Facing It Read Free Page B

bedside and touched her baby’s silky brown hair. “Good morning, Ains.”
    Ainsley giggled. “Are the pirates here?”
    Ruthie reached for the toy bunny and danced it up and down Ainsley’s little back. “Um, I haven’t seen any yet. Would some breakfast do instead?”
    Ainsley made a moue of dissatisfaction and Ruthie found herself laughing for the first time in days. She rose and swung the little girl into her arms. “Come on. Let’s wash your face and see what your Aunt Caitlin is making for breakfast.”
    In the small bathroom next door, which retained its cottage feel from her childhood, she helped Ainsley wash her hands and face. She caught a glimpse of her weary, pinched features and averted her gaze. She looked old, haggard, worn out.
    Ainsley clung tighter to her neck as they descended the stairs and once they reached the keeping room, refused to be set on her feet, burrowing her face into Ruthie’s shoulder with a tiny whimper. Tick glanced her way with a small smile.
    “Sit.” Caitlin gave her a slight push toward the table. “I’ll get you something to eat. Ainsley, do you like waffles?”
    With a slow, cautious movement, Ainsley lifted her head and studied Caitlin. Finally, she nodded.
    “Would you like to come show me what you want for toppings?”
    Ainsley released Ruthie’s neck, an indication she was ready to be set free. With her thumb in her mouth, she placed her other hand in Caitlin’s outstretched one and let her aunt lead her to the kitchen island, Caitlin talking softly the entire way.
    At the table, Ruthie chose the chair to Tick’s left, allowing her to be close to his steady presence and keep an eye on her daughter at the same time. He reached for her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles in a quick caress. “I’m glad you came to me.”
    She tightened her fingers around his, the warm comfort of the touch bringing tears to the surface. “So am I.”
    Releasing her, he tapped the ledger with one long finger. “Do you know what you have here?”
    “I have an idea.” An ache pulsed at her temples. Caitlin set a mug of fresh coffee before her and Ruthie gave her a grateful look.
    Tick held her gaze, his own troubled, his face set in tense lines. “Ruthie, you said he’d kill you. You understand that if Stephen’s doing this, your having these books puts you in danger.”
    Her stomach clenched, all vestiges of hunger invoked by the smell of fresh, crisp waffles disappearing. “I was in danger when I walked out the door without permission yesterday. I’m not stupid, Tick, I’m fully aware what he’s capable of and I knew what I was doing when I took those books. Maybe, just maybe, someone who knows what to do with them can keep him too busy to look for me, until the children and I are so far out of his reach that he can never hurt us again.”
    His expression tightening further, Tick nodded. “Right now, he doesn’t have a clue where you are, even if he’s discovered you’re gone. Like you said, he’s going to look at Mama’s first. I want to get you somewhere safe while I get in touch with the South Carolina authorities, see if we can use this to help you.”
    Ainsley clambered onto the chair next to Ruthie’s. Caitlin set a plate of waffles topped with bananas in front of her and a plate bearing a plain waffle before Ruthie. She set the syrup down nearby. On her way back to the kitchen, she squeezed Tick’s shoulder and he glanced up, unspoken communication passing between them. She lifted an eyebrow at him. Frowning, he sighed.
    “If that’s what you want,” he said, turning his attention to Ruthie. “Unless you had another plan?”
    “I just want my children to be safe…and away from him and his influence.”
    “I have an idea.” Tick tugged a hand through his disheveled hair. “I’ll have to make a call.”

    Chris stowed the final bag in his SUV. The moist predawn air wrapped around him and he dragged in a deep breath. A few hours, and he’d be