I hold my hand out to shake on it.
“Each. A pan of brownies each,” Cole clarifies.
“Deal.”
“Not so fast.” Carson pulls his hand back, bringing his phone to his ear. “I have to clear this with the boss first.”
He smiles at me in the mirror as he talks to Rage. “Alright. Will do,” he says, finishing the call. “You’re good to go.” He jumps out to open my door for me. “We’ll be back after a bit.”
“No need to rush,” I say, backing away from the truck.
They both laugh, shaking their heads. “Have fun!” Carson yells as he turns around in the driveway.
I do a happy dance as I watch them drive away. Peanut looks up at me and snorts. He’s not happy I let his Mila drive away.
“She’ll be home soon,” I say, scratching him under the chin.
I glance up at the house feeling a bit guilty, but my libido quickly takes over. Rage has been waiting for me to wear some of the lingerie we bought a few weeks ago. Mila’s been a bit clingy lately, and I haven’t had a chance.
The thought has me jogging to the house. Peanut follows but stops on the porch, refusing to go in.
“I don’t blame you for wanting to stay outside. It’s a beautiful day.” I run my hand over his head, glancing around the yard. I’ll never be tired of this view.
I leave Peanut to his guarding duties and head inside to change. The guilt of leaving Mila returns, but I know she’s asleep and I trust the twins will bring her back as soon as she wakes.
My fingers run over the black satin lingerie that was Rage’s favorite. He’ll be so excited to finally see me in it.
I hurry to shower because spending the day at the children’s museum and then the park has me feeling less than fresh. It will take Rage at least twenty minutes to get here from town, so I have plenty of time.
As I’m rinsing my hair, I hear a loud bang. I don’t think too much about it, but when it happens again, I swear it sounds like a gunshot.
I slowly reach out and shut the water off, stepping out of the shower. I grab Rage’s robe off the hook and slip it on.
My hands tremble as I crack the door, listening. When it remains quiet, I slowly make my way down the hallway.
Maybe I was hearing things, or maybe Mila woke up and the twins are back already.
My heart falls fast when I peek out the window and see Peanut lying in the driveway covered in blood. Without thinking, I swing the door open and rush out to him.
“Peanut!” I cry, falling to my knees. He’s breathing so hard. “Oh god.” My hands scramble over his fur, looking for a wound.
A long shadow falls over us, and my heart completely stops.
“Where’s my fucking daughter?”
I recognize the voice. It’s the man I met in the park today.
In the span of a breath, I realize he’s Mila’s … my brain slowly registers his question.
I jump to my feet and spin on the man. “Yourdaughter?” I ask, storming toward him.
He’s bent over, nursing his bloody leg. It looks like Peanut got a few bites out of him before he went down.
“Mila ismydaughter!” I roar, barreling into him and knocking us both to the ground.
The gun that was in his hand slides a few feet away from us. He’s desperately trying to reach for it as I scream in his face. I’m not really sure what I’m even saying at this point. I’m blind in my rage. This man will never be Mila’s father.
I may have caught him off guard, but he’s twice my size. He sits up just enough to rear his fist back and clock me in the face. I fall backward, giving him time to reach his weapon.