The Faceless Killer (Harborside Secrets Book 4) by Katy Pierce

Author:Katy Pierce [Pierce, Katy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-03-22T16:00:00+00:00

Seconds later, Carlee jolted up, nearly falling out of the seat she had been sleeping in. Her surroundings slowly crystalized around her. The EKG machine, the drab walls, the hospital bed—her father. He was lying there, an oxygen mask strapped over his nose, and his eyes were open.

“Dad!” Carlee breathed, hurrying to close the distance between them. She automatically took his big hand—IV line and all—in hers.

Dad looked her over, a cloud of concern darkening his eyes as if he was worried about her. Apparently, she’d been a fitful sleeper. When he squeezed her fingers, Carlee could tell it wasn’t a painless gesture.

“I’ll go get Catherine,” she said, and began to stand, but his gentle squeeze tightened into a grip of surprising strength. “What is it? Do you need something first?”

She knew from the crease between his eyebrows that he wanted to talk. No—he wanted her to talk.

The air of finality hung heavy between them, and Carlee knew they shared the same thought, as they often did. He was worried that anything left unsaid between them might be left unsaid forever if it wasn’t handled right here and now. It was a possibility that crowded out any relief, doubt, or dread competing for real estate in her mind—until not even the message sprayed across her car picked away at her attention.

None of it mattered anyway. Her car, her sanity. She could get the slashed tires replaced in the morning and a car wash on the way back to Chicago. She could worry about her sanity much, much later, if indeed there was any of it left to salvage.

With her free hand, Carlee reached back and pulled her chair up next to the bed. Dad tried to speak, but the mask transformed his raspy words into a muffled mess. It took great effort for him to clear his throat, reminding Carlee of the doctor’s warning: he’d be sore from the breathing tube they’d put in during surgery, in case he crashed midprocedure.

Carlee swallowed thickly. Dad looked at her as if willing her to take the lead, to break the silence between them.

She wanted to cry, to scream at him, but a thousand fears flooded her thoughts. Part of her even wanted to slap him—lying there hooked up to an IV bag as he was. Instead, she cleared her throat and croaked out the words, “You should’ve told me.”

The look of pain that flashed across his face was so vivid that she might as well have slapped him. Her father glanced away, unable to meet her eyes, but he nodded, a tear rolling down his cheek.

“And I know I’m to blame, okay?” Carlee’s own tears welled up, threatening to spill over. “I know I didn’t make it easy for you. Catherine said you were going to tell me during the dinner we were supposed to have. The one I kept postponing.”

He blinked, shedding more tears, and squeezed her hand reassuringly. She smiled at him, bittersweet and apologetic, hoping it reached her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Dad.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.