Chương 8
Snow still fell, but the wind had weakened.
The world looked temporarily erased.
Marco opened the SUV door.
Lily stopped.
“No.”
Vincent looked at her.
“What is it?”
“Car seat.”
He turned toward Marco.
Marco stared into the back seat.
There was no car seat.
Vincent closed his eyes.
Of course there was no car seat.
He had spent his life arranging armored vehicles, drivers, security routes, backup transportation, and emergency contingencies.
He had not arranged the one thing required to legally transport a three-year-old.
Teresa came around the side of the building just as Vincent was staring at the SUV in disgust.
“What?”
“No seat.”
She blinked.
Then she started laughing.
Vincent glared at her.
“It isn’t funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
“It is four in the morning.”
“That improves it.”
Marco took out his phone.
“I can get one.”
“From where?” Vincent asked.
“There’s a twenty-four-hour superstore near the interstate.”
Teresa looked at Vincent’s expression.
“You cannot mafia your way around child-restraint laws.”
“I was not trying to mafia my way around anything.”
“You looked like you were considering it.”
Lily touched his cheek.
“Grandpa mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Eyebrows.”
Teresa had to turn away.
Twenty-eight minutes later, Marco returned with a boxed car seat, three bags of children’s clothing, wipes, toothpaste with cartoon bears on it, cereal, bananas, a purple toothbrush, two pairs of pajamas, and a plastic snow globe containing a penguin.
Vincent stared at the bags.
“What is all this?”
Marco looked defensive.
“She needed things.”
“What is the penguin?”
“She pointed at it.”
Lily reached for the snow globe.
“Mine.”
Marco handed it over.
Vincent looked at him.
“You took her inside?”
“I carried her.”
“You bought pajamas?”
“They had stars.”
Teresa peered into a bag.
“You bought size six.”
Marco frowned.
“They looked small.”
“They’re not.”
Lily shook the globe.
Tiny white flakes spun around the penguin.
“Snow.”
Vincent looked outside at several inches of actual snow.
“Yes.”
She shook it again.
“More snow.”
Nobody argued.
Installing the car seat took Vincent, Marco, and the SUV’s owner’s manual.
Teresa watched for five minutes before taking over.
“You people can run companies but cannot operate a latch system.”
“It is badly designed,” Vincent said.
“It is two hooks.”
“Two poorly designed hooks.”
When Lily was finally buckled in, she held the snow globe against her chest.
Vincent sat beside her.
“Grandpa?”
“Yes?”
“Daddy hurt?”
His face changed.
“Yes.”
“Bad hurt?”
“I don’t know yet.”
She looked down.
“Rebecca pushed?”
Vincent felt every muscle in his body become still.
He chose his words carefully.
“We don’t know what happened.”
Lily shook her head.
“Rebecca pushes.”
“What does she push?”
Teresa turned from the front passenger seat.
Vincent saw her warning look.
He stopped.
Lily rubbed her thumb over the plastic globe.
“Boxes.”
Vincent waited.
“Bad box?” he asked.
Lily nodded.
“What’s inside?”
Teresa said quietly, “Vincent.”
He looked at her.
She shook her head again.
Not here.
Not now.
He let it go.
The drive to Vincent’s estate took forty minutes.
Lily fell asleep halfway there.
Vincent watched highway lights pass over her face.
Every few minutes he looked at his phone.
No message from the hospital.
No call from Daniel.
Nothing from Rebecca.
The silence became its own pressure.
At the house, Bruno heard them before the front door opened.
The mastiff’s heavy bark rolled through the foyer.
Lily woke immediately.
“Dog.”
Vincent held up one hand.
“Stay here.”
He entered first.
Bruno came around the corner with the dignity of an animal convinced every returning person existed specifically for him.
His tail struck the wall.
Vincent caught his collar.
“Easy.”
Bruno leaned against Vincent’s leg.
Lily peeked around the doorway.
Her eyes widened.
“Big.”
“I told you.”
Bruno saw her.
His tail stopped.
Lily stared.
Bruno stared back.
“Bruno,” Vincent said.
The dog sat.
Lily stepped inside.
Marco stayed close behind her.
She walked three small steps toward Bruno.
Then she stopped.
Vincent expected her to retreat.
Instead she extended one hand.
Bruno lowered his head and sniffed her mitten.
Lily laughed.
“He’s warm.”
Vincent looked at Marco.
Marco smiled.
Bruno licked the mitten.
“Wet,” Lily announced.
“Also true.”
The housekeeper, Mrs. Alvarez, appeared at the top of the stairs wearing a robe over her nightgown.
She took in the scene slowly.
Vincent.
Lily.
Marco.
Teresa.
Shopping bags.
The giant dog.
Snow tracked across the marble floor.
“I leave you people alone for one evening,” she said.
Vincent almost smiled.
Mrs. Alvarez came downstairs.
When she saw Lily’s face properly, the humor disappeared.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
Lily stepped behind Vincent.
Mrs. Alvarez stopped immediately.
“That’s okay.”
She looked at Vincent.
“What does she need?”
“Sleep.”
“Room?”
“The blue guest room.”
Mrs. Alvarez shook her head.
“Too far from yours.”
Vincent frowned.
“What?”
“She’ll wake up in a strange house.”
“She’s stayed here before.”
“When she was a baby.”
Mrs. Alvarez pointed toward the smaller bedroom across from Vincent’s.
“That one.”
“It has boxes.”
“I’ll move them.”
“There are files.”
“They will survive.”
Vincent gave up.
Mrs. Alvarez glanced at Lily.
“Do you want hot chocolate?”
Lily looked at Vincent.
He nodded.
“Little.”
“Little hot chocolate?”
Lily nodded.
“With marshmallow?”
Another nod.
“One?”
Lily held up four fingers.
Mrs. Alvarez smiled.
“Negotiator.”
Vincent took off his coat.
Only then did he realize Lily was still wrapped in the one he had used outside the mansion.
She clutched it closed around herself.
“You can take that off now.”
“No.”
“It’s wet.”
“No.”
He crouched.
“You’ll be warmer without it.”
Lily tightened her grip.
“Mine.”
Vincent looked at her.
The coat hung nearly to her ankles.
One sleeve dragged on the floor.
“You want to keep it?”
“Yes.”
“For tonight?”
“Forever.”
Something moved across Vincent’s face.
“Fine.”
Teresa watched him.
“You own twelve coats.”
“Four.”
“Nobody believes that.”
Marco carried the shopping bags upstairs with Mrs. Alvarez.
Lily followed them slowly, still wearing Vincent’s coat.
Bruno followed Lily.
Vincent followed Bruno.
May you like
Teresa followed Vincent.
For a house full of adults accustomed to giving orders, the procession looked ridiculous.
