Читать книгу Child of Mine - Bonnie K. Winn - Страница 9

Los Angeles, California

The carton was small. But it was all Kyle had left behind when he’d disappeared eight years ago, taking their precious baby, stealing her hope.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor in the attic of her parents’ Brentwood home, Leah Hunter dug through the contents of the carton as she had hundreds of times before. She’d tried to leave it behind when she moved to her own apartment. But she couldn’t. She was searching for a clue, any clue that could tell her where Kyle had gone.

She had been nineteen when she’d married him. A naive nineteen, she realized now, because she’d believed Kyle’s lies. But she’d never believed he would kidnap baby Danny.

Leah picked up the only unique item in the carton, a hand-carved box. It was so simple it was elegant. She opened the hinged lid and smoothed her fingers over the sleek wood interior, searching for a hidden panel—yet again. But she still couldn’t find anything. Like everything else Kyle had left, it was a dead end.

She had been as dazzled by him as he’d been by her parents’ money. It was all he’d ever wanted from her. But when they wouldn’t hand out the money, he’d taken Danny.

Frustrated, Leah tapped on the side of the box fiercely. A small drawer, the same size as the base of the box, slid open.

Her heart skipped a beat. Shaking, she lifted it to the light.

The drawer was empty, but engraved on one side was a name: Matt Whitaker. And a place: Rosewood, Texas.

It could just be the name of the person who’d carved the box, Leah realized. But it was the first clue in eight years. And nothing would keep her from trying to find her son. Nothing.