Paradise Found: Cain (Paradise #2)(56)

When I confessed that Atom Callahan had killed my parents, a strange sympathy came from Lindee. She wanted me to accept that the sins of the father did not reflect on the son. Lucie felt it explained the depths of Atom’s ruthlessness. Elma thought I should reopen the case for investigation. Honestly, I didn’t have the energy. If I sent Cain’s father to prison, what would it prove? My parents were dead. Atom had been free for years at this point.

That night, I also spoke to Jacob, who was giving me a lecture about slowing down, while I paced my small living space, staring out into the cloudy night. The storms had been intense lately, and the sky was an electrical display at the moment. Rain was coming, based on the direction of the trees, which were almost horizontal in the wind.

Returning to my apartment had been difficult at first. Nothing remained but the sublease. Then one day, a new double bed, a small couch and a television arrived. Kursch showed up on campus one afternoon offering me money for necessities, like bedding and clothes. I refused the offer. I’d already replaced my computer and school supplies. I ate out of take-out containers most nights, if I ate at all, so I didn’t bother replacing kitchen essentials.

Jacob wanted me to come visit him and my cousin, Ella, in Michigan. It had actually been years since I’d seen either of them. He was cousins with my father, and they had fond memories of being on my grandparent’s property with their own parents as children. He was always apologetic that my parents had died, and he was too young to have done anything about the trouble my father was in.

After learning the true cause of their deaths, I asked Jacob about it. There had to be more to the story. There was always something missing in the explanation of their killings. A senseless act was explainable, but what they were doing in an alley behind a lower-end casino was unanswered. Jacob finally admitted my father had a gambling problem. It was one reason we lived so close to my grandparents. His wins were random and we occasionally needed my grandparents’ support. Without Atom Callahan’s confession, I don’t think I’d ever understand the depths of their debts or the connection with my mother’s involvement. She stepped in front of my father, but why? To beg for forgiveness? To offer herself? Admittedly, there were some details I’d never have answered and didn’t care to know.

“Sofie?” Jacob questioned through the phone, and I realized I wasn’t actually listening to him. Something outside on the lawn caught my attention. I stepped closer to the window to inspect the image outlined in the tumultuous lightning display. My forehead came to rest on the cool pane, while the sky cracked and the heavens opened. The rain came down like a waterfall, cascading in thick streams from the heavy clouds. The lightning struck again and an image was illuminated. A man was standing in the middle of the yard below. His outline was large. Without fully seeing him, he had to be drenched by the deluge, but he made no motion to move out of the pouring rain. In fact, he remained perfectly still. The sky burst into light briefly and I noticed he was facing the direction of my side of the building. In fact, I felt like he was staring at me.

“Okay, I think I’ll let you go, as you’re obviously preoccupied,” Jacob teased through the line.

“I’m sorry. I am … distracted,” I replied, squinting to get a better look at the person outside. I stepped to the side of the window, worried the person was watching me. Growing nervous, recalling how my apartment had looked after the break-in, I began to shiver. The room was warm enough, but my body tremored, as if I stood in that cold rain.

“Okay, love you, little girl,” Jacob said through the line.

“Love you, too, Jacob. Kiss the baby for me,” I said. Jacob and his wife had a little boy, and another on the way.

The yard illuminated again and the person still remained. My heart hammered in my chest. I needed to make a decision. I squinted as lightning struck again, highlighting the figure. I sucked in a breath as I realized who stood below. It only took a heartbeat before I raced for my door. What was he doing here? My body shook with annoyance, and something more, hope. I pushed through the front door and stalked out into the pelting rain. The droplets were like ice crystals, cold and sharp as they hit my face and bare arms. I shook instantly, uncontrollably, but it was more than the rain that chilled me.

“What are you doing?” I yelled over the thundering pulse of the drops.

“It’s dangerous out here. Get back inside!” he shouted back at me. A large hand came forward to comb soaked hair out of my face. It made no difference. In seconds, I was just as wet as he was.

“Not until you tell me what you’re doing,” I snapped, my voice straining again over the loudness of the rain. He continued to stare at me.

“Get out of the rain!” he yelled. “You’re going to drown out here.”

It was a bit absurd and overly dramatic. It was only rain, but there was a lot of it. My feet were soaked just from standing still in the thin grass; my shoes filled with water. I laughed, but it was only in bitterness. I wasn’t going to take orders from him. I wanted an answer.

“Not without you,” I hollered again, reaching out to grab his jacket. Wet leather filled my fingers as I tugged at the opening. He hardly budged. Why would he? He was so much larger than me. I tugged again in anger.

“Dammit!” I screamed, uncertain if I was mad he wouldn’t move, annoyed he was watching me, or overall pissed off because his being here showed he still cared. On some strange level, Cain still cared about me. Yanking on his jacket so aggressively, I was the one to rock back and forth. Finally, he moved forward. It was the slightest hesitation and I stopped. I gentled my tug and he followed my lead. We took two steps like this, a dance of sorts, with me guiding him to follow. The sky cracked again and I screamed. Whatever trance he was in broke, and he spun me, forcing me to run toward the door with him directly behind me.