Page 18 of Tapped

I set my wine down and wave him off. “Go. You’re scheduled to leave early, you don’t need the hassle of staying with us. I’ll call and check in tomorrow.”

He pulls me in for a hug. “Call Mom and Dad. They’ll hold it against me if you try to keep this from them too long.”

He walks over and pulls Chase up by the ankles. My son immediately squeals and gone is the chill mood I was counting on to get him to bed.

Oh well. It’s no different than most nights when Jeff got home and disturbed his bedtime routine by demanding dinner or complaining about me telling him to keep his voice down.

Andrew flips him right-side-up and tickles his ribs. “Be good.”

“You’re nutty!” Chase squawks between giggles.

Andrew tosses him back to the sofa. “You’re a monkey. Don’t give your mom fits tonight. She’s tired.”

I can’t help the small smile that settles on my lips despite everything that’s happened. Chase rolls off the sofa and falls to the rug with a light thud. His bowl of popcorn goes everywhere.

All of a sudden I go from tired to exhausted. “I’m going to walk Uncle Andrew out. Pick up the popcorn and go brush your teeth. I’m going to check them, so do a good job.”

Andrew follows me to the door. “I’ll call the DA in the morning to see what they’re doing with Jeff. You’ll be fine with the guard out front but call anytime. Arm the system the moment I leave. Jacey is taking the twins for another college visit tomorrow, but other than that, she’ll be around.”

That strangely makes me feel better. “Thank you for arranging security.”

“It’s the least I can do for being the coldest-hearted of the Litchfields. I’ll talk to the guard before I leave and tell him not to bother you unless he sees something. He’ll call you first. Don’t open the door for anyone.”

“That means the world to me. I really do feel better. I might actually be able to sleep.”

He leans in and presses his lips to the top of my head. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I slam the door harder than necessary, flip the locks, and arm the security system through the app faster than I ever have. There’s even a little part of me that wishes I allowed my parents to buy us a home in a gated neighborhood.

At the time, this house was more than we needed. As a young couple, we could barely afford the property taxes on this place every year without dipping into my trust fund. We looked ridiculous enough moving in when we did. I was in my residency and Jeff sold insurance.

Insurance.

Shit. I wonder if he ever took out a policy on me that I don’t know about? I wonder how I can figure that out.

One more thing to add to my list of to dos.

Then I do what I never do—check all the cameras.

The pool.

The guesthouse across the deep yard.

The gates and paths from the street.

And the long drive lined with palms.

My father didn’t mess around when he bought each of his kids a house.

All is quiet. I even expanded the motion detectors. Every bird or gecko will set it off tonight, but who am I kidding. I probably won’t be able to sleep anyway.

Chase yawns. “Can I have a popsicle?”

“You had one after dinner. You can have a glass of milk.” I pour him a glass and he climbs up into a barstool. I study my son. I’m going to need to break it to him somehow that his father isn’t coming home.

Ever.

I brush his dark hair from his forehead. “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

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