Early the next day, I put Mia in her stroller and join Steven and Beau for a walk. It’s not totally unusual. We often go for walks to help Mia get some fresh air. And since I haven’t been feeling well enough to work out or jog, I also enjoy the less taxing pace of a walk to stretch my legs. Howeve
I am sympathetic to Carrie and her motivations. If Alpha King Hayes is so uncaring about his own children, I can’t imagine he is a kind individual to anyone in his life. Not his wife. Not a lover. Not anyone. I can understand wanting to hide. But to run and hide from her own child? And I know th
I recoil backwards from Neil’s room on instinct. I don’t want to hear any more of what he might say. It is just so difficult to believe. After everything Neil has gone through to keep me here, now he is so ready to push me out the door? I can’t believe it, but I’m hearing it for myself. Worried th
Archer doesn’t react, even to grunt in acknowledgement of my words. Maybe he’s ignoring me. I roll my eyes. Well, whatever. If he’s going to be quiet like that, it’s as good as if I’m walking alone. We make it about twenty feet before the silence gets to me. Angela’s warning words kick around in
I immediately start forward, ready to talk to Carrie, but Archer grabs me by the arm and holds me back. “Archer, what --?” Next thing I know, my back is against the brick wall of a nearby building. Archer places his hands on either side of me, preventing my escape. He steps closer, creating a ba
Archer comes to stand behind me so that he can read Carrie’s note over my shoulder. He doesn’t make a noise as he reads, and doesn’t say a word afterwards either. It seems a bit unfair I think, reading this. Why is it addressed to me? Carrie could have learned my name from overhearing one of the
We return to the Pyramid just as Angela is leaving. She seems to be in a huff, frowning and muttering to herself as she pushes open the door. When she sees us on the other side of it, she straightens at once. She gives me a shaky sort of smile, but it doesn’t last before she glares at Archer. He d
I enter the Pyramid and run into Beau, who is leaning against the hallway, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. How long has he been standing there? Had he also suffered from Angela’s wrath? “Guess she got to Archer, too?” Beau asks. He motions his head back down the hall, likely indicating