Shadowed (22 page)

Nick's stomach rumbled just as Hilda arrived with their orders. “Perfect timing.”

“Honey, I could hear your stomach from all the way over there.” She cackled, pointing
at the kitchen. “I told you that you should have ordered more.”

“I'll already have to pay for this in the gym tomorrow.”

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in dismissal. “You're just fine. You two enjoy.”

Pap bowed his head to thank God for the meal and for their time together, and then
Nick dove into his plate, inhaling the food as Pap picked at his. Something didn't
add up. Nick tossed a fry back on his plate.

“All right, Pap. Spill it. Why did you call?”

The vinyl booth squeaked as Pap shifted, then sighed. “Well, I told you I was looking
into your parents with some of my contacts. Benefit of retirement and all that, lots
of free time on my hands.”

“Pap . . . ”

“Right, sorry.” He met Nick's eyes, and Nick recognized regret
and compassion there.
“It looks like you have a sister, based on other records I found from the US Mission
in Berlin.”

Nick sat back in the booth, his surroundings fading. He had a what? He couldn't think
straight. “I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong.”

“Judging from your reaction, you heard me right. You have a sister. She tried to
join the Air Force out there in California, but because of asthma, she was rejected.
My contact said she still works on that base in an administrative capacity.”

Nick couldn't think straight. All he'd wanted growing up was a sibling. He'd loved
his parents, but since they'd adopted him in middle age, they didn't have much energy
to keep up with a rambunctious boy. Now he learned he had a sister who had grown
up in a different family, and because of his biological mother's choices, they'd
never met.

He didn't know whether to be angry, thrilled, or terrified. He didn't know what to
do, what to think. Would she want to meet him? Did she even know about him or their
parents?

“Pap, I don't . . . ”

Pap reached across the table and patted his arm. “I know this comes as a shock. And
I'm sure there's some pain involved. Process through it. Do you want to know more
about her?”

Nick could only nod.

Pap pulled a file folder from his folded jacket. “The name on her birth certificate
is Natalia, but her parents called her Natalie Grace McMurray. Her dad is pretty
high up in the Air Force. She grew up moving all over the place. She's your age.
It looks like you may have a twin.”

Nick groaned. “What do I do? Are you sure? This couldn't be a mistake?”

Pap shook his head. “They found records linking the two of you. It looks like your
mom dropped you both off at U.S. Mission Berlin, which served as a type of embassy
during the time of the
Berlin Wall. She was also adopted as a baby. She has a younger
sister by her adoptive parents.”

Nick only nodded, his food suddenly cold and unappealing.

“How could she do this?”

“Your mother?”

“Yeah. How can you just abandon your kids without even making sure they are okay?”

Pap reached over to grip Nick's arm, the pressure causing Nick to meet the old man's
eyes so like Kaylan's. It put him at ease, settling his soul and making him feel
at home. “Son, you will never, ever hear me defend your birth mother. However, I
truly think that by giving you both up, she gave the two of you your best chance
at life. You were both adopted and raised in homes with parents who were present.
Don't doubt what God can do with our poor decisions. He works all things for the
good of those who love Him. All things, son.”

Tears threatened to overflow. Anger overrode the heart-wrenching pain of missing
out on a sister his whole life. “But why? I missed so much with her.”

“If you hadn't been with your parents, you may never have fallen in love with baseball,
never gone to USC on a baseball scholarship, never met Micah, never given your life
to Christ, never gone into the Navy, never met our family. That's a lot of nevers,
son. This is the Lord's perfect timing for this information. I don't know why or
what you should do now. But pray about it, Nick. Talk to Kaylan. Talk to Micah. And
then move forward in faith.”

Nick took the file and opened it to read the name at the top. Natalie Grace. He wanted,
no, needed to find his sister. Life was too short not to make up for lost time. And
now he knew exactly where to start.

Chapter 26

T
HE MINUTES COULDN'T
tick by fast enough on the clock in Logan and Kim's living room.
She'd helped the kids with homework, fixed dinner, and put them to bed. Candles
burned on the mantel, a movie played on the television, and Kaylan dozed in and out
of consciousness, waiting for the knock that meant Nick was finally home after four
weeks away.

