Karen Rose - Count to Ten

"And nine months later, out popped me. Another girl."

"He rejected two children because neither of them had a dick." She clenched her teeth on a wave of fury. "All those years I tried to please him. Appease him." Mia sighed. "So what do you know about the other daughter?"

Kelsey blinked. "Excuse me?"

Mia blinked back. "At the cemetery… I saw a woman. She looked like me, just a little younger. She had my eyes." Bobby's eyes. "It was uncanny."

Kelsey was clearly at a loss. "That I didn't know. Can't help you there, M."

"Well, thanks for believing me at least. I know it sounds crazy."

"You've never lied to me." Kelsey sat back, considering. "So there are three of us misbegotten non-male spawn."

"That we know of. Maybe more. God knows how many times he tried for a boy."

Kelsey's lips quirked in amusement. "Well, it looks like Bobby shot mostly Xs. No little Ys to make little Bobbys."

Mia smiled, despite the weight on her shoulders. "God, I miss you."

Kelsey swallowed, hard. "Stop. Don't make me…" She drew a breath, took a surreptitious glance side to side. "It's like blood in the water, M."

"You come up for parole again in three months."

"Like I don't know the exact time to the minute? It won't do any good."

"I'll be there. I promise."

"You've always been there, every hearing. And I'm grateful. But Shayla Kaufmann is always there, too, and her grief carries more weight than your good words."

Mia clenched her fist. "It's been twelve years, Kelsey."

"But her husband and son are still dead."

" You didn't shoot them. The store video showed it clearly." Kelsey had stood there, her hand shaking so bad she'd nearly dropped the gun. Her boyfriend Stone had done the shooting and was serving life without parole. Kelsey had cooperated, earning her a deal. Eight to twenty-five. At the time, Mia had been relieved Kelsey's sentence hadn't been stiffer. Twelve years later, Mia knew exactly how slowly time could pass.

Kelsey's face was immobile, but her eyes had darkened with a torment she rarely let Mia see. "I didn't shoot, but I stood there while Stone did. I didn't do anything to save that man and his son. That father's last action was to shield his son with his own body" She held herself rigid and focused on a point over Mia's shoulder and Mia knew they were both thinking that was something their own father never would have done.

"Dammit, Kelsey, you were young. Scared. You were high."

"I was guilty ." Her lips trembled and she pursed them. "And I still am."

Mia bit the inside of her cheek, hard. "I'll still be there at the parole hearing."

Kelsey's eyes closed for a long moment and when she opened them, they were again cool and detached. "I hear you took a bullet, kid."

The subject of parole was now closed. "Yeah. Two weeks ago."

"How's your pal?"

"Abe? He's in the hospital, but he'll be okay."

"Don't let him make you drop your guard." One side of her mouth lifted. "You're the only one who ever comes to visit me in here. I'd hate for anything to happen to you."

Mia cleared her throat. "Okay."

"Oh, yeah. And tell Dana I said thanks, but no thanks."

"For what?"

"I got a postcard from her vacation to the beach. Big ugly crab on the front. She said she wished I could have been there to help her eat them. They look like bugs."

"I'll tell her. I've got to get back now. I have another few hours of reading to do after I smack a man silly."

Kelsey's brows lifted in lazy interest, but her eyes were sharp. "Police brutality?"

"Nope. This is my temporary partner. He followed me all the way from town and now he's waiting out in the parking lot." She huffed "Thinks I didn't see him tailing me "

Amusement now lit Kelsey's eyes. "Now why would he do a thing like that?"

"Because he…" Mia thought about all the kind things Reed Solliday had done for her over the last two days. Coffee, medicine, opening doors like she was… a lady. It would appear that Reed Solliday was an old-fashioned gentleman and a nice guy. Who'd played football. And liked poetry. And seemed to feel the pain of the victims as keenly as she did. She sighed. "He was worried about me. Apparently somebody wrecked his wife's car when they were too tired to drive."

"So he's married?" Kelsey shook her head reproachfully. "M."

"He's a widower with a kid. And don't get that look in your eyes," she added, when Kelsey did just that. "He's temporary, just until Abe gets back."

"What does he look like?"

The man was big. And built. "A little like Satan." She ran her thumb and forefinger around her mouth. "He's got this goatee thing going on." That framed a very nice mouth.

"Interesting." One brow went up. "So is this Satan a fallen angel or a gargoyle?"

Mia shifted in her chair uneasily. "He's… easy enough on the eyes."

Kelsey nodded, her mouth bent in speculation. "And?"

And he's decent. And I like him . She drew a breath. Hell . "That's all."

Kelsey stood up. "Okay, if that's how you're going to play it, I'll wait for Dana's next letter. She'll give me the straight scoop." And without saying good-bye, Kelsey hung up the phone and walked away. She never said good-bye, she always just walked away.

For a minute Mia just sat there, her heart aching. Then she carefully hung up the phone and went to give Solliday his just desserts.

Tuesday, November 28, 8:30 P.M.

It took her long enough, he thought sourly, as Tania exited the hotel lobby carrying the flowers. The inside of the car he'd taken was nice and warm and he'd nearly fallen asleep waiting for her. All the doors were on the outside of this motel, so he knew she'd need to pass this way sooner or later.

Slowly he drove through the parking lot, keeping her in his sight all the time. Finally she stopped and knocked. The door opened, not wide enough for him to see inside. But that was okay. He lifted his binoculars and focused. Room 129. Go, me .

He yawned again. He was so tired. He wanted old lady Dougherty, but he didn't want to be so tired he didn't enjoy it, or worse, that he made a mistake. It was a foolish man who took chances when he was fatigued. Besides, he needed a key card and Tania didn't get off till seven tomorrow morning. He could take it now, but somebody would notice when she didn't come back to the desk. Because after he took her key card little Tania and her smart mouth wouldn't be going anywhere.

He had time. It wasn't like the Doughertys had a place to go. So he'd go home, get some sleep and be back tomorrow morning to make sure Miss Tania got home safely.

Tuesday, November 28, 8:45 p.m.

Reed was dreaming. He knew inside the dream that he was dreaming, but that made it a little more okay. Because he knew even as he dreamed that it would not come true. He would not pull Mia Mitchell into his bed. He would not tear the clothes from her body. He would not kiss every inch of her creamy skin. And he certainly would not come inside her with enough force to make her blue eyes glaze over.

So because none of those things would ever happen, he knew he'd better enjoy the dream as long as it lasted. And he was enjoying it. As was she. Her tight body was arched up, her internal muscles gripping him as he moved. "God, Reed," she was moaning, not the delicate little whispers of Christine, but loud, loud enough to penetrate his own pleasured stupor. " Reed ."

Reed woke with a start, his eyes flying to his car window where Mitchell stood pounding her fists on the glass. She rolled her eyes when she saw him jolt to awareness. "Dammit, Solliday, I thought you were passed out from carbon monoxide."

He rolled the window down, still reeling from the dream that had been way too real for his comfort. He nearly reached for her, knowing now how her face would feel between his palms. But he didn't really know. Nor would he. "I guess I fell asleep."