Page 12 of Unfulfilled Promises
“Nope,” DJ responded, popping the ‘p’ in the word to drive his point home. “You got to have puppy or she still sad.”
Seth looked over DJ’s head at me. “And if I get her both, she’ll want to be my girlfriend?”
DJ nodded emphatically as he answered, “Then she love you.”
“Then I’m gonna get her both.”
The heat in his gaze as he looked at me could have started a fire, and luckily, before DJ could give him any more advice, Devlin walked up to the nursery doorway and gave Seth and DJ a confused look. I stepped closer as Seth stood up and moved to the side so DJ could greet his daddy.
“Hey, buddy. I thought you went home with Momma,” Devlin said.
“I want to stay wif you,” DJ explained and hugged himself to his dad.
The person everyone called the madman melted as he closed his eyes and embraced his son, allowing the innocent love to warm him. DJ pulled back from Devlin and said, “I teach Sef how to luv Wegan.”
Devlin’s eyebrows shot up as he looked at me before asking, “What did you tell him?”
DJ smiled, proud of himself as he explained, “I told him get ice cream and a puppy. Then Wegan luv him.”
Devlin chuckled and hugged the boy to him, patting him on the back as he looked from me to Seth and back. “That’s good advice, DJ. I’m sure Seth is thankful for your help.”
“I really am. Without you, I would be lost,” Seth added.
Devlin looked down at DJ and said, “Aunt Stella and Uncle Hawk are going home if you want to ride with them.”
DJ lit up as he asked, “On his cycle?”
Devlin shook his head with a smile and said, “They have the SUV, but if you’re really good for them, I’ll see if Uncle Hawk or maybe Jacob will take you for a very slow ride around the compound when I get home.” DJ’s eyes narrowed as Devlin added, “Agreed?”
“Shake,” the little boy said, and Devlin placed him on his feet in front of him.
DJ reached his hand out and Devlin took his hand, shaking and sealing the deal. I was amazed by the little transaction hejust completed as Devlin said, “Clean up and get your stuff together and I’ll be in the hallway waiting for you.”
“Okay, Daddy,” DJ said before he skipped off to clean up his little table.
Devlin nodded to me and glanced at Seth before walking into the hallway and a few feet down, out of earshot of the kids. He looked at Seth before he began to speak. “Waylon’s a lost cause, so it’s back to the drawing board. We have a lot to figure out before we head out this afternoon.”
I watched the interaction and was curious who Waylon was. I didn’t meet many people during my time with Sergey, and I tried not to remember anyone I met during my time with Kelly. Crossing my arms over my chest, I tried to keep the tremble out of my hands as I listened to them speak.
“And we’re no closer to figuring out what in that journal was true and what was false,” Seth interjected, only to have Devlin shake his head in frustration.
“The only thing we figured out was who wrote the journal. Waylon looked at it and said it was Sergey Junior’s handwriting. My guess is he took notes for Kelly so he felt important.” DJ walked out with his little backpack on and he reached up and took Devlin by the hand. As they walked away, Devlin looked over his shoulder and said a name I hadn’t heard in years and hoped I never would again. “We just need to figure out who this mouse person was that they kept writing about and figure out why they were so important to Sergey. I feel like they’re the key to everything.”
Devlin and DJ walked around the corner, leaving Seth and me alone in the hallway. He looked down at me, but I couldn’t focus on him or anything. Memories I’d long put behind me bombarded me from every direction, and all I could do was try and catch my fall as the darkness surrounded and pulled me back into its painful clutches.
Chapter 7
Regan
Age 4
Mommy and I moved into a new house last week, and I really hate it here. There is garbage on the floor, dirty dishes in the sink, bugs everywhere, and Mommy ignores me for her new friends. She spent all her time with them, and when I made her mad, she hit me, yelling to go away. Her new friends treated me like I wasn’t there, and after seeing the other little girl living in the house, I thought it was better to be ignored.
I didn’t know her real name, only the ugly name they called her. And they started calling me an ugly name too, but I tried not to let it make me sad. Tears made them mad, and when they’re mad, they treated me even worse. I had to sneak food when there was some, and after I stepped on a piece of broken glass, I kept my sandals on almost all the time.
The room I shared with Mommy smelled funny, and sometimes at night, men I didn’t know came into the room with Mommy. I turned away from them and hid my face against the wall with my hand over my ears as they made noises that caused my tummy to get upset. The little area I kept clean on the floor was my safe place in this scary house, and sometimes, I wished I could run away and have the kind of family I saw on TV, when I was allowed to watch it.
Once, Mommy was having a party and they sent me and the other girl to our rooms, telling us to stay out of the way. I pushed some cotton I’d found in the bathroom into my ears andtried to sleep as loud music and laughing echoed into the room. When I finally went to sleep, I said a prayer that someone would save me from this place. I wished for a clean house, a bed of my own, food, and a family who loved me.
