Page 34 of No More Lies

“Normal school stuff. Math, ugh, I don’t like math. Oh, and I met a friend of Mommy’s.”

“You did? Which friend?” Steve inched slowly forward.

“Er, I don’t think he said his name. But he gave me an envelope to give to Mommy, said she needed it, and he didn’t have time to go to her office.”

Steve just missed the car in front, his heart literally stopping. Pulling out of the line of waiting cars, he parked the truck before turning to face his daughter.

“Where did you meet Mommy’s friend, Pumpkin?” He tried his best to keep his voice light so as not to scare her, but he was fucking scared shitless.

“At recess. I was playing when the ball went over the school fence. He came and handed it back.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

“Darling, do you have what he gave you?”

Megan reached into her backpack and handed him a small white envelope. “Is everything OK, Daddy?”

“Yes, Pumpkin. I’m just concerned that a stranger talked to you at school. Did the teacher see?”

“I don’t think so. I didn’t talk to him for long. You always say don’t talk to people you don’t know, but he knew Mommy, knew her name, where she worked. He knew my name and yours. He seemed nice, but I wanted to get back to my game.”

Steve struggled to contain his fear. He opened the envelope, and the contents did nothing to help his anxiety. Inside were photographs of Megan at school, at softball, of them at Jerry’s. A slip of paper was stuck to one of the photos.

I wanted to be sure I made myself clear. Keep your mouth shut.

Steve struggled to breathe. Someone was threatening his family. Volkov? Hell, he wanted to go into the school and scream at them for not watching his daughter more carefully. He also wanted to sit Megan down and have another conversation about stranger danger, but both would have to wait. Right now, he had to get to his wife and find out just what the hell was going on. Their daughter was being followed, in danger. What the fuck was she keeping from him?

He slammed the truck in gear and hit the gas. Thankfully, the bottleneck had gone, and he swerved onto the road, heading for Diane’s office.

“Daddy, did I do something wrong?”

Steve heard the tremble in his daughter’s voice and silently cursed. He smiled, looking in the rearview mirror.

“No, Pumpkin, you did nothing wrong. I just need to give the envelope to Mommy, so we’re going to go and see her at her office. OK?”

“OK. Should I not have taken it?” Her eyes were moist, and his heart clenched. At some point, he would have to get her to tell him exactly what happened and hopefully get a description of the man.

“The man shouldn’t have spoken to you, Pumpkin. It was wrong of him. It’s not your fault, and I’ll talk to the school tomorrow. But, Megan, if a stranger ever tries to talk to you again, even if they say they know me or Mommy, walk away and go tell a teacher. OK?”

Megan nodded, but tears rolled down her cheeks. Fuck! Steve pulled the truck over, got out and opened the rear door. Undoing the seatbelt, he lifted her into his arms, and her small arms went quickly around his neck. Hugging him tightly, she cried softly.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“Ssshhh. It’s not your fault, and I’m sorry if I sound upset. I’m upset with Mommy’s friend, not you. Everything’s OK. Come on, stop crying.”

He stroked her hair soothingly, trying to reassure her. Her small body trembled. His own wasn’t much better. Just the thought of someone even looking at his baby girl brought his primal instincts front and center. Fear and rage surged through his veins. He was ready to kill any bastard who looked at her.

Megan sniffed and pulled back a little. Steve looked at her tear-stained face. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Everything is OK. I’m not cross or upset with you. I promise.”

She wiped her face with her sleeve, still looking at him with huge, frightened eyes that tore at him. He kissed her cheek and squeezed her tight.

“You don’t need to be scared, baby. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

Steve’s own eyes filled. God, if anything happened to his baby, he would never get past it. Ever. She was his world.

“I love you too, Pumpkin. To the moon and back.” He kissed her hair, releasing her. “How about we hit the drive thru on the way to Mommy’s office and get a milkshake?”