Page 18 of Unhinged Kallie

“Carter, look. I put sprinkles,” Kallie said. “Carter, I said look.”

Kallie was as impatient as her uncle. That was worrisome. I saw a little too much of Abel in my Angel, and Abel saw too much of me in his son Troy. Interesting, almost like we were being punished by dealing with one another all over again. Not that I believed that.

“One second, I’m just finishing wrapping the gift,” Carter said.

I glanced up from chopping vegetables and watched the two kids from the corner of my eye. Carter smiled as he put the last piece of tape on the terribly wrapped gift. Just looking at it hurt, but I was learning that things were always a little bit different with kids. Who would’ve guessed that such small humans could create such chaos?

Carter jumped up from the table and looked at the cake. “It’s very red,” he said.

It did look like blood was dripped all over it with the red frosting and matching sprinkles.

“You hate it,” Kallie said, her bottom lip pushing out. She was good at playing him, and sure enough, his face morphed in horror.

“No, no, it’s not that. I just thought you’d want pink or blue or maybe some purple?”

“Why? Red is pretty.”

“I think it looks sensational, Angel,” I said, saving Carter from dancing around another answer.

Kallie turned on the chair she was standing on to look at me. Red sprinkles coated her face. “Sen-sass-e-al?”

“Sen-sa-tion-al,” I corrected, and her lips pinched together as she glared at me.

“Sen-swashional.”

Carter smacked his forehead. “Without your front tooth, you’ll never say that right.”

“Yes, I will,” Kallie argued.

“No, you won’t.”

Their interaction was curious to me. I wondered if Carter saw Kallie for who she really was and be accepting or if his emotional side would only allow him to see her as the sweet little girl until he decided she was a monster. I hoped it was the first, if it was the second then he would need to be eliminated no matter what Kirby asked. Kallie was sweet, but she was my daughter, and I saw what lurked beneath the surface, even if she didn’t recognize it yet.

Kirby didn’t believe me. She was choosing to be blind to what was right in front of her, but deep down, I knew, she knew. When Kirby caught Kallie catching insects—creating a bug board at four—and pushing the pins into them while they were still alive, she knew. But, I suspected, like Carter, she was ignoring it until she couldn’t ignore it anymore. Kirby didn’t know what had really happened to Talon’s friend Becca. I made sure of that. She simply wasn’t ready to hear it, but she would need to learn soon.

We heard a car pulling up outside, and Kallie squealed. “No. Mommy will see the cake.”

“Carter put the cake in the refrigerator,” I said, wiping off my hands and looking at the time. Kirby was early by an hour.

Walking to the door, I opened it just as two men in navy blue suits stepped onto the top of the deck. They were FBI. I recognized the one on the left as Agent Malone. Their faces didn’t openly give anything away, but I knew something was wrong.

“Mr. Buchanan, I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Agent Malone. Can you step outside so we can speak?”

I immediately ran through all the places in the house I had weapons and how fast I could get to them. Abel was home, but two agents going missing when they’d most likely reported coming here to arrest me wasn’t a great idea.

Dammit. I shouldn’t have had the gate open. That would’ve given me time to get the kids in the truck and sneak off the property.

I tossed the dish towel over my shoulder casually. “Of course. Is everything okay, Agent Malone?”

Stepping outside, I held the door open for Carter and Kallie to follow.

“It might be best to speak without the children,” he said.

No way. If they were taking me in, I needed to make sure I looked as innocent, loving, and fatherly as I could. Without Kirby here, Kallie and Carter were all I had. My mind spun as I wondered if Kirby was already locked in a cell at headquarters. Were they going to divide us and see who broke? I knew my Sunshine, and she wouldn’t turn on me even faced with being arrested. That was the power of our connection. The reality of that shook me.

I looked down at Kallie, her face, which looked so much like my own, was peering up at me, and I knew I couldn’t let Abel raise her. If it came to it, I would do what I had to do and make sure Kirby came home.

“No, whatever you have to say, you can say in front of them.” Kallie slipped her hand into mine.