Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(51)

“Thank you,” Perry said.

“I didn’t say…”

Perry walked off.

*

“You need to calm down,” Miranda’s father told her mom when she stepped back in the room after giving the agent hell. Miranda didn’t have a

clue what it was about, but it didn’t matter. Even if her mom was right, her approach wasn’t.

At least Mary Esther had left. Miranda felt sorry for her.

Her witch of a mom had turned into a bitch of a mom. And Miranda had a front-row seat. She didn’t want to see this. Didn’t want to hear this.

“Someone tried to kill my daughter,” her mom snapped. “How can I calm down?”

In bed, Miranda’s castless arm wrapped around her legs, she tried to think of something to say that would stop this.

“We are all upset, but your attitude isn’t helping,” her dad said.

So not a good thing to say, Miranda thought and felt the air crackle with tension.

“If you want to go be with her, why don’t you just go?” her mom hissed.

Her father looked slapped. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I told you, Mary Esther and I are co-parents and nothing more. How many times do

I have to—”

“You hugged her!” her mom accused.

“She’s Tabitha’s mom and our daughter is missing!”

“What about our daughter?” her mom spit out.

“Enough. This is child abuse,” Miranda said.

They looked at her as if they’d forgotten she was there. Then her father focused on her mom. His shoulders dropped. His aura faded. Miranda

couldn’t remember him looking so exhausted, exasperated, emotionally perplexed. He always held it together.

“I can’t do this anymore.” He walked away. The door whooshed shut.

Miranda felt the foundation of her life crack, right along with her heart. Had she just witnessed the end of her mom and dad’s relationship?

Her mom gazed back at Miranda. “I can’t believe he just left!”

And I can’t believe he stayed as long as he did!

A knock sounded. Perry stuck his head in the door. His hug from earlier replayed in her mind. That safe feeling of being in his arms. She

needed to feel it again.

“What is it?” her mom snapped.

He flinched. “I wanted to say good-bye to Miranda.”

“It’s not a good time, Peter,” her mom said.

It happened then. Miranda’s patience snapped like a broken pencil.

“Perry,” Miranda corrected her mom. “His name is Perry.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not a good time.”

It did matter! I can’t do this anymore. Her dad’s words rang in her head. “Yes it is a good time. Give us some privacy.”

“Young lady. You’re with Shawn.”

“Go.” Miranda swallowed really hard to keep the tears back.

With a light exhale of angry air, her mom stalked out. Perry gave her a wide berth at the door before he walked in and shut the door behind

him.





Chapter Fourteen

“Sorry,” Perry said as if he’d caused the trouble.

“Don’t be,” Miranda pushed the two words out, her vision growing watery. She lowered her legs to the side of the bed, her breath shook and

her insides trembled.

He wrapped his arms around her.

She dropped her face on his shoulder and did what she’d been wanting to do since Burnett told her Tabitha had disappeared. She cried. Big

Texas-sized tears.

She cried for her sister and the trouble she was in.

She cried over her parents’ relationship.

She cried because nothing made sense and nothing felt right.

Nothing but the guy with his arms around her. That felt … it felt like home felt when you’d been away for a long time. It felt safe.

After several long minutes, her face still against his warm chest, she opened her eyes. She spotted the stains on his shirt that looked like

blood and the safe feeling leaked out of her like helium out of a balloon.

She pulled back. “What happened?” She flinched when she saw his black eye. “How did you get hurt?”

He blinked, and his eyes widened, or at least one of them did. “I uh … Are you…? Your tattoo is … uh, all over you.”

“Crap.” She held out her arms. “Go away.” She watched as the vine-like pattern seemed to chase itself as it escaped under her cast.

“That’s weird,” he said, but he wasn’t stepping away as if scared.

“I know.” She stared down at her arms. “And I don’t have a freaking clue what it means.”

She pressed a palm to her cheek. “Was it on my face?”

He nodded.

“Is it off my face now?” Panic tinted her voice.

“Completely.” He ran the tips of his fingers down her cheek. It was an easy soft touch that seemed intentionally given to calm her. “It

doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No. It’s like a ladybug walking across your arm. It’s just … It’s freaking me out.”

“But it left when you told it to,” he offered, as if to put a positive spin on it.