Chapter 10 - THE STORM BEFORE THE CALM
Late August brought severe thunderstorms to New Jersey. The sky turned an angry purple, and thunder shook the very foundations of the Alpine mansion.
Lily hated the thunder.
Clara awoke in the middle of the night to a massive crash. She threw off her covers and ran down the hall to Lily's room.
The bed was empty. Peanut and Foxy were abandoned on the floor.
Panic seized her. "Marcus!" Clara yelled, running toward his room. He was already in the hallway, pulling on a shirt.
"She's not in her bed," Clara gasped.
They tore through the house. The library, the kitchen, the sunroom—nothing. The thunder crashed again, rattling the windows.
"Think, Clara. Where does she feel safe?" Marcus asked, trying to keep his own panic at bay.
Clara closed her eyes. A small, dark space. Somewhere quiet.
"The coat closet under the stairs!"
They ran to the foyer. Marcus threw open the heavy oak door. There, curled into a tiny ball amidst winter coats and boots, was Lily. She was crying softly, holding her hands over her ears.
Clara dropped to the floor, pulling the child into her arms just as she had in the boutique. Marcus knelt right beside them, wrapping his large arms around both of them, creating an impenetrable human shield against the storm outside.
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"We've got you," Marcus whispered into the darkness. "We've got you, little one."
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