Rokov glanced at Charlotte. She could barely keep her eyes open and wondered how much longer she could shove air into her lungs.
“Sinclair,” he shouted. “You better be alive.”
Sinclair groaned. “I’m okay. Hit me in the vest.”
A rush of relief so pure washed over his features as he raced to the pit and started pulling the blocks off Charlotte. When he lifted the board, she pulled in painful but deep breaths.
He glanced at the chains and then returned to Levi. He dug through his pockets and found a key. He unfastened her manacles and pulled her free.
Sinclair stumbled to her feet and untied Sooner. “Fucker broke my ribs.”
Charlotte leaned heavily on Rokov. “How did you find us?”
“Grady. He saw the necklace Levi gave his wife. It had belonged to Mariah.”
“Where is he?” She hated the old man for what he’d done to her sister. And was grateful he’d saved her and Sooner.
“Outside.”
“Thank you, Daniel.”
He hugged her close and she could feel the raw energy tightening his muscles. “Anytime.”
The rising sun greeted Charlotte and Sooner as the two stumbled outside, arm in arm. Squad car lights flashed and EMTs rushed to help them. Charlotte clung to Sooner, refusing treatment until she knew the girl was okay. Only then were the EMTs able to coax her back on a gurney and give her oxygen. The next minutes were an odd haze of frenetic activity.
Daniel with Grady, his hands cuffed behind his back, approached Charlotte. “He wants to speak to you.”
She smiled at Daniel. “It’s okay.”
Daniel took one step back but remained close enough to act on an instant’s notice. “I’m right here.”
Grady shifted his stance. “Sooner is good. Tough as nails. Like her mother.”
A part of her would always hate Grady for what he’d done. But another part recognized he’d also saved her daughter’s life. “Is she speaking to you?”
“Only in four letter words.”
She pulled the oxygen mask from her face. “She’s got a lot to process.”
“Yeah, I know.” He cleared his throat. “I been looking for Mariah’s killer for eighteen years. I knew whoever was doing the killing was shadowing the carnival. But I never could figure it out.” He inhaled. “I’m dying and knew this was my last season so I used Sooner and the press articles to flush him out. I was sure he’d see an article eventually.”
“You nearly got her killed.”
“If I hadn’t flushed him out, he’d have come after her when I was dead and couldn’t protect her.”
“Why did you lie to her about Mariah?”
“ ’Cause I was pissed you’d left. Once the lie was out, it just took on its own life. And it was easy enough for folks to believe ’cause Sooner looks so much like Mariah.”
“None of the old carnies said a word to her?”
“They knew I’d kill them if they did.”
She closed her eyes. Her chest still ached and pulling in a deep breath hurt.
“Are you all right?” Daniel said.
She opened her eyes. “Yes. I’m fine.”
“I ain’t asking forgiveness,” Grady said. “But I’d appreciate it if you could help Sooner get past hating me after I’m dead. No matter what anyone says about anything, I loved that kid like my own.”
Charlotte nodded, unable to forgive and unable to hate.
Epilogue
Four Months Later
Charlotte stared at Daniel across the crowded living room of the Rokovs, who’d gathered for Mr. and Mrs. Rokov’s thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. All of Daniel’s brothers and sisters were present along with assorted cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Charlotte still felt out of place at Rokov family functions. Though the family had always made a point to make her and Sooner feel welcome, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t deserving of a real family.
She’d never voiced her worries to Daniel, but of course, he knew. He always seemed to know when she was worried either about a family gathering, a case, or Sooner. Sooner. Most of her worries these days were reserved for Sooner.
Sooner was doing well and, with Charlotte’s encouragement, had closed her shop and enrolled in the community college. She lived with Charlotte in her spare room. Not having a great deal of formal education, the girl had had to backtrack with many of her courses, but she was proving to be a good student and a hard worker.
The adoption experts had told Charlotte that she and Sooner were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Reunions between children and birth parents often started well but could sour. Charlotte prayed every day that never happened.
