Matchbox Girls Read Online Free PDF Page A

raised her voice, calling to the girls. When they ran over to her, she said, “Do you two know this man?”
    They shook their heads, pressing shyly against her sides. She looked up at Jeremy White again, narrowing her eyes.
    He sighed. “Whether they recognize me is irrelevant to whether or not the courts do. But if you release them to me now, I’ll make sure no charges are pressed.” He reached out for her hand.
    Marley looked down as he slid the business card between her fingers, and saw “Attorney at Law” printed under his name, and his expensive watch, and a swirling tattoo peeking out from his shirt sleeve.
    Through numb lips, she said, “How did you even know he was gone?”
    “He called me. Right before he left.” He smiled and added, “From his house phone.”
    Kari said eagerly, “Why did he go?”
    Lissa added, “Where is he?”
    The lawyer directed his smile at the kids. “He’s on a plane flight right now.” He glanced up at Marley again. “He’ll be calling tonight to talk to the kids. I was supposed to pick them up from the house earlier, but I was... delayed.” He frowned and then shook his head. “To be honest, I’m looking forward to finding out what’s going on. He was distracted when he called me.”
    Marley felt cold, despite the blazing sun. What he said made sense. He’d already convinced the children; she could feel them pulling away from her. But she wanted to find a hole in his story. “How did you know I had them?”
    His teeth showed again, not unkindly. “You left a note.”
    “Oh.” She'd meant that for Zachariah. And she'd locked the door. Hadn't she? She felt thick and stupid. His smile was really beautiful, and he was being so patient with her. What had possessed her to just take the children anyhow? Zachariah must have had a different plan; he knew how incompetent she was at running her own life these days. The children had a trust fund; with trust funds came lawyers, and a whole slew of people to take care of what needed taking care of.
    She felt dizzy. “Did you know their mother?”
    His smile faded, and his blue gaze went far away. For a moment, it felt like Marley had been released from a crushing pressure.
    “Nineveh,” he murmured, and his gaze snapped back to Marley. “Yes. A very special young woman.” His broad smile returned. “Perhaps Zachariah’s finally tracked her down.”
    The sense of pressure returned. He was so believable. So genuine. Those blue eyes were drowning her.
    But she’d had a chance to breathe, for just a moment. She fought back. “I want to see some kind of documentation.”
    He gave her a concerned look and said, very quietly, “You’re the one who kidnapped them, Miss Claviger, and I’m the lawyer. All I need to do is call the police. That would be so upsetting, don’t you think? And unnecessary, too.”
    Then he knelt down and held out a hand to each twin. “Ready to go talk to your uncle?”
    Kari and Lissa seemed mesmerized. They stepped away from her.
    Marley’s world cracked open. The sky howled above her. She stumbled and fell against the bench, bruising her hip. The pain became a flash of vision: the twins crying and screaming, furious and fading away. The pain throbbed again and the vision vanished, a shout of despair burning Marley’s throat. She panted and squeezed her eyes shut against the spinning around her.
    When she went to rub her face, she realized she was holding each girl tightly by a wrist. They nuzzled up against her. A tiny hand pressed against her cheek. “Are you sick, Marley?” asked Lissa.
    “Do you need your pills?” asked Kari. She looked over at Jeremy. “Can she come with us? She's our friend.”
    Her pills. Maybe it was time to up her dose again, she thought blearily. She hadn’t had an attack that vivid since high school, before she'd started the medication. Those attacks had never faded quickly, but this time the screaming fear that had overcome her was gone already, leaving just