Page 149 of Silent Vendetta (Vendetta Duet)

But on the inside, a fury of rage boiled through me.

“What man?”

“This man was driving by and saw me riding my bike on our driveway, and he rolled down his window and said he had four puppies inside he was trying to find a good home for. He asked if I’d help him by taking one.”

I ran my tongue over my teeth.

“Where was Mommy?”

“She ran inside to go potty for a minute, so she missed it!”

More like this man was stalking my fucking daughter, waiting for a brief opportunity. Luna was a great mother and, if anything, was called “overprotective” by other moms. She’d never leave our daughter in harm’s way.

“Did the man know your name, honey?” Was this targeted at the prosecutor’s kid or a Lockwood family grudge?

“No,” she said.

In theory, this was just some sick asshole, out hunting little girls, then.

“Does Mommy know about the puppies?”

I was surprised Luna didn’t call me. She’d have freaked the hell out.

“Mommy told me to stay in the garage,” Amelia said. “I thought she’d be mad at me if she found out I was on the driveway.” Guilt stained her freckle-covered cheeks.

“You can’t ride your bike without us,” I said. “That man could have been a tricky person.”

We’d had the tricky person talk. The new age way of the stranger-danger talk. I couldn’t believe my ears that my daughter had left the safety of our garage, even for a minute, let alone that she’d engaged with someone.

Where did we slip? Every warning, every lesson, and yet…

My heart churned in my chest, what-ifs flashing before my eyes, my stomach tense. Later, I’d have a meltdown over this. I’d beat the shit out of my boxing bag. Luna would freak the hell out. It was going to be a bad night emotionally, and tomorrow, we’d be left reeling.

All the safety measures we took. All our talks. And this happens.

But my daughter was only four. A man in a car claiming he had puppies who needed a home would bypass all of those talks, wouldn’t it? If some asshole wanted a kid bad enough, he’d practice over and over and over until he got it right.

I clenched my fist so tight, that my nails tore at my skin.

“What did this man say to you, exactly?”

“That the puppies were going to starve if he didn’t find them good homes. I know I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, but he was a nice man who was trying to save puppies.”

Mother. Fucker.

“And then what happened?” I managed through a forced smile, my teeth clenched so tightly, one might’ve cracked.

“Well, he asked if I wanted a puppy. And I said I’d have to ask my parents. And he said to come look at the puppy so I could tell you what kind of puppy it was, since that would be your first question…”

I bit my cheek until I tasted blood.

“So, I started walking toward him, but before I got to his car, he looked at Mr. Kemp’s driveway and sped off.”

Russel Kemp. Next-door neighbor. An elderly man who lived alone.

So, the asshole saw an eyewitness and sped off.

“I see. We’ll have to talk more about this in the morning,” I said. Not now. Not with the rage building inside me.

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