Page 82 of Justice II

Me: Where does Aria go during the day while you’re at school?

Keenan: pilates. tues and thurs. the place on wisconsin by the starbucks. she goes at 10

Tomorrow was Thursday.

Perfect.

26

Justice

As soon as I got home, Dream rushed to me. I had to quickly shift from thinking about Melody to focusing on the people in this house.

“Careful with that arm,” I instructed.

“I was being careful.”

“Uh huh,” I responded skeptically as I laughed. I gave her a quick hug and then turned to Mehar.

Mehar stepped out of the kitchen.

“She ate already,” she told me. “Storie’s upstairs.”

“Thank you. For real.”

“You’re welcome. Did you get a chance to look at those nannies?”

“The agency sent some more over. I’m going through them tonight.”

“Good. I need to get home before my baby starts treating me like I’m a visitor,” she laughed.

“You know we appreciate you.”

“I know. Tell Quest that when I ask him for something expensive.”

I laughed and walked her to the door with Dream still holding on to me. Once Mehar left, I walked with my daughter upstairs.

My phone had barely stopped going off since I left Melody at the hotel. Somewhere between the work messages, I had gotten word that one of Storie’s teachers had been suspended over porn. Pictures were circulating, and apparently half the damn school had seen them.

It was Denise Lisbon, a woman who’d come into the casino many times.

We always flirted but it never went anywhere. I knew that Storie was in her class and I wasn’t about to be messy. I kept her at arm’s length but she was pretty.

Whatever happened with those pictures, I hoped the school got it handled. I already had enough to deal with under my own roof.

“Can I watch a movie in the theater?” she asked.

“Yeah. You need anything first?”

“Nope,” she replied and bounced down the hall and the stairs.

I needed to look into Storie’s eyes when I asked her about the horse again. I already believed Melody but I needed to see if my daughter would tell me the truth.

Without knocking, I walked into her room and found her on her bed. She was lying on her belly writing in a notebook. She was still on punishment and without a phone or tablet so she filled her time with reading and writing.

“Hey, Daddy,” she greeted without looking up.

I stayed near the desk adjacent to the bed.