Evangeline saw a tiny spider crawling over the windowsill as she continued listening to Hammer’s outburst of anger, still not understanding everything he was telling the mean man.
“You sorry piece of crap”—she heard him yell even louder—“you think you won? I hope I’m there the day when you finally realize what you could have had with Peyton. If you truly cared about her, you would have divorced Cassandra and waited for Peyton to get older. You could have had it all, but you had to be a greedy bastard. Get out of my face before I decide killing you would be worth chancing that little girl’s life.”
When Evangeline heard the sounds of footsteps coming back into the cabin, she used a gentle finger to nudge the spider back out the window before gingerly pulling the window shut. She quickly crawled across the loft to sneak back downstairs, and already covered herself and closed her eyes, when she heard the door open and close. Behind her closed lids, she saw the light go out and heard the television being turned off.
Holding her breath, she waited for Hammer to go upstairs to sleep.
“Kid, I know you’re awake.”
Her eyes flew open to see Hammer’s shadow by the steps.
“Next time, I better not catch you listening to my conversations.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Your sneaking around is what got us in this mess in the first place.”
His harsh voice had tears welling up in her eyes.
“I won’t do it again,” she sobbed out.
“Quit crying.”
“Okay.” Evangeline was afraid of making Hammer madder at her, but she wanted to ask him a question. “Can I go live with my grandmother?”
“We’ll see.”
Whatever hope she had that she would be able to live with Trudy died.
“We’ll see” was always the answer when adults didn’t want to tell the truth when you were crying.
“I’m going to bed. You need anything?”
“No.”
“Good night.”
Evangeline didn’t respond, too upset with him to be polite the way Trudy had taught her. Hammer might be a nice man, but she hated him right now. The mean man said that Hammer could hide her wherever he wanted. He could let her stay with her grandmother and Trudy if he wanted to.
Evangeline heard Hammer go up the steps, and then she heard the rustling of him getting on the mattress overhead.
Pulling the corner of the blanket up to her mouth, she used it to wipe her tears away. She missed Trudy so badly ….
As she lay on the bed crying, she remembered that the mean man said if she was found, Trudy would be hurt. That was when it finally dawned on her why Hammer couldn’t let her stay with her grandmother and Trudy. Hammer wanted to protect them the way Trudy said she was protecting her when she had made up the game they were playing.
This was her fault, because she had done something Trudy had kept telling her not to do. She didn’t want her sister hurt, and she was going to do what she had promised Trudy until they could be together again.
She would be brave.
Were three-year-old girls supposed to be brave? She didn’t know, but she was going to find out.
Chapter Two
“You want me to push the swing for you?”
Evangeline shook her head, rubbing her tennis shoe in the dirt instead of using it to set the swing in motion. She didn’t want to have fun. She was never going to have fun again.
Staring out at the dark park, Evangeline was ready to go back to the small cabin. She was excited when Hammer told her that he was going to let her go outside to play, and she was even more excited when he buckled her into a car seat, telling her that he was taking her to a park. Her eagerness faded, though, when she started to get sick to her stomach from the long car ride.
When he stopped at the park, it was already dark and she no longer wanted to play. There weren’t any other children around, and the trees were big and scary looking, like they would reach down and grab her with their branches.
Bright headlights pulling into the parking lot had her excitement building again. It could be a mommy or daddy bringing another little girl to play.
Disappointment filled her when only an older man got out of the car.
“Hammer.”
“Hunter.”
Evangeline looked up from where she’d been digging grooves into the dirt to watch the men shake each other’s hand before hugging each other.
“It’s good seeing you.”
“Great seeing you as well. I appreciate you coming.”
“I enjoyed the drive. I wish you let me bring Rachel; she would have liked meeting you. She’s always saying she wants to put a face to the man I’m always telling her about. How’s Jonas doing?”
“He’s doing well. I hope to meet Rachel one day. How’s John?”