As the clock slipped past ten, screaming tore Kaylan from the couch.

“Molly!” Kaylan bolted down the hallway to Molly's bedroom and tore open the door.
Molly sat board straight on her bed, her eyes fixed on her window. Tears streamed
down her pale cheeks. Her blonde hair hung in tangles around her face.

She whimpered on the bed, and Kaylan couldn't bear it. She climbed in next to Molly
and pulled her into her arms. “Ladybug, what's wrong?” She stroked her hair and looked
in Molly's frightened eyes. “Talk to me, munchkin. What happened?”

“There was a shadow over there. And it came toward me and wouldn't stop. And I screamed,
and it went away. Don't let it come back, Kaylan. Don't let it get me.”

Kaylan looked to where Molly pointed. Her fairy night-light glowed in the dark room
on the wall across from her bed just
under the window. Shadows from her dolls and
teddy bears on the floor flickered larger than life on the wall.

“Molly, it was just a bad dream. Just a bad dream.”

Molly sobbed in Kaylan's arms, curling into a ball tight against her on the twin
bed. Kaylan held her close, knowing that she would never let anything or anyone hurt
her and wishing she could stop the dreams.

“They won't go away, Kaylan. Why won't the shadows go away?” Molly peeked over Kaylan
to gaze at the wall again.

“It's just your toys.” Kaylan loosened Molly's arms and crawled from the bed. She
picked up the teddy bear on the floor and made him dance in midair so Molly could
see his shadow move. Then she sat him down and stretched out on the floor, making
finger puppets in the glow of the nightlight.

Slowly Molly sat up. “Rabbit.” She giggled. “Worm.” She cocked her head. “What is
that one, Kaylan?”

“It's a giraffe, silly. Can't you tell?”

“Mmm, I think you need to work on that one a little more.” Kaylan threw her hands
in the air as Molly came to join her on the floor, her nightgown wrapping around
her legs as she walked. She tugged her teddy bear in her lap and gazed at the shadows
still looming on the wall. “How come they look smaller now?”

“Well, when we look at things clearly, they aren't as scary anymore.”

“But where do shadows come from?” She huddled in a ball with her bear. “I don't like
them very much.”

Kaylan leaned close to her face. “I don't either,” she whispered. She made claws
with her hands, sending Molly into a giggling mess before she attacked her rib cage,
tickling her until Molly rolled on the floor laughing.

After a few minutes they both lay on the floor looking up at the ceiling. Logan had
stuck stars all over the ceiling that glowed
a pale green. Molly rolled over and
looked at Kaylan, smothering a yawn as her eyes drooped. “You didn't answer my question.”

“Shadows come from a mixture of light and darkness, Molly.”

“How do I make them go away?”

Kaylan stood up and crossed the room. She flipped on the light switch, causing Molly
to squint in the sudden brightness. “Look at the wall now.”

“They're gone! How did you do that?”

“By turning on the light. Shadows can't exist where the light is bright.”

“Then never turn it off. Can I sleep with it on tonight?”

“Sure thing, sweet girl.” Kaylan picked Molly up from the floor right as a breeze
filtered through the window, causing the curtain to flutter. She stilled. She'd closed
that window. She was sure of it.

Fear rippled through her as she tucked Molly in bed. As she turned to close the window,
Molly clenched her arm, her nails digging into her skin. “Don't leave me. It will
come back.”

Kaylan sat down next to her on the bed, tugging the covers around her. “Molly, we
turned the light on. The shadows can't come back, remember?”

“But the shadow wasn't like my bear. It moved.”

“Well, sometimes curtains or something moves in my room and it scares me, but it
can't hurt me.”

She shook her head on the pillow, her eyes closing. “But it coughed,” she mumbled
as she drifted off, her fingers loosening from Kaylan's arm.

Kaylan froze. Her gaze raked the window, before she looked at Molly. The poor thing
was completely exhausted. After laying Molly's limp hand on the covers, she tiptoed
to the window, taking deep breaths to still her nerves.

