Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(62)

Perry needed a new plan. He eased closer to the table to find out how much trouble he was in.

“Did he follow you outside to eavesdrop?” Caleb spit out to Chuckie.

“Don’t go accusing him of anything!” his father bellowed.

“Shut the hell up!” Caleb poked his dad in the chest with his index finger.

His dad’s eyes went bright. “I’m tired of you…”

“Don’t fight.” His mom touched his dad’s arm. Wow, she could do the right thing.

Caleb looked back at Chuckie. “Did he follow you out?”

Doubt flashed in the man’s eyes. “I don’t think so.”

“Damn it, Chuckie!” Caleb’s expression hardened.

“Why would he need to eavesdrop? He works for Jax, too.”

“He doesn’t know everything. And if I have anything to say about it, he won’t.” Caleb looked at his dad. “I don’t trust your boy. He’s

up to something.”

His father scowled.

Caleb looked around the bar, then back at Chuckie. “Did he know you were talking to Jax?”

Chuckie’s brows squeezed together. “I told Mark who it was.”

Caleb scowled. “Find that little shit.”

Okay, now the “little shit’s” mind raced. Perry needed an alibi. A good one. And fast.





Chapter Seventeen

The midnight hour had come and gone when Miranda, now tattoo-free, collected one-armed good-night hugs from her two best friends in the world

and ambled into her bedroom where her worries hid out in every dark corner.

Dropping on the bed, she closed her eyes and her thoughts shifted first to her sister. Where the hell was she?

Was she okay?

Where had Anthony taken her?

Propping up on a pillow, she stared at her phone, as if that would make a magical text appear.

Then to make herself feel better, she sent another text to Tabitha. Call me.

Staring at the screen, Miranda remembered the phone conversation with her father. Desperation had dripped from his voice. She couldn’t recall

ever hearing her father sound so broken. No doubt, his shattered heart stemmed both from concern for his daughter and from his fight with her

mom.

“I love you, Miranda. Please don’t think like your mom. Just because I love Tabitha, it doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

“I know. I love Tabitha, too.” Her anger toward her mom for being so selfish bubbled up in her heart.

Her father’s breath caught.

Miranda had wanted to hug him. She almost wanted to forgive him. Forgive him for the lies he’d told her mom about not being married, forgive

him for keeping Tabitha and her apart for all these years.

Right then another hurt found a spot in her heart. Would her mom and dad really split up?

Bending her knees and hugging them, she recalled Kylie hurting when her parents had divorced. Was that what Miranda had to look forward to? Her

world, the one she’d always known, would be ripped apart.

And what about them? Wouldn’t they be miserable without each other? But hadn’t they been miserable together these last few months?

Damn it, she knew her parents both still loved each other.

But was love enough?

The question brought on a swarm of questions. About Shawn. About Perry. About what the hell she planned on doing. Or was that her problem? She

didn’t have a plan.

Mentally, she added “Get Plan” to her list of to-dos.

She recalled that Shawn’s text asked her to call him. She hadn’t. Because it was late, because … she was white icing and stuck to a

chocolate wafer named Perry.

Setting her phone on the nightstand, she saw Ernie, her magic eight ball.

Picking him up, she ran her thumb over the little window where words of wisdom appeared—if he decided to be wise.

Closing her eyes, she asked the question. “What do I need to do?”

She gave the black ball a shake. One word started floating to the tiny window’s surface.

Listen.

Her breath hung in her throat. Nine times out of ten, Ernie’s answers were the same: You’ll have to wait and see or You know the answer to

that.

“Listen to what?” She turned the ball over then anxiously waited for his reply to float to the surface. “And don’t say my heart because

that fickle organ has gone on strike!”

When no word appeared, she gave it another shake. Finally a message appeared.

Look under your …

“Under what?” She pulled her knees a little closer. Her legs were covered in tattoos again. She jiggled Ernie again.

“Under what?”

Bed.

“This isn’t funny.” Her words echoed in the darkness followed by a rustle … coming from … under her bed.

A hiccup of fear slipped out of her mouth as chills danced across her tattooed skin. She considered screaming. Kylie and Della would come

running. Before the cry for help escaped, a realization hit. One that was way overdue.

She needed to learn to take care of herself.

Inhaling air all the way down to her belly button, she hoped it contained courage. She slipped out of bed, and stretched out on the cold wood