Page 5 of Eye Candy

“Honey,are you all right? The police said you’re not really talking much. If there’s anything you can tell them to help them catch this guy… if you could help point them to the house—”

“I don’t remember,” I told him, visibly growing upset. “Obviously, if something comes back to me, I’ll tell them, but right now, I just want to be happy that I’m out of that room. Isn’t it enough that I’m back and safe?”

My dad’s face softened, and he reached for my arm, squeezing it the same way Lola had. “Of course, it’s enough,” he said, and I resisted my urge to pull away from him. I’d rather have that Lola chick touching me. “There is something else you should know.”

I had the feeling I already knew what he was going to tell me… but I said nothing, not wanting to give anything away.

“Tessa and I… we got married about a year ago. She’s part of the family now, your stepmom.” As if sensing my disdain for the woman, he added, “She’s overjoyed you’re safe, Laina, and she really helped keep me sane these last two years.”

Oh, well, anything to help keep my precious dad sane. Anything at all. As long as he was fine, we’d all be fine, right?

Wrong.

“She and Kieran should be here soon,” my dad told me. He reached up to my face, swiping some of my hair aside and giving me a look I was sure he thought was sincere and loving. “It’s going to be okay. The police will find him, and I’ll make sure we give him exactly what he deserves.”

Giving people what they deserve was only reserved for others, in his eyes, not himself. How hypocritical.

My dad tried to talk to me more, tried to ask me about what happened to me these last two years—but I didn’t want to talk, so my answers mostly included a lot of grunts, nods, shakes ofmy head, or “I don’t know.” He finally got the hint that I wasn’t feeling very chatty, but of course, right then, the door opened and someone else strolled in, followed closely by someone else.

My dad got to his feet immediately, sweeping over to the woman who’d just walked in and giving her a peck on the cheek. “Darling, you made it here fast.”

Darling. Yuck.

Tessa—Tessa Hawkins now—was a woman in her early thirties, still perky and vibrant with youth that my dad no longer had. She had not a wrinkle on her face, luscious brown hair, and brown eyes a shade or two darker than warm amber.

Her hair was pulled back in a low pony, and she wore a matching workout outfit, a zip-up jacket on her shoulders, the tennis shoes on her feet bright white. “Yes, well, Kieran did break a few traffic laws,” she spoke dryly, shooting her brother a glance before stepping around my dad and coming toward me, a gentle smile on her face.

I matched her smile with one of my own, even though I really didn’t feel like it. It wasn’t that I hated Tessa because she was over ten years younger than my dad. It wasn’t due to the fact that she’d been his first relationship—that I could remember, at least. No, it was the fact that she’d married him and acted as if her life was perfect now.

Granted, it could all be a show for the cameras, but it bugged me. How could her life be perfect when her husband’s only child had been kidnapped and was probably presumed dead?

I was obviously not dead, but I could’ve been.

“Laina,” she cooed, trying to sound like a mother, I assumed. She swept to my bedside, ran a hand along my head,and gave me a loving look. “I’m so glad you’re safe. Your father and I have been worried sick about you these past two years.”

Not enough to push off the wedding, I wanted to say, but I kept that retort to myself.

“I assume your father told you we got married?” Tessa paused, and when I gave her a short nod, she glanced back at my dad, then back at me. “I know it’ll be an adjustment for you. Don’t feel like you have to call me mom or anything. Tessa is fine.”

Like hell would I ever call her mom or anything like that, but I didn’t say that. All I said was, “Okay.”

My dad coughed, causing Tessa to look at him. He said, “Can I speak with you in the hall?” To me, he said, “We’ll be right outside.” He gave me a supportive smile as he ushered Tessa from the room, gently closing the door behind them. The police were still there, and they started talking about something, their voices muffled.

I wasn’t alone, though. They’d left me with Tessa’s brother, the man who’d been the bane of my existence before, my dad’s right-hand man, the man who did anything my dad told him to.

Kieran Miller. He was Tessa’s younger brother by quite a few years; I wasn’t sure how old exactly he was, but he had to be in his upper twenties. He had the same brown hair as Tessa, though obviously cut shorter. His eyes were a darker brown than hers, more black than anything else. His jaw was square and strong, free of any stubble. Just under six feet tall, not overly muscled but capable of taking care of himself…

And dragging me to the car when finding me after I’d snuck out all those years ago.

I’d found him utterly annoying before. I wondered if I’d still find him as annoying, or if, maybe, being locked up in a room for so long had changed my outlook on him. He was an uncle now, related by marriage, so technically he was family.

When I saw he was smiling at me, I frowned. Still annoying, then. “What?” I hissed.

He continued to smile at me as he stepped closer to the bed, slow to stand behind the chair to my right. “You look different,” he pointed out, his hands slow to grip the back of the chair. He had bigger hands than I remembered.

Maybe that was just my hormones talking, after being locked in a tiny room by myself.

“It’s been two years,” I muttered. I hoped I looked different after two years; I sure as hell felt different. It was impossible to come out the same girl I’d been before.

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