Page 18 of Clara's Secure Hideaway

Nodding, she wiped away tears that shredded his heart.

“The emergency order will be issued quickly,” he continued, getting back to business. “I’ll hand deliver it to Mitch myself and make it clear he needs to stay far away from you and the children.”

She blew out a shaky breath. “He’s going to be so pissed.”

“That’s for me to deal with. Not you.”

“What about the house? Do you think there’s anything else here he either left or took that could be used against him?”

Heath shrugged. “My guess, he came here and grabbed exactly what he needed or wanted. Something was in that dog he didn’t want anyone to find, or he had to get his hands on now that he’s out of jail. The ring…well he might have taken that out of spite. But I doubt he’d leave something behind that was important. He’s a mean bastard but he’s not stupid. Last night might have been his only shot to get inside.”

“You don’t think he’ll try again?”

He cringed at the hopeful note in her voice. “I don’t know what he’ll do. If we’re lucky, he’ll be smart enough to keep his distance once he’s legally bound to do so.”

“What about the USB stick? How can we find out what’s on it?”

Grimacing, Heath scratched the back of his neck and debated how to respond. “I’m not sure that’s important right now.”

“Excuse me?” She jumped to her feet, her face flushed and eyes narrowed. “This twisted asshole hid something in my child’s toy. She held it to her chest and slept with it every single night. And you don’t think it’s important to find out why?”

He raised his palms. “I’m not saying that’s not important, or that I don’t understand why you’d want to figure this out. But right now, the priority is keeping you and the kids safe. The best way to do that is with the emergency protection order. After that’s served, I promise the sheriff’s department will watch his every move.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, that piece of paper will really work. No way Mitch would do something he’s told not to. I’ll never be safe until he’s back in jail, and I’m afraid of what he’ll do before he puts himself back there. Now if you’ll excuse me for a second, I want to grab some things before you take me back to the shelter.”

His heart sank as she hurried down the hall, but he couldn’t let his emotions dictate his actions. Not when procedure had to be followed. He’d return her to her children then pay Mitch a visit, and hopefully she’d see he was doing everything he could to protect her.

* * *

With the lastpiece of clothing folded nicely in the dresser drawer, Clara wiped her hands on the thighs of her jeans and studied her temporary bedroom. Taking control over her situation calmed some of her nerves. As tough as it’d been to return to her house and see Mitch’s calculated manipulation, she was happy to at least have gotten some of her things.

When they’d left the night before, she’d been so scared she’d only grabbed the emergency go-bag she always kept at the ready before fleeing. Now she and the kids had enough clothes to get them through the rest of the week, along with their favorite books and what she prayed would pass for decent options for them to sleep with.

Packing the framed photo of her and her mother, as well as one with the children, might have been silly. But it made her space feel more peaceful, more like home.

With everything in place, she trotted down the stairs in search of Davey and Avery.

An image of the dismembered stuffy haunted her thoughts and made a fresh wave of anger flood her body. Leave it to Mitch to use something sweet and innocent and twist it for his sick amusement. He probably laughed every night, knowing her daughter was holding something that would enrage her. Not knowing what he’d taken so much care to hide ate away at her. If Heath hadn’t stopped her, she would have flown into a rage on the spot, tearing through every item in the house to make sure Mitch hadn’t left anything else behind.

Heath’s quick grin and brown eyes beat back the ugliness of what she’d found in her kid’s bed. He claimed he was only doing his job today, but his kindness had gone above and beyond the call of duty. He’d kept her as calm as possible, his steady presence like a healing balm on her frayed nerves. He was sweet and understanding and handsome…

And completely off limits.

Pushing him out of her mind, she followed the sound of giggles. She had to get out of her head before she drove herself crazy. She walked past the kitchen to the back room that had been converted into a store of sorts, providing free clothes and other necessities for the women and children at the shelter.

The scene that greeted her lifted both her spirits and her smile. Elsie Sweet, the owner of the local thrift store and volunteer who oversaw all the donations, placed a pink beret on top of Avery’s head that matched the too-big dress that swallowed her little body. Davey beamed beside her wearing a top hat and carrying a sword made of cardboard.

Jimmy, the little boy Elsie looked after and loved like her own son, spotted her in the doorway. A black patch covered one eye, and he’d hooked an oversized belt around his waist. “Hi Clara! You’re just in time. Elsie’s making us pirates.”

“And what’s Avery supposed to be?” she asked, walking to the display case at the front of the room. The case beneath the counter showed off jewelry and other accessories that had been given to the shelter.

Jimmy shot her the most adorable are-you-kidding-me look that only a six-year-old could pull off. “She’s the princess. Davey wants to make her walk the plank.”

Avery jutted up her chin. “No plank. I can’t swim.”

“There’s not really water,” Davey said, rolling his eyes.

Elsie chuckled and draped a necklace over Avery’s neck. “I agree with Princess Avery. No planks, real or fake, unless we’re making Jimmy walk it.”

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