Page 35

Then my phone rang, and I cursed. She smiled, hopped off the couch, and busied herself in the kitchen.

I took the call from the PI, who had news about my former employee, James Chin. A recording from the Boston Casino showed someone who looked like him.

I had to go check it out before he escaped again.

Vivian returned from the kitchen with some strawberries and pineapple. “You want to take some to go?”

“I would love that, thank you.”

Before I left, I reached for her hand. “I meant what I said. I want more.”

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

VIVIAN

It had beena few hours since Arrow kissed me, and I could still taste him. I didn’t know what had gotten into me earlier when I’d seduced him on my couch. I wanted to know what it felt like to kiss him.

He was a fabulous kisser. But I didn’t know if we could start anything. Though he said I could trust him, I still needed to know for myself. That would take time.

I swung my attention back to reality instead of the fantasy that could get me into trouble. I called my dad to update him on my progress. News about the little girl’s body would probably reach him soon, so I wanted to soften the shock.

“They’re running the girl’s DNA now,” I said. “Hopefully, they’ll locate her parents soon.”

“That’s good,” Dad said. “By the way, a tip came in the other day about a girl matching Aimee’s description in Florida. Turns out, it was some drunk man wanting the reward money.” He sighed. “I’m scared, Viv.”

“We have to cling to hope,Ba. She’s an asset to them. They won’t hurt her.”

An awkward moment of silence swayed in the air. We both knew that Mom had been an asset until one of the members went rogue and hurt her and me. Hope pushed us forward to another day. So, no one mentioned that painful past.

“Oh, there’s a new Vietnamese restaurant in town,” my dad said. “They have the bestph?.I’ll take you and Kaylee there next time you visit. How’s she doing?”

I updated him on Kaylee, and I could imagine him smiling on the other end.

“She’s lucky to have you. Her life could have been different.”

“You meanus. She adores you,” I reminded him.

“Aimee reminds me of Kaylee.They’re both brilliant kids. Did the final adoption papers go through yet?”

“Yes. I want to throw her a party to give her the news. She’ll be thrilled.”

I’d been Kaylee’s guardian for two years now. She didn’t know that I had officially adopted her. The process had taken a while, but everything finally went through. She’d be happy to know she could be with me and my dad forever. She had a family now.

Though Kaylee never brought up the adoption topic, I knew she yearned for a permanent family. Every time she spoke about her classmates and their families, I could see the hesitation and sadness in her eyes.

As far as she knew, I was her temporary guardian until the court decided otherwise. According to her, this family wasn’t truly hers yet.

I tried my best to give her what she needed, including love. Despite that, she was a smart girl. She understood what the counselors had told us at the initial meeting. They had to see how I performed as a guardian since I had a busy life and had never had a child, sibling, or even a pet to take care of.

Joy burst in me as I imagined celebrating with her. She’d be my forever sister. I was only thirty and loved the idea of having an interesting and vibrant thirteen-year-old girl around me all the time.

The work day had taken a toll on me, and I yawned. “I’ll keep you posted,Ba.Say hello to Rose for me. I’m heading to bed.”

Instead, I sat on the couch, replaying the day. I went from walking to clear my head to meeting Calvin, holding hands with Arrow, seeing a dead body, and having Arrow kiss me. He’d turned me on, and my body was having trouble forgetting what had occurred.

Despite all of that, the thing I clung to right now was Arrow holding my hand. It gave me more comfort than I realized. It was special and different from the kiss.

I looked at my palm. Warmth bloomed there every time I envisioned us holding hands. At that moment, I knew I had to let go of the illusion of Bullseye. He was an imaginary vision from an app. I hadn’t seen his face.