mortified we'd named a King Penguin after her.
"And what a
super name it is," she said with a wink at Daisy, who was giggling
as she nibbled on Kelly's namesake.
The young
woman sauntered off with an exaggerated swing to her hips. I spun
back to see if Pierce was watching the show, but his eyes were on
me.
"Drink up," he
ordered softly, head nodding towards the coffee before me as if I
didn't understand the command. And it was a command, he expected me
to follow his instruction.
I crossed my
arms over my chest and stared back at him. He might be a police
officer, a detective in the Police Force, but he was not the boss
of me.
Oh God, too
much alone time with a five year old. It was beginning to rub
off.
He lifted his
own coffee to his lips and smirked, as though he was enjoying my
immature defiance.
But damn it,
the coffee did smell good. I shifted in my seat and then reached
out and snatched up the cup, downing a good portion before I
managed my next breath. Pierce actually let out a laugh, hiding the
response with another sip from his own cup.
I chose to
pretend that exchange had never happened and placed the container
back on the table with a contented sigh.
"Good coffee,"
I declared.
"The best," he
agreed.
"Good
choc'lit," Daisy added, letting us know she was quite capable of
keeping up with our conversation as she coloured in the yellow
feathers on her penguin.
"Also the
best," Pierce agreed. But didn't reach for a Kelly King Penguin
morsel for himself. Instead he gently pushed the plate towards
Daisy, who looked up at him with adoration in her eyes.
I did roll
mine at that. Buying a five year old with sweets. How typical. He
should know better, considering his occupation. Daisy snatched one
up without checking with me first. I gave her The Mother stare and
she ducked her head a little.
"He didn't
want it," she defended.
"You should
ask first," I replied, in my best I'm-your-mother-listen-to-me
voice.
"Please," she
said with a wide chocolate tooth covered smile.
"Just the one,
we'll save the other for later."
"Wokay," she
chimed happily.
And as I had
done so many times over the past few hours my heart began to ache,
as I watched her smiling. Her attention back on the drawing for
now, happy in her project, safe with her parent, excited to be out
of school at a grown-ups café eating treats.
How was I
going to do this? How was I going to keep her safe?
How?
"You don't
have to do this alone," Pierce said quietly to my side. "Let me
help you, Marie. This is what I do. I'm good at it. The best in the
country, in fact."
My head jerked
up at those words. What exactly did he mean?
I searched his
face for the subterfuge. For the ego that explained his confident
words. I expected to see something, I was adept at using confidence
to hide my fears, I assumed I could spot someone else using the
same emotion to hide their lies too. But there was only sincerity.
Concern. Worry. He was either better at this than me, and I'd been
pretty damn good over the past five years, or he was just a
genuinely caring man.
Were there
such men out there?
"How?" I
asked. The all important question.
"I need to
know what I'm up against," he replied steadily. "Preferably how
badly he wants you and why?"
I shook my
head. That wasn't going to happen. Would he deny us help because I
wouldn't open up about my past?
"OK," he said,
too easily. "We can work up to that." I didn't think so, but I'd
let him believe it for now. "But in order for us to go forward, you
will need to make a statement about yesterday afternoon."
"Yesterday
afternoon?" I asked, wondering just how much he already knew about
the chase.
He crossed his
arms over his chest, making his jacket stretch across his thick
biceps.
"One of
McLaren's men was spotted chasing you down Ponsonby Road. By the
time we got there, you'd fled."
Oh.
"And the man?"
I asked.
"No
trace."
He watched me,
waiting for me to offer up an explanation he wasn't going to get.
At least I
"And what a
super name it is," she said with a wink at Daisy, who was giggling
as she nibbled on Kelly's namesake.
The young
woman sauntered off with an exaggerated swing to her hips. I spun
back to see if Pierce was watching the show, but his eyes were on
me.
"Drink up," he
ordered softly, head nodding towards the coffee before me as if I
didn't understand the command. And it was a command, he expected me
to follow his instruction.
I crossed my
arms over my chest and stared back at him. He might be a police
officer, a detective in the Police Force, but he was not the boss
of me.
Oh God, too
much alone time with a five year old. It was beginning to rub
off.
He lifted his
own coffee to his lips and smirked, as though he was enjoying my
immature defiance.
But damn it,
the coffee did smell good. I shifted in my seat and then reached
out and snatched up the cup, downing a good portion before I
managed my next breath. Pierce actually let out a laugh, hiding the
response with another sip from his own cup.
I chose to
pretend that exchange had never happened and placed the container
back on the table with a contented sigh.
"Good coffee,"
I declared.
"The best," he
agreed.
"Good
choc'lit," Daisy added, letting us know she was quite capable of
keeping up with our conversation as she coloured in the yellow
feathers on her penguin.
"Also the
best," Pierce agreed. But didn't reach for a Kelly King Penguin
morsel for himself. Instead he gently pushed the plate towards
Daisy, who looked up at him with adoration in her eyes.
I did roll
mine at that. Buying a five year old with sweets. How typical. He
should know better, considering his occupation. Daisy snatched one
up without checking with me first. I gave her The Mother stare and
she ducked her head a little.
"He didn't
want it," she defended.
"You should
ask first," I replied, in my best I'm-your-mother-listen-to-me
voice.
"Please," she
said with a wide chocolate tooth covered smile.
"Just the one,
we'll save the other for later."
"Wokay," she
chimed happily.
And as I had
done so many times over the past few hours my heart began to ache,
as I watched her smiling. Her attention back on the drawing for
now, happy in her project, safe with her parent, excited to be out
of school at a grown-ups café eating treats.
How was I
going to do this? How was I going to keep her safe?
How?
"You don't
have to do this alone," Pierce said quietly to my side. "Let me
help you, Marie. This is what I do. I'm good at it. The best in the
country, in fact."
My head jerked
up at those words. What exactly did he mean?
I searched his
face for the subterfuge. For the ego that explained his confident
words. I expected to see something, I was adept at using confidence
to hide my fears, I assumed I could spot someone else using the
same emotion to hide their lies too. But there was only sincerity.
Concern. Worry. He was either better at this than me, and I'd been
pretty damn good over the past five years, or he was just a
genuinely caring man.
Were there
such men out there?
"How?" I
asked. The all important question.
"I need to
know what I'm up against," he replied steadily. "Preferably how
badly he wants you and why?"
I shook my
head. That wasn't going to happen. Would he deny us help because I
wouldn't open up about my past?
"OK," he said,
too easily. "We can work up to that." I didn't think so, but I'd
let him believe it for now. "But in order for us to go forward, you
will need to make a statement about yesterday afternoon."
"Yesterday
afternoon?" I asked, wondering just how much he already knew about
the chase.
He crossed his
arms over his chest, making his jacket stretch across his thick
biceps.
"One of
McLaren's men was spotted chasing you down Ponsonby Road. By the
time we got there, you'd fled."
Oh.
"And the man?"
I asked.
"No
trace."
He watched me,
waiting for me to offer up an explanation he wasn't going to get.
At least I
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