Page 71 of Sutton's Shadow

“Uncle Liam. I miss him.”

The burn of tears built, and she gave Bethany a sad smile. “I do too.”

“We all do,” Wyatt added.

“He was a lot of fun but a big idiot most of the time.”

Sutton snorted as Wyatt let out a bark of laughter. “You can say that again.”

“A lovable idiot,” Bethany amended.

She remained quiet for a moment before Wyatt handed her a tissue. Wiping her tears, she took a deep breath, then looked at the two adults hovering over her. “What are you going to do with those pictures?”

Sutton squinted over her shoulder to Wyatt. “We’re going to give them to some people who are better equipped to hunt for these guys.”

Bethany nodded, then stood. “Good. I hope they kill every single one of them.” With that, she stepped around them, muttering something about homework before disappearing down the hall to her room.

“Well, that went well,” Wyatt intoned sarcastically.

“I hope it wasn’t too much for her. She’s so young.”

“She may be young, but she’s seen way too much in her short time on this earth.” That made her sad, and suddenly her nerves about her upcoming talk with the girl returned.

“I still need to have that chat with her.”

“Yeah. Let’s get this done, then you can go talk to her.”

They examined the images one more time before calling it quits. Sutton rose, squaring her shoulders as she prepared herself to head to Bethany’s room. She could see the worry in Wyatt’s eyes, but she smiled to put him at ease.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Wyatt stopped her from turning away with a hand on the back of her neck. He lowered his forehead to hers, and she closed her eyes, savoring the rich scent of sandalwood and coffee that was distinctly Wyatt.

“Thank you for doing this, Sutton. I... just... thank you.” Sutton smiled at his stammering. He kissed her quickly before releasing her.

She grabbed her bag, which had a present in it for Bethany, and made her way down the hall to her room. Taking a deep breath at her door, she knocked.

“Bethany, can I come in? I have something I want to give you.”

Bethany opened her door; her smile looked forced. She didn’t take offense, knowing the desire to be left alone by the adults was part of the teenage playbook.

Bethany sat down at her desk, spinning the chair around to face her. Sutton sat on the edge of her bed and took in the room. She could tell Wyatt had tried to make it into a teenage haven, but it lacked Bethany’s personal touches. There were no pictures. No books. No clumps of jewelry on top of the dresser. No clothes scattered across the floor. Nothing that could tell you the type of girl who lived here. That made Sutton sad. She understood. She’d only lived with her brother for a couple of weeks, but every girl should be surrounded by the “stuff” that made her happy.

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her old Nikon and handed it to Bethany.

“What’s this?”

“It’s an older camera of mine that I want you to have.”

The girl’s eyes that were just as fascinating as her brother’s widened as she stared at the camera in her hands. “For me?”

“Absolutely.”

“But... why?”

“Because you are very talented, and you love taking pictures. Now you can take your own whenever you want.” Bethany’s expression softened as she turned the camera on. She explored the different settings and buttons before gaping back up at Sutton. There was a sheen of moisture in the corners of her eyes.

“I can’t... I don’t... I don’t know what to say.”

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