Page 69 of Good and Gone

"Tell you what," Kenneth says. I can tell by his expression that whatever he is about to say next is meant to placate me. "I'll talk to Robert. See what he knows."

"Robert?" Tyler asks.

“Bobby's one of my partners.”

“He owns the practice,” I say, recalling what I read online.

“We’re equal partners,” Kenneth says with a smile. “But if anyone knows anything about this, it'll be him.”

52

Hailey

I’m lying in bed, late at night, thinking about my conversation with Kenneth earlier that afternoon, when Lily wakes up screaming. She comes running down the hall before Tyler or I even have a chance to get out of bed. It's still dark outside. The clock reads 2:23.

"The man is back!"

I throw the covers off and make my way to the bedroom door.

"Lily?"

"Shh. She's just having a nightmare," Tyler groans, still half asleep.

I scoop Lily into my arms and carry her back to her room. She's been doing so well lately. I tell myself this is a one-off thing. That her nightmares are not going to flare up again.

"Let's get you back to sleep," I tell her. "How about I read you a story?"

"That won't help," she says with a sob. She is tangled up in the sheets, burying her face. I sit on the edge of the bed, pull the sheet away and brush the hair out of her eyes. "Shh, shh. It's okay, baby. You're okay."

"It was the man. The man with the beard," she sobs. "He was mad. He's going to hurt Reese."

"Reese?" I ask. "Why would the man hurt Reese?"

"Because," she says, looking at me like I'm an idiot. “I told you, he was mad.”

"It's okay, Lily. It was just a dream. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you or Reese," I tell her, smoothing her hair back.

"I want Daddy," she says, struggling to sit up.

"I'm right here," Tyler says.

"Daddy," she says, turning toward him. She reaches for his hand.

I run back to our bedroom and grab my phone. I pull up the app for our security cameras. "Tyler," I say. “There was a car out front. Maybe Lily did see something.”

"A car?"

“Yeah, it could be nothing, but I’m not chancing it.”

He goes to the window and looks out. “You saw a man, Lily?”

“He had a beard. Like Santa. But brown. And he isn’t nice.”

“Get the gun,” I tell Tyler. “I’m calling the police. Maybe they can run the plates.”

I haven't even finished dialing when there's a loud thumping sound at the back door.

53

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