Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(132)
That hope died with the next ding. No.
Miranda had even texted Perry, told him she was angry—because she was—but then insisted they needed to talk. He hadn’t even texted back!
The pain was so déjà vu. Him walking away from her. Hurting her, yet again.
How many times was she going to let him do this?
Pinning her hair up, she took off to see who was visiting. Wouldn’t Holiday have said if it was Tabitha or her parents?
Walking through the door, she moved into Holiday’s office. A man, maybe in his fifties, sat in a chair. Dressed in a suit and tie, he wore his
hair flipped back, like an old movie star—or Elvis.
She didn’t have a clue who he was.
Glancing at Holiday, who looked puzzled herself, Miranda waited for her to say something.
“This gentleman says he knows you,” Holiday said.
“From where?” Miranda asked.
He stood up. “I’m Jeremiah Makepeace.”
“Jeremiah.” Miranda went right in for a hug. “Wow. Now you’d pass for a fairy godfather.”
“So how do you know each other?” Holiday asked.
Miranda looked at Jeremiah, seeking permission to tell her.
He nodded.
Miranda leaned in. “He was the armadillo.”
Holiday’s eyes opened. “Oh.”
Miranda focused on the man again. “The curse…? How did you break it?”
“Helping you and Zander stop the evil ones,” he said.
“And Zander?” Miranda asked.
“She’s at the FRU agency speaking with your friend, Burnett James.”
“Is she okay?” Miranda asked.
“It will take time, but I think she’ll heal. I’ll see to it.”
“You love her, don’t you?” Miranda’s heart went to Perry. She pushed the pain away.
He blushed. “Was it that obvious?”
“Pretty much.” Miranda smiled. “You didn’t abandon her.”
“Neither did you. You helped save her. Thank you.”
“Will you two be okay?” Miranda asked. “Do you have a place to live?”
“Zander still has family and I’ve managed to bury a few keepsakes over the years that will pay my way.”
Miranda imagined him as an armadillo stealing from the warlocks all those years, burying his loot in a hole in the ground. She hoped he had
enough to live well.
*
Sunday afternoon Perry stood outside of the interrogation room. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, or gotten a full night’s
sleep. But last night he hadn’t slept a wink, going over in his mind what he’d say to his parents. Or rather to his dad.
Seeing Jax yesterday hadn’t hurt. He doubted he’d be hurt by his mom, either. He’d known she hadn’t loved him from the beginning.
His dad had been different.
“You don’t have to do this,” Burnett said to Perry.
“Yes, I do.” Even as raw as Perry felt on the inside, he knew this was right. This was putting his past behind him. This was hoping for a
future.
He’d agreed to just let Burnett bring his parents in. While the arrest had taken place in Houston, Burnett had managed for them brought
directly to the Fallen FRU headquarters. No doubt so Perry would have privacy.
Burnett held out the envelope they’d found stuffed in his dad’s suitcase. Part of him wished they hadn’t found it. Part of him wished it
changed things. And maybe it had, but not enough.
“I got this.” Perry took the envelope, then said, “Thank you.”
Burnett nodded.
He walked in. His mom gasped. His dad didn’t look surprised. He wouldn’t.
Like Jax yesterday, their hands were cuffed and they wore patches on the sides of their necks.
“I told you he was behind this!” His mom seethed. “How could you do this to us?”
“Shut up, Sophie,” Perry’s father said.
“Our own son!” she screeched.
“I said shut up!” his father ordered. Then he met Perry’s gaze. “Why, son?”
Perry found his voice. “Why turn you in?”
“No,” his father said. “Why did you find us?”
“Because he’s evil! I told you this when he was born,” his mom yelled.
Perry’s father turned and stared at his mom. It was as if he saw her for the first time. “Can someone take her out of here! Please!”
Perry swallowed.
The door opened. Burnett looked at him. Perry nodded. Burnett took his mom by the elbow. His mom glared at him, but she somehow knew not to
mess with Burnett.
When the door closed his father confronted him again. “Why did you find us?”
Perry tried to lean back in the chair, but he was too tense. “I didn’t know at first.”
“Revenge?” his father asked.
Perry ran a hand over his face. “No. When I was young, I dreamed of finding you. You’d give me a good reason for why you left me. Maybe
someone was trying to kill me and you left me at that damn mall to protect me.” He waited for the knot of pain to lessen in his throat.
C.C. Hunter's Books
- Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)
- Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)
- C.C. Hunter
- Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5)
- Saved at Sunrise (Shadow Falls #4.5)
- Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls #4)
- Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)
- Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)
- Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)
- Turned at Dark (Shadow Falls 0.5)