That didn’t mean to say that they didn’t have their disagreements. Sooner’s bull-headed temperament mirrored Charlotte’s, and both were quick to argue. But so far they were seeing their way past it all.
The new apartment had not been the adjustment that she’d expected, maybe because she spent spare nights at Daniel’s place. She’d been determined to take their relationship slowly, but somehow he’d gently coaxed her closer and closer each time they were together. She’d always prided herself on independence, and now she couldn’t imagine living without him. Nor could she imagine not having Sooner puttering around the apartment leaving her piles of clothes on the floor, her endless shampoo products in the bathroom, or her dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. Daniel and Sooner had become friends. He was an easy man to like, but Charlotte believed Sooner would never forget the night he charged into the basement and saved them. That terrifying moment had bonded them all in a way that could never be forgotten.
From across the room Daniel raised his glass to Charlotte and winked. She smiled, warmed that soon they’d be alone in his bed.
“My Daniel is a good boy.” Grandmother Rokov’s voice crackled behind Charlotte and had her turning.
“Yes, he is.”
“He worries about you.”
She raised her wineglass to her lips and pretended to sip. “He doesn’t need to. I can take care of myself.”
The old woman glared at Charlotte as if she were prying away layers. “Do you still have the dream?”
She frowned. “Daniel told you about the dreams?”
“No. Daniel would never speak of things so private. Do you still hear the woman’s screams?”
Charlotte studied the old woman. “How did you know?”
“Some things I just know.” She smiled. “Do you hear them?”
“No.” And it was a relief to say it. “I’ve not heard her since ... that night.” The night Levi had tried to crush Charlotte to death.
Sooner had suffered no lasting physical injuries. However, Charlotte had suffered three cracked ribs and bruising all across her torso. All would be fixed by time.
Mentally, she recognized a new fear of confined spaces. Elevators and crowded rooms were the worst reminders of Levi laying the cinderblocks on her chest. So she’d become adept at taking the stairs and remaining close to the door. Her quirks were improving, but they still bothered her enough that she did not enter the family fray for the toast Daniel gave to his parents.
>
“You stay on the fringe. You do not go into the room,” Grandmother said.
“I don’t enjoy tight spaces right now.”
The old woman nodded. “It will pass. Time will make it better.”
“I hope you are right.” She felt a bit like a cripple at times and it made her angry. Levi had taken something from her and she wanted it back.
“I am right.”
She stared at the old woman’s lined face. It was easy to look past the wrinkles and gray hair and see the vibrancy in her eyes. Despite nearing ninety, she remained mentally sharp.
“Where is your friend, Angie, and her family?”
“An unexpected appointment came up.” Angie had called early this morning. She’d been talking so quickly and so excitedly that Charlotte had thought something was wrong with David. Finally Angie had calmed and explained that David’s pediatrician had another patient, a sixteen-year-old girl, who was pregnant and about to deliver. Would she and Malcolm consider adopting? Angie didn’t want anyone to know of the offer for fear it would fall through, but she and Malcolm were beyond excited about the idea of being parents again. Charlotte had been waiting for the text, which would tell her if the baby was a boy or a girl.
“I’ve always liked the name Vivian for a girl,” Grandmother said. She raised a glass of red wine to her lips and sipped.
Charlotte had not even told Daniel of this latest development. First the dreams and now the baby. What was it with this woman? “Excuse me?”
“For the baby girl, I like the name Vivian.”
“What baby?”
Grandmother smiled and patted Charlotte on the shoulder. “The one Angie and Malcolm now await. It’s a girl.” She winked. “But I won’t tell just as they requested.”
“Who told you?”
“No one.”
“Someone had to have told you.”
She smiled. “I see your Daniel headed this way.”
And before Charlotte could ask Grandmother another question, Daniel arrived, and she slipped away. He was dressed in a dark suit that fit the lines of his broad shoulders and trim waist so well. Faint lines around his dark eyes creased when he smiled down at her.