CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tia sat on the couch in the living room with Sarah on her lap. She opened the book and began to read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to the little girl. This was Sarah’s favorite book, and the girl pointed excitedly at the pictures and cooed and gurgled as she tried to read along with Tia.
Tia laughed and articulated the words slowly, so Sarah could mimic her.
The two of them were home alone. Caine had taken Amanda out to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and they wouldn’t be home so soon. Mother and son had a lot to catch up on, and Tia had a sneaking suspicion that she would be featuring quite prominently in their conversation.
Amanda had politely invited Tia along, but Tia insisted that she wanted to stay home with Sarah. She knew that Amanda hadn’t had a night out since Sarah came into her life. The woman deserved a break.
Sarah let out a big yawn when Tia finished the book. “Ah, shall I put you to bed, sleepyhead?” Tia asked.
Sarah yawned again and rested her head on Tia’s shoulder. Gently, Tia carried the girl back to her room and tucked her into her crib.
Tia chuckled when she heard an adorable little snore from the girl. “You snore like your daddy,” she whispered.
Tia stood in the dark, watching the baby sleep and listening to her soft, gentle breathing. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering the sound of Caine’s steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat. She had looked upon his handsome face as he slept, memorizing his features and wishing that he wasn’t just a one night stand. When she left his bed that night, she never thought she would see him again.
But fate seemed to enjoy testing her and teasing her.
Fate had struck her down with cancer before yanking her back up on her feet. And now she had been given an assignment which looked easy on the surface but was in fact anything but.
She had to remain professional and detached, even though she was almost insane with lust every time Caine smiled at her. For the past three weeks, she had been watching him interact with his mother and daughter at close quarters.
Caine was stern and demanding in the office, but at home with his family, he laughed often and he was sweet, warm and caring. He was a hands-on dad, and he changed, bathed and fed his daughter cheerfully.
“I always knew Caine would make a great dad,” Amanda had remarked one evening as they watched Caine play with Sarah on the living room floor. “He used to work such long hours, but now, I think he’s finally seeing that there is more to life than work.”
Tia sighed. She tried not to show it, but she was falling in love with Caine and his family.
Quietly, she tiptoed out of Sarah’s room and closed the door. She went to the living room and flipped through the channels distractedly. There wasn’t anything good on TV, so she just settled down and watched the news.
She drew her legs up under her and felt her ankle holster under her sweatpants. Blowing out a breath, Tia stretched her legs straight out in front of her and hugged a cushion. She might be in comfortable sweatpants but she always made sure that she was armed and ready. She was here officially as a bodyguard, and she wouldn’t be caught without her weapon while on duty.
Tia glanced out the window when she heard the engine of a car. But it wasn’t Caine’s car. They wouldn’t be back so soon. Caine was a workaholic, and it had been some time since Amanda enjoyed a nice, relaxing night out with her only son.
Tia had a feeling that Amanda knew that she and Caine had slept together. Amanda would yawn and say that she was retiring to her room after dinner, but Tia saw that the older woman wasn’t really sleepy. She was just giving them the opportunity to be alone together, and maybe bond as a family with Sarah.
Tia blushed.
She would love to be Sarah’s mom. She had grown to love the little girl so much. And she loved the girl’s father too.
A sudden movement outside the window snapped Tia out of her thoughts.
She clicked off the TV and stood up.
There was a sound at the side of the house. Tia peeked out the window but she didn’t see any lights in the windows of the neighboring house. The neighbors were out, yet Tia heard a sound coming from their garden.
She opened the front door soundlessly and stepped out into the chilly night air. Moving quickly and quietly, she hurried towards the back of the house and stared around Amanda’s neat backyard. Nothing seemed to be out of place.
Tia went back into the house and locked the door, her heart pounding rapidly. She stared at Sarah’s room door and gulped.
The door was slightly ajar.
In a flash, Tia was in Sarah’s room.
She saw two men standing beside the crib, and one of them had Sarah in his arms. The girl’s eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving.
Tia rushed at them but one of the men grabbed Tia by the throat and slammed her against the wall. She tried to reach for the gun at her ankle but the man wrenched her arm behind her back.
Tia turned and stared into the man’s glowing red eyes. She looked up at his pale, skeletal face and saw that zigzag scar between his eyebrows.
“You!”
She recognized the thug at once. She would never forget his face.
“You killed my partner! You killed Roy!” Tia hissed.
She scratched viciously at the man, aiming for his eyes. Her nails raked down his gaunt face, splitting his skin. But the blood that oozed out was black, not red.
Tia gasped.
These men were not human. She’d suspected as much, but she wasn’t sure she could trust her memory.
Tia lashed out. Human or not, they were not taking Sarah.
She clawed at the thug, drawing more blood. The man bared long, deadly fangs at her, and closed his thin hands around her neck.
“Let’s go,” his accomplice snapped. “Take her along. We may need to feed again.”