Secrets by Erosa Knowles

minute.
    Mariah squeezed his neck and kissed his
cheek. His heart melted like goo, he inhaled her sweet scent. So
fragile, so perfect, and she looked just like his mother. No wonder
Uncle David said he knew she was his. Mariah was a darker version
of Maude Stone’s childhood pictures. He kissed her cheeks and
silently vowed to keep her safe from all harm, especially his
mother.
    They sat in the family room looking at
pictures and watching DVD’s of family events. Mariah wouldn’t leave
his lap and finally fell asleep. He laid her on a cot in the corner
set up for her.
    At first Micah and Jonah sat at a distance
from him, talking over one another, explaining each picture. After
the first DVD, they sat next to him, and by the third, both boys
had their heads in his lap and he stroked their hair. Pride filled
his chest as he looked at all three tiny Stones. For the time being
he’d allow Sven’s adoption to stand, as much as it hurt. His mother
was a real threat and his job was dangerous. He’d make plans to
change both situations. As long as his kids knew who he was and
made room for him in their lives, he’d continue the masquerade for
their safety.
    He glanced at Chastity, who’d fallen asleep
during the first DVD. Light snores escaped through her lips. The
boys covered their mouths and laughed each time she snorted. He
smiled. Glad to see her sleeping, if they knew the demons that
chased that strong, beautiful woman, they’d cheer that she was able
to sleep at all.

Chapter 9
     
    The tension in the office had thickened to
the point Chastity would swear she could see smoke curling in the
air. Tentacles of aggravation squeezed her head as she explained
for the umpteenth time.
    “No, I don’t know anything other than what
I’ve already told you. I don’t know anything about Mr. Baxter’s
security clearance, other than he had one. He simply said you’d be
contacting me to wrap that up.” She spoke through clenched teeth,
tired of saying the same thing over and over.
    “I understand, Ms. March. We appreciate you
seeing us. But a lot of the information Mr. Baxter provided on his
last job is incomplete. If you could—”
    “I can’t,” she snapped. Sven and Kenton had
come in at her request after the first thirty minutes. They leaned
forward in their seats while she struggled to pull it together.
“Look, you’ve been here two hours,” she said, “asking the same
questions over and over. That’s two hours of my life I’ll never get
back. If the information you received is incomplete, maybe that’s
the way it’s supposed to be. Maybe he expects you to figure out the
rest of it. Maybe he just gave you a pointer, a heads up, something
to get you going in the right direction.” She threw her hands up.
“I sure as hell don’t know.”
    Standing up from the desk, she cut off the
computer. “I’m done, gentlemen.”
    “Ms. March, I have one more question. Do you
know Matthew Griffin?”
    “No. And that’s the last question.” She
glanced at Sven and Kenton. “I’m gone.”
    Sven nodded and stood. “Gentlemen, that’s
it.”
    Chastity headed for the kitchen. Kenton
followed. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, she
gulped it down, hoping it would cool her off. Head throbbing, she
reached for the pain meds in the cabinet and popped a pill. Kenton
sat quietly on one of the stools, fiddling with a fork on the
countertop.
    “Assholes.” She threw the empty bottle
toward the trash can, it teetered on the rim before hitting the
floor.
    Sven walked in and looked at her. “They want
another meeting.”
    “No.” Picking up the plastic bottle, she
tossed it into the waste bin.
    “I told them you'd say that.” He sat on the
stool next to Kenton.
    Turning to face them, she noticed the frown
on Sven's face. “What?”
    “Something was off about the whole thing,”
Sven said. “They never mentioned any specific jobs or security
questions. Actually, they seemed more interested in you than