Page 45 of The Fear (The Hillers of Barratt County #7)

It was official. Luis Sandoval was the biggest lunatic in the history of elementary school principals everywhere. Hala was convinced of that clear to her toes. But the Spring Carnival—and parent/teacher night—at the Value Elementary School would probably be a resounding success.

Once Hala got six million four hundred and twenty thousand nine hundred trillion custom stickers from her living room to the school multipurpose room. She was starting to get exhausted here.

It was definitely turning into a Herculean task here.

What she needed was a really strong man—who had a really big truck. One where all the boxes of sticker prize packs would fit on one trip.

Fortunately, she had her very own really strong rancher with a large truck on his way to get her.

Hala was hoping it was a forever kind of getting.

The idea of it just felt right. No matter what.

She was excited for what tomorrow would bring.

Two days. Him, her. Alone.

Carnival tonight. Then they were taking off tomorrow afternoon, after they told their families. They’d only be about a fifteen-minute walk from the main house, if something happened and they were needed—she could back out any time.

Like that would ever happen.

He was hers. She was keeping him.

He’d told her…anything physical was fully up to her. That he would never push her into anything she didn’t want. She believed him completely.

Hala had never gone away with a man—even just to a cabin getaway, still on his land—in her entire life.

She had a bag already packed. She’d spend tonight at the ranch with Greer, and tomorrow—they were going to spend the night together at the little cottage his father had built for his mother more than forty years ago.

Hala had stayed there before. With his sister, when they’d been young and being brave and independent at the ripe old age of fourteen.

She was comfortable and familiar with that little retreat.

She couldn’t think of a more romantic spot on the Hiller Ranch at all.

It was going to be the perfect place for what happened next between them. Even if they stopped before the bedroom, it would be…perfect. Because it just felt right.

Hala was humming when a sound at her sliding door had her jerking around.

To stare. Just for half a moment.

At the two crying children on her back patio.

Hala dropped her keys and the box she’d been holding. She opened the door and dropped to her knees. “Wynnie, sweetheart, what happened? What’s wrong?”

Wynnie just threw her arms around Hala’s neck. Hala scooped her and the little boy with curly hair just like Ryan’s into her arms, looking toward Jessica’s apartment.

Jessica wasn’t supposed to have Wynnie and her brother. Luis had had to testify at a court hearing the day before. He’d told her…Wynnie’s father had custody now.

“Mommy hurt Nana. Mommy hurt her and taked us away.”

Hala pulled back. “Wynnie, where is Nana? Where is Mommy?”

“At Nana’s house. Nana is at her house. Daddy is s’posed to come get us for the carnival. But Mommy came. And Mommy hurt Nana and Nana won’t wake up. Nana was bleeding .”

Hala’s heart started pounding so hard she was sure the neighbors heard. “How did you get here?”

That was when she saw what she’d missed—Wynnie was wearing her favorite Wonkus McBubbles T-shirt. She wore it at least once if not twice a week. The red one.

And it was wet. With blood. “Wynnie, are you hurt? Is this your blood?”

Wynnie shook her head.

“Sweetheart, how did you get to Mommy’s?”

Because Jessica didn’t have custody now. Luis had made that very clear. And Wynnie wasn’t the kind of kid to make up these kinds of stories. She just wasn’t. And that blood had come from somewhere.

“Mommy and her boyfriend made us. Mommy says we are never going to see Daddy again. She said. I want my daddy.”

“Okay. We are going to call Daddy’s friends at work. They’ll help Nana and Mommy and find Daddy. I promise. But first, we’re going to lo?—”

Hala looked toward her back door. That stood six inches ajar.

And the woman standing there.

Hala’s phone was on the charger in her room.

She had no way of getting help until Grady got there. But…Grady was coming. She knew he was. Grady was on his way.

“Jessica.”

“They are mine, you bitch. No one is taking them from me ever again.”

Jessica…Jessica was covered in blood.

And there was madness in her eyes.

And a butcher knife in her hand.

Hala shifted, until she could put herself between Jessica and the sweet little girl crying for her daddy now.