“I know, baby. I know. Just stay put. Lock yourself up in a closet, okay?”
***
Hunter found me in the closet in his room, buried under his clothes. I’d heard the ambulance in the distance, the loud chatting downstairs, but I’d stayed put, doing exactly what he’d told me to do until he got here. When the closet door opened, I stiffened.
“Cosmo?”
“Daddy?”
He pushed the clothes aside, and I launched myself at him. He caught me and held me to him tightly, smoothing his hand down my hair.
“Oh god, baby. You scared me. Are you really okay?”
I nodded and clung to him as the enormity of what had just happened hit me. I couldn’t stop shaking.
“We were talking. If I had let him in, he wouldn’t have been standing on the steps talking to me. But you told me I couldn’t entertain him, so I didn’t. And then he got shot.”
“Shh, it’s okay. I promise. Do you think you can come down and tell us exactly what happened? We’ll need your statement.”
I held on to him. “Can you just hold me for a few minutes first? I was so scared.”
“Of course. We can give you a minute.”
He brought me over to the bed and settled me into his lap. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face to his neck.
“It’s going to be fine now. I swear. I’m here.”
A knock sounded, but I didn’t look up. I didn’t care who it was. Someone had clearly found me and had every intention of killing me today. How many more would come? How long did I have before I would run out of luck?
“I need to question him, Hunter.”
I froze. Oh shit, not Agent Knight again. I should have expected him, since Ellis was a part of his team, but I hadn’t even thought so far ahead.
“Can it wait a few minutes?”
“I’m afraid it can’t. We have an agent in critical condition on his way to the hospital, blood on your doorstep, and an unidentified male across the street with a bullet hole in his head. You can work on your comforting skills later.”
“Knight, just a few minutes. That’s all I’m asking. Can’t you see how shaken up he is?”
“Fine. Bring him downstairs when he’s ready to talk.”
His footsteps retreated, leaving me and Hunter together. I rubbed my nose over his neck. “Why does he hate me so much? Does he blame me for this? Agent Ellis was nice to me, and I would have never wished him dead.”
“Knight is just being Knight. Don’t worry about him. We’ll go downstairs, and I want you to tell him exactly what happened, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
He kissed my hair. “But try not to call me that around the others, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Are you ready?”
“Just one more minute, please.”
“Absolutely.”
I took more than a minute, but he didn’t rush me. After a heavy sigh, I told him I was ready. With a hand on my shoulder, he guided me down the stairs and to the kitchen. The front door was open, and cops were dusting the door and poking in the grass.