face
when she was no longer on this earth.
Riley bent down near the woman’s ear. ‘Please, make it right, for both of you.’
The woman weakly shook her head, each breath tighter. ‘Keep . . . him . . . safe . . .’ When Riley didn’t reply, Sadie gripped her hand tighter. ‘Promise.’
Riley bowed her head. ‘I promise.’
Sadie Beck took her last breath and died.
When Beck realized she was gone, emptiness overwhelmed him, as if it had poured out of the lifeless body and sought refuge inside him.
He’d pleaded for only two things – her love and the name of his father.
Sadie had taken both to her grave.
Tears swarmed down his cheeks, shaming him, visual evidence of what he’d lost and what he’d never had. He collapsed into a chair, no longer having the strength to stand as the bitter
dampness on his cheeks scalded his face. All those years of hoping, praying that he’d been wrong, were over.
She never loved me.
Someone touched his hands and when he peered through the dark mist it was Riley, kneeling next to him.
‘I’m here, Den,’ she said, lightly touching his face. Her touch was so soft, so caring. Riley was at his side, and, though he was afraid to admit it, she really cared for him,
maybe even loved him. She would guard him, protect him. Keep the darkness at bay.
‘It’s over,’ she said, wiping away one of his tears with a fingertip. ‘You did everything you could for her.’
He knew what she really meant. Sadie could no longer hurt him.
‘It doesn’t . . . feel that way,’ he whispered. ‘Why didn’t she didn’t tell me who he was?’
‘Do you think she knew?’
Beck jolted at the question. He shouldn’t have. He’d asked it of himself enough times. ‘I don’t know.’
It’d be like her to lie to me.
To his surprise Riley tentatively placed a kiss on his cheek.
‘I’m sorry, Den. I really am.’
It took some time for Riley to calm her own tears. They weren’t for Sadie, but for her son. When Beck offered her the truck so she could return to the motel, claiming he
could catch a ride after the paperwork was done, she declined. Riley heard the false bravado behind his words. She’d used that same tactic after her dad died.
‘I’ll wait for you outside,’ she said.
His grateful expression told her it’d been the right choice.
Riley groaned to herself as she leaned against the pickup.
I promised to watch over him.
The vows she’d made in the past had always come back to haunt her, but
maybe this one will be different.
Why did Sadie trust me to watch over her son?
If she hadn’t loved him, why did she care what happened to Beck after she died?
Maybe she didn’t know how to tell him she
cared.
Or maybe she thought love was a weakness.
Riley dialled Stewart and he answered on the first ring.
‘Beck’s mom has passed away,’ she reported. It sounded so clinical.
‘I’m sorry ta hear that. How’s the lad doin’?’
‘He’s hanging in there, but it’s really hard for him.’
‘Aye. Anythin’ else I should know about?’
It wasn’t her place to tell the master about the Keneally brothers and Beck’s supposedly sordid past, so she mumbled, ‘Not really.’
She wasn’t sure if Stewart caught the fib or not, but he didn’t press her on it.
‘Call me when ya have the funeral arrangements in place. Harper and I will be sendin’ flowers.’
That was nice. ‘I will. That’ll mean a lot to Beck.’
A lengthy pause. ‘So what was his mother like?’ the master asked.
‘Cold and hard, like she’d been hurt so many times she hated everyone, no matter how good they were to her. I understand Beck better now. Which is why you wanted me to come down here
with him, wasn’t it?’
‘I’m that transparent?’ the man said.
‘Not usually.’ Nevertheless, Stewart rarely did anything that didn’t have a least four layers of strategy behind it.
‘Things are gettin’ unruly up here. I’m in the mall right now and there’s magic
when she was no longer on this earth.
Riley bent down near the woman’s ear. ‘Please, make it right, for both of you.’
The woman weakly shook her head, each breath tighter. ‘Keep . . . him . . . safe . . .’ When Riley didn’t reply, Sadie gripped her hand tighter. ‘Promise.’
Riley bowed her head. ‘I promise.’
Sadie Beck took her last breath and died.
When Beck realized she was gone, emptiness overwhelmed him, as if it had poured out of the lifeless body and sought refuge inside him.
He’d pleaded for only two things – her love and the name of his father.
Sadie had taken both to her grave.
Tears swarmed down his cheeks, shaming him, visual evidence of what he’d lost and what he’d never had. He collapsed into a chair, no longer having the strength to stand as the bitter
dampness on his cheeks scalded his face. All those years of hoping, praying that he’d been wrong, were over.
She never loved me.
Someone touched his hands and when he peered through the dark mist it was Riley, kneeling next to him.
‘I’m here, Den,’ she said, lightly touching his face. Her touch was so soft, so caring. Riley was at his side, and, though he was afraid to admit it, she really cared for him,
maybe even loved him. She would guard him, protect him. Keep the darkness at bay.
‘It’s over,’ she said, wiping away one of his tears with a fingertip. ‘You did everything you could for her.’
He knew what she really meant. Sadie could no longer hurt him.
‘It doesn’t . . . feel that way,’ he whispered. ‘Why didn’t she didn’t tell me who he was?’
‘Do you think she knew?’
Beck jolted at the question. He shouldn’t have. He’d asked it of himself enough times. ‘I don’t know.’
It’d be like her to lie to me.
To his surprise Riley tentatively placed a kiss on his cheek.
‘I’m sorry, Den. I really am.’
It took some time for Riley to calm her own tears. They weren’t for Sadie, but for her son. When Beck offered her the truck so she could return to the motel, claiming he
could catch a ride after the paperwork was done, she declined. Riley heard the false bravado behind his words. She’d used that same tactic after her dad died.
‘I’ll wait for you outside,’ she said.
His grateful expression told her it’d been the right choice.
Riley groaned to herself as she leaned against the pickup.
I promised to watch over him.
The vows she’d made in the past had always come back to haunt her, but
maybe this one will be different.
Why did Sadie trust me to watch over her son?
If she hadn’t loved him, why did she care what happened to Beck after she died?
Maybe she didn’t know how to tell him she
cared.
Or maybe she thought love was a weakness.
Riley dialled Stewart and he answered on the first ring.
‘Beck’s mom has passed away,’ she reported. It sounded so clinical.
‘I’m sorry ta hear that. How’s the lad doin’?’
‘He’s hanging in there, but it’s really hard for him.’
‘Aye. Anythin’ else I should know about?’
It wasn’t her place to tell the master about the Keneally brothers and Beck’s supposedly sordid past, so she mumbled, ‘Not really.’
She wasn’t sure if Stewart caught the fib or not, but he didn’t press her on it.
‘Call me when ya have the funeral arrangements in place. Harper and I will be sendin’ flowers.’
That was nice. ‘I will. That’ll mean a lot to Beck.’
A lengthy pause. ‘So what was his mother like?’ the master asked.
‘Cold and hard, like she’d been hurt so many times she hated everyone, no matter how good they were to her. I understand Beck better now. Which is why you wanted me to come down here
with him, wasn’t it?’
‘I’m that transparent?’ the man said.
‘Not usually.’ Nevertheless, Stewart rarely did anything that didn’t have a least four layers of strategy behind it.
‘Things are gettin’ unruly up here. I’m in the mall right now and there’s magic
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