Sweet Liar (Candy #2)(70)

She was about to walk into the kitchen, but stopped and faced me fully. “All night?”

I nodded and watched worry weigh on her the same way it was me.

“I’ll make some coffee,” she said.

An hour later, we were both dressed, and I was on my third cup of coffee.

Just when we decided we couldn’t wait any longer, we had to risk calling his phone, we heard the sound of gravel crunching outside. My gaze flew to the window and my heart stopped when I saw Jonah’s familiar Jeep.

“Thank goodness,” Lorraine said.

Jonah came up the walkway with a small duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. When he came in the door, Lorraine and I just stared at him.

“Morning,” he said, looking unsure.

“Where have you been?” I realized how sharp my tone was when his eyebrows shot up.

After dropping the bag onto a chair, he took off his coat. “I went back to get some things. Well, one thing really.”

“Back?” I stood up, angry at him for sneaking away and for taking such a big risk.

He pulled open the zipper and reached into the bag to withdraw something as familiar to me as my own name. It was my mother’s recipe book.

My mouth fell open as I looked from the book to his face. “You went back for that?”

“Merry Christmas.” He smiled and handed it to me. “Got some of your own clothes for you too.”

I held the book to my chest, overjoyed to see it again. “I can’t believe you did this.”

He smiled, shrugging like it was no big deal, and I took him completely by surprise when I launched myself at him, repeating “thank you” over and over again, not caring that Lorraine was watching us.

“You’re welcome,” he said, giving me a squeeze and chuckling softly in my ear.

“Was anyone at the house?” I unwound my arms and took a step back, blushing slightly under the scrutiny I felt coming from Lorraine.

“No. It’s being watched, though. I sneaked in through a back window. It’s, um . . .” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s pretty trashed, Candy. The recipe book was buried under a bunch of broken plates and glasses on the kitchen floor.”

I squinted in confusion as my distress at this news lodged thickly in my throat. “Did they think we hid something in our dishes?”

“Looked more like someone was making a point.”

“Your father?”

Jonah nodded. “He’s fine. Just a bump on the head.”

He related this pivotal news in an even tone with his gaze intent on mine, and I glanced away as my stomach churned.

Victor was fine, and I wasn’t surprised. Neither was Jonah. We both knew it would take more than a blow to the head to stop him, and I was glad for Jonah’s sake. He didn’t need anything more weighing on his conscience, but I couldn’t stand the thought of Victor tearing through our house, smashing my memories to bits.

“Did you see him?” I asked.

“No. I paid Heather a visit. She updated me. She’s driving up this morning to visit Theo, and I told her she should tag along when he comes by here.”

“Does she know that here is with your mother?”

He nodded. “We can trust her. We could use her help, actually. Her parents are important in the organization. From what I know and hear, they’re good people. They would never allow what my father did to you. We may not have a lot of rules, but we don’t hurt innocents.”

“Victor never cared about rules,” Lorraine said.

“He told the organization that one of Sebastian’s old contacts is talking, someone he passed information to. That gives him all he needs to justify what he’s doing, but Heather knows the truth now. She agreed to explain the situation to her parents. Maybe they can help us.”

Lorraine smiled at me before looking at her son. “I’ll make you some breakfast. Then I hope you’ll get some sleep. You look exhausted.”

Once she was gone, Jonah reached into his pocket and pulled out my phone and battery. “I turned it on while I was down there to throw them off if they’re looking for your signal.”

Surprised, I watched him place the items on the coffee table, unaware he’d taken them. “You shouldn’t have disappeared like that.”

He tilted his head. “Were you worried?”

I nodded.

He smiled hesitantly. “You’ve lost so much. I couldn’t let you lose that recipe book too.”

His thoughtfulness touched me more than I could have imagined. “I couldn’t lose you either.”

Taking a step in my direction, Jonah looked hard at me. “I’m not going anywhere, Candy. I promise.”

***





Lorraine and I cooked most of the day while Jonah slept. He’d been up for almost forty-eight hours when he got back this morning. As Lorraine got organized in the kitchen, she insisted I find something in my mother’s recipe book that I could make to contribute to the meal. When I saw all the potatoes and cheese she had, I knew I could pull off my mother’s potatoes au gratin.

“Everything will be okay, Candy,” she said more than once when my attention drifted and I stared off into space. I didn’t see how it could be okay, but appreciated her wanting to make me feel better.