“Nothing is going to jump out at you. It's all in your head,” she whispered. Her
hands shook as she lifted the curtain. A small,
dusty shoe print visible on the ledge
waged war with her calm. “No, no, no. Not possible.”

She pulled the window down and latched it, knowing she had done this earlier. She
gazed out into the dark night. If someone had been out there, they were long gone
now. Something moved in the bush. Kaylan held her breath. With a screech, a tabby
cat darted from underneath, a black and white one following in its wake. She exhaled,
her hand going to her heart.

A knock sounded, and Kaylan jumped. Now who was jumping at shadows and noises?

She rushed from the room, pulling Molly's door shut in her wake. Running to the door,
she opened it and flew into Nick's arms.

“You're here. You're home.”

“When I'm with you, I'm always home, gorgeous.” He picked her up, twirling her around
on the porch. “Gosh, I missed you.”

She held on tighter, wanting to flee back into the house but unsure whether it was
safer outside or inside. She was sure of it now. Someone had been in Molly's room.
Terror tore through her at the possibilities.

“Kaylan, your heart's racing.” Nick grabbed her arms from around his neck and held
her from him to look in her eyes. His smile immediately left. “What's wrong? What
happened?” He looked past her into the house and then pulled her inside.

“Nick, I'm so sorry. This isn't how I wanted to welcome you home. I had this whole
romantic night planned. And then Logan and Kim asked me to babysit so they could
go out, but I still wanted to see you. So I planned something here, but then . .
. ” She rambled, fear taking hold. She didn't want to burden him. But if it was who
she thought . . .

He cupped her face, calming her as their eyes met. “Kaylan, I don't care how I get
to see you. I just wanted to be with you. Now, slow down and tell me what's wrong.”

“Someone was in Molly's room.”

“When?”

“About thirty minutes ago probably.”

He let go and moved toward Molly's room, but Kaylan grabbed his arm, tugging him
to a halt. “Be quiet. She's asleep again. I didn't figure it out until she was drifting
off. And then you knocked.”

“How'd they come in?”

“The window. But I know I closed it before I put her to bed. I remember doing it.
She woke up screaming. Said she saw a shadow. I thought she was just seeing the shadows
cast by her stuffed animals, but then she said the shadow coughed. There's a dusty
partial footprint on the window ledge. Nick, what if . . . ”

She couldn't finish, didn't want to think it, because if it were true, she'd placed
these kids in danger.

“What if it's the same person who sent the notes and packages?” he finished for her.

She nodded.

He pulled her tight and whispered instructions in her hair. “I want you to call the
number on that card we gave you for the FBI. I'm sure they are close by. Tell them
what happened and that the person is gone and ask them to come quietly. I'll call
Logan.”

Where could she go that was safe? Where could she run to protect the ones she loved?
She clung to him for a moment, feeding off his strength and his calm.

“Kayles, can you do that for me?”

“Absolutely. What are you going to do?”

His jaw tightened, and she knew there was something he couldn't or wouldn't tell
her. “I'm going to see if our guest left a calling card before they show up.”

She nodded and ran to grab her phone, resisting the urge to check on Molly again
as Nick slipped from the house, silent as a panther.

Chapter 27

N
ICK FLIPPED OFF
the porch light and gazed into the darkness around the house. Logan
and Kim lived in a home much like his and Micah's; the neighborhood remained still
and quiet with the occasional barking dog or car traveling down the street. Nothing
seemed out of the ordinary. And yet it seemed that Janus may have invaded his world
yet again.

She'd crossed a line entering Logan's home, terrorizing Molly. Rolling his eyes,
he sighed. As if she hadn't already crossed a dozen lines. He stepped off the porch
and tucked himself close to the stucco wall, creeping around the corner to where
he knew he would find Molly's window. One thing concerned him. Janus hadn't demonstrated
carelessness, and a shoeprint was just that. If it was her, had she done that on
purpose? Or did she escape right before Kaylan came in the room and hadn't had time
to erase the evidence? That thought chilled him. If Janus had been that close to
Kaylan with an open window, she'd chosen not to act yet. Which meant she had a plan
later if Nick and the SEALs didn't stop chasing her. They couldn't and wouldn't,
but neither could they live with the repercussions to their families.