray?”

She nodded.

He had no idea what was going on. All he wanted to do was get them as far away from the studio as he could. He twisted around until he had both Eliza and Landry standing in front of him. He gently pulled Eliza’s hand from his and tucked it into Landry’s. Then he knelt down to eye level and said in a voice that he hoped was calm and reassuring, “Eliza, I need you to walk back to your house with your mom, okay?”

When she started to speak, he put one finger up. “No questions right now, sweetheart. Can you do that for me?”

Eliza, eyes huge, nodded yes.

“Thank you.”

Tears were leaking from Landry’s eyes, but she held on to Eliza with one hand while her other hand gripped Cal’s forearm. Cal used his free hand to pull his phone from his pocket. Landry didn’t release him, even when it got awkward as he pulled up Gray’s contact info.

Gray answered on the first ring. “Yo, Cal. Everything okay?”

Cal glanced toward Landry and Eliza. “Not exactly. Gonna need you to come out to The Haven.”

“What happened?” Gray had gone from mildly concerned to full-on cop mode in the space of a second.

“I’m walking the Hutton ladies back to their house right now. I’ll call you back in a few minutes. Head this way, okay?”

“I’m guessing you can’t discuss it at the moment.”

“That’s correct.”

“I’m on my way. Call me back as soon as you can talk freely.”

“Will do.”

“Do I need to bring backup?”

Cal glanced at Landry. She was crying, but she wasn’t panicking. He had no idea what that meant. “Unclear.”

“Awesome.” Gray could always be counted on for pointed sarcasm. “Call me soon.” Heavy emphasis onsoon.

“Yep.” Cal disconnected and put the phone back in his pocket. They were almost to the house. Landry’s tears were silent. Eliza had gone quiet the way young children do when they know something is very wrong but they don’t know what’s happened. They reached the front door. “I need you to wait right here. I’ll be fast.” There was no good option. He wanted them inside, but what if the person who’d done whatever they did to the studio was in her house?

Cal cleared the space in record time, then escorted them inside and closed and locked the door.

Cal knelt by Eliza again. Her fear was palpable, and he didn’t think about what he was doing. He pulled her close and squeezed her tight. “It’s going to be okay.”

She trembled in his arms. “Mommy’s scared.”

“She is. But it’s going to be okay. Right now, can you go play in your room for a few minutes while I talk to her?”

Eliza’s response was to dash to her room. When she was out of sight, Cal stood and put his hands on either side of Landry’s face and used his thumbs to brush away the tears. “Talk to me.”

“It’s ruined.” Her pain screamed through the whispered words, and she dropped her forehead to his chest. “Someone destroyed my studio. There were words...on the wall.”

Landry gulped several breaths of air.

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