Page 19 of Unhinged Kallie

The two agents looked at one another, the dark sunglasses hid their eyes, but their jaws were tight. “Are you sure, Mr. Buchanan?”

This was it. At the age of thirty-four, my time was up. Sadly, I didn’t want to leave the life I’d created. My goal for most of my life was to end up arrested and sell my story. I had craved to one day be famous and have others like me strive to be better, but they would always fall short. I squeezed Kallie’s hand a little tighter.

I sucked in a steadying breath, “Yes, I’m sure.”

“We regret to inform you that Agent Buchanan was killed in the line of duty today,” Malone said, his voice soft and even.

I blinked, my mind screeching to a halt. Was this some sort of sick joke they were playing?

“I’m sorry?”

He removed his sunglasses, and I wished he hadn’t. His eyes were sad and held the weight of his words. My heart began to beat faster.

Malone cleared his throat, his hands folded neatly in front of him. “We were in the middle of an operation, and although I cannot tell you exact details, I can say that Mrs. Buchanan fought valiantly and saved many lives, but the wounds she suffered were too great. If you are up to it, we want to take you to identify her body.”

My thoughts wouldn’t form. I couldn’t seem to make sense of what Malone was saying. I understood death better than almost anyone else, but Kirby was too young. We were too young with too many plans.

“Hey there, Sexy,” Kirby said as she wandered into the kitchen, her signature scent following her.

“Hello, Sunshine. Did you sleep well?” As was her habit, she raised up on her toes and kissed the side of my cheek until I turned my head and let her kiss me. It was a little game we liked to play. Her lips were warm and tasted as sweet as she smelled.

“You should stay home from work today.” I nipped at her bottom lip, then flipped the bacon I was cooking over.

“I’d love to. Spending time with you and the kids is my favorite thing in the whole world. I feel like Kallie is growing up so fast. I hate missing so much.”

Turning down the pan, I grabbed Kirby and pulled her into my body, leaning against the counter. “Then quit.”

“What?”

“We have more than enough money put away, and I’m still working on cars. I can pick up towing more regularly if we need, but you don’t have to be part of the FBI.”

She tilted her head and stared at me like a bird inspecting something interesting. “You’re the one that wanted me there.”

I smoothed back the waves of hair that she would pull up into a tight bun before she went in to work.

“Yes, but many things have changed since then. You’ve also brought home over a hundred cases I can work on. Quit. Walk in today, hand in your badge, and come back home.”

“This is very sentimental for you.” She narrowed her eyes. “What is this about? Do you not want to be the main parent home with the kids anymore?”

The corner of my mouth twitched with amusement. “No. I oddly enjoy it. I still wish I wasn’t competing with teachers who persist in teaching so poorly, but my lessons have them excelling. You really would think teachers would be better at their craft.”

Kirby laughed, and my chest warmed. She had an infectious smile that I’d never grow tired of seeing. “I know you want to homeschool them fulltime, but they need to socialize, or they won’t learn how. School provides that opportunity with lots of other kids their own age.”

“So you keep saying.”

“Okay, we will pin that argument for now. If that’s not it, then what’s going on?”

“It’s your birthday, and I want you to stay home. The kids are baking your cake, and Kallie insists on making a rainbow cake. Of course, she would choose a challenging cake to attempt. I’ve been studying all the proper techniques to make the cake perfect for you, and I will let her decorate.” That meant there would be a massive mess to clean up.

“She is your daughter.”

“Yes, we need to talk about that. Kallie is like Abel and needs guidance so she doesn’t end up like him. The thought horrifies me.”

“I know what you mean by guidance, don’t try to pull that with me and we’ve talked about this. We are not teaching our six-year-old how to manipulate, lie, or kill. If she chooses to be like you then I’ll concede, but she’s impressionable right now and…” Kirby sighed. “I don’t want to argue with you about this. We don’t even know for sure if she will have the same urges.”

“We can wait until she shows more signs, but I see her the same way I was able to see you. She is like both of us. She can feel the world like you, but a calculating killer lurks inside her. If she is not guided then she could end up on one of your FBI lists, Abel would have if it wasn’t for me. I don’t want that to happen to our daughter anymore than you do.”

Kirby shivered, and I cupped her face.