Destiny and the Devil by Olivia Noble

Author:Olivia Noble [Noble, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ThunderWords

June

* * *

A noise causes me to stir, and I wake up with a start, thinking someone has entered the room. But the door is closed. I groan, realizing that I fell asleep on the couch in an awkward position. With two cute, but heavy little girls on either side of me.

Stretching, I reach up and touch my neck, which is a bit sore and cramped.

“Okay, girls,” I say tiredly. “You should probably get to bed.”

But they are fast asleep and completely dead to the world.

Sighing, I lift the blanket and try to climb out of the cozy little cocoon we made, without waking them. I don’t have much energy to shower, but at the very least I am able to change into my nightgown. I look around for my eye mask, which is almost essential for me to wear to avoid waking up too early—but I can’t seem to find it. Then I realize I probably left it in the kitchen beside the coffee machine. I have a bad habit of not wanting to even open my eyes until I get some coffee in me, so I usually wear my eye mask all the way to the kitchen in the morning. Sliding on my bunny slippers, I yawn as I exit the room and shuffle toward the coffeemaker. I find the little blue mask, covered in stars, exactly where I left it.

I am thankful that the housekeeper didn’t move it somewhere.

But then I notice something odd.

There is a new set of shoes in the mudroom leading toward the garage. Men’s shoes.

Is someone here? It could just be the driver bringing Willow over, or more of the staff. But it’s rather late at night. Walking forward in my bunny slippers, feeling a bit confused, I open the door to glance into the garage to check the cars. It looks like there is only one new vehicle parked there.

A black Escalade.

So many cars come and go from the house, that it’s hard to keep track of them all. But an odd memory comes back to me as I stand here, half asleep. It was months ago. I was working at the daycare, and Holly and Hazel were being picked up by someone driving that same vehicle. And then one of the girls ran back to give me a rose.

It was such a lovely gift.

I can’t help walking over to the Escalade to examine it, then. It has the same bumper sticker I remember. I place my hand on the vehicle, and it is still warm. It has definitely been driven recently. I feel a little nervous, because the windows are tinted so dark—someone could possibly be inside, and I wouldn’t know. That’s a bit scary.

But my curiosity is too strong. I can’t help standing on my tip toes to peek inside, anyway.

Then, I notice the oddest thing.

A tiny, empty Starbucks espresso cup. A chill runs through me. All the hair on my arms stand up as goosebumps prickle my skin. I frown.

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