Page 71 of Chasing Amber

“Thank you, Daddy.” She kisses Ben on the cheek before running over to Spence to hug and kiss him, too.

I’m excited as we rush toward the back of the house, dashing past Alice, who is making lunch.

“We’re going out back,” Cassandra tells Alice as she opens the sliding door.

“Okay. Have fun. Freud went to the store to get me a few things, so he’s not out there right now,” Alice says, glancing up from where she’s chopping vegetables.

I follow Cassandra to the two lounge chairs in the sun and sigh as I sink into one. The sun feels good. I tip my head back and smile.

“You look happy,” Cassandra comments.

I turn to face her. “I think I am.” I touch my chin. “I’ll be happier when I get these stitches out. They itch.” It’s hard to keep from scratching.

“I still feel bad for encouraging you to twirl.”

“Don’t feel bad. It was my fault. I didn’t expect to get that dizzy. I twirled way too many times.”

“If Spence and Ben ever catch me twirling again, I’ll be grounded for life.” She pushes out her bottom lip.

I giggle. “If Isaac even catches me thinking about twirling, he’ll probably tie me to a chair in the corner of the kitchen and leave me there for two days,” I exaggerate.

“I can’t believe how calm you are while your man is out buying you an engagement ring.” Her smile is huge and infectious.

I shrug. “It’s a struggle. I can’t believe he’s in such a hurry to get married.”

“I guess it’s not really a hurry. You’ve basically been in a relationship with him for two years. You just didn’t define it as what it really is.”

“True, but so much has happened in such a short time. I can’t believe it.”

“But you love him.” She pretends to fan herself with her hand.

“Yeah. So much.” The grin on my face feels permanent.

When I turn my head back, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and jerk my head toward the side of the house. Surely, my mind is playing tricks on me. Or maybe Freud has returned. Or Daddy could be back, too. I’ve been so jittery lately that I’m seeing things.

“What’s wrong?” Cassandra asks.

I stare at the side of the house for a few more seconds and gasp when I notice a shadow moving across the lawn. Suddenly, someone steps into view, and all the blood runs from my face.

I know exactly who it is. Jacob Marone. He looks significantly different than the boy he was when I last saw him. His hair is in a buzz cut. He’s filled out some. I see tattoos peeking out from the top of his shirt and his sleeves.

I’m frozen, wondering why he’s here, how he got here, and what he wants. It’s not like he can kidnap me from my brother’s backyard.

“I just want to talk to you, Amber,” he says. “You’re always with that big guy.”

I’m breathing heavily. Does he have a gun on him?

As if he, too, senses that would be my fear, he raises both hands. “I’m not armed. I swear. I won’t hurt you. I just want to talk.”

Cassandra grabs my arm. “How did you get onto the property?” she shouts.

“I jumped onto the back of a delivery truck while it was stopped at the gates. I couldn’t get to you any other way,” he says in a strange voice, defending his actions.

“Why do you need to talk to me, Jacob?” I ask. I don’t feel scared. This man is nervous as fuck. He seems harmless. I know from four days of getting to know him a little over ten years ago that he’s got some learning disabilities.

Suddenly, someone jumps up behind him, grabs him around the waist, and tackles him to the ground.

I scream. My heart is racing. It’s Daddy, thank goodness, but the sudden movement scares me.

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