Page 53 of Hearing her Cries

She was older, too.

That one was full-grown, and every man who saw her would know that.

He’d never liked girls. He far preferred women.

Hot women.

Yeah, if he ever got his hands on her, Vaughn was going to have a good time. He sat there and imagined every minute of it, ignoring Hector going on about what he’d do to the dark-haired freak Gregory had watched for years.

What was so special about Denita’s daughters, anyway?

Vaughn would never understand Gregory’s fascination with only that woman’s DNA at all. It didn’t make a damned bit of sense. There were other genius women out there, right? Not just one. But Gregory insisted. Denita only. No matter what.

But the one person on earth—besides Hector, anyway—Vaughn had ever felt any emotion at all for was that old man.

Closest thing to a father he’d ever had.

And that mattered.

So Vaughn did what he was told. And Gregory paid him very, very well for it.

30

Paige had shownup on her doorstep, upset and not wanting to go home. It had taken some prying, but Zoey got her sister’s secrets out soon enough.

Now Paige was camped out in Pen’s bed—after letting out everything she’d been keeping inside. Telling Zoey the secret she hadn’t even told the man who practically worshiped the ground Paige walked on.

Paige just didn’t know how to tell Mick that life had thrown them a little curveball that would make an appearance in less than seven months. Paige had confirmed it with their sister-in-law Nikkie Jean’s help that afternoon, after she’d finished her meetings in Dallas. She’d been busy with meetings and interviews for two weeks. She hadn’t had more than two nights in a row at home during that whole time. Now, she was hiding at Zoey’s new place. Zoey was wise to that woman’s ways, after all. She and Paige were a lot alike, after all.

Well, Zoey suspected Paige was just afraid right now. Afraid of the change another baby would bring. Mikey was three, Tempest and Xara weren’t quite ten months.

Paige was feeling seriously overwhelmed.

Zoey knew her sister would figure things out eventually. Probably as soon as Paige actually had more than fifteen minutes alone with the wonderful man who had helped her get in that interesting condition in the first place.

She’d just checked on her older sister—Paige was sound asleep now. Pen was going to bunk at Sydney’s so Paige could have her bed, as they didn’t have a real guest room yet.

Zoey would have to get one set up in one of the extra bedrooms upstairs. Shelikedthe idea of her sister staying with her sometimes. And her nieces and nephews. Pen had stopped in, taken one look at a crying Paige, and had backed out fast. Pen got a little freaked when people she cared about were upset. She always had.

Her phone rang. Probably Pen, calling to check on Paige. Again.

Her sister was worried.

It wasn’t Pen. The number wasn’t one she recognized immediately. “Hello?”

“Mommy…Mommy…will you come save us now?”

The question was nothing more than a whisper in her ear. Chilling, in a way nothing ever had been before. Zoey checked the time, nine o’clock.

The little girl again.

She’d almost forgotten the call. She hadn’t heard from her again since the night at Melody’s, and Murdoch had said it was a disposable phone. She’d thought at most it was a couple of Garrity kids pranking the sheriff, with a recorded voice or something.

That had happened before.

Murdoch was a favorite target. Sometimes if he knew what kids were calling, he’d prank them back, with their parents’ help. And they’d liked to do things to Murdoch around Halloween. It could have spilled over toherold phone number. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

Zoey pressed the record icon on her phone.