Free Devil in Disguise by Heather Huffman Page A

week, but they came bearing presents anyway. It was eerie how much the cherubic little boy looked like his uncle, to Rachel anyway. The child had such a sparkle about him, it made Rachel almost forget the evil in the world. Something about his smile banished the darkness.
    Gifts or no, Benjamin Russell was terrified of his uncle. He’d taken right to Rachel and had even warily accepted Rosemary and Julia. But whenever Conrad spoke to him, the child hid behind his mother’s legs. Whether it was Conrad’s still-raspy voice or the sheer size of him, Benjamin was afraid, and Rachel could tell his fear hurt Conrad.
    Neena’s daughter, Gabrielle, had a different reaction altogether. The teenager launched herself at Conrad the moment he stepped out of the old Chevy truck they’d paid cash for somewhere around Memphis. He caught her up in his arms and twirled her in a laughing embrace. The exertion was a bit much for him, though no one but Rachel noticed.
    “Uncle Conrad, I’ve missed you so much! Where have you been? You totally ditched me!” The sheer joy in her voice belied her reprimand, or perhaps added to it.
    “Been busy getting myself into trouble, mon chaton ,” he answered with surprising honesty.
    “You always do without me,” she retorted.
    The girl was the very image of her mother, only taller. She had Conrad’s easygoing manner and sharp wit, a product of spending the first ten years of her life in her uncle’s care. Her bubbling personality, and that of her stepsister Cara, stood in stark contrast to the withdrawn and hunted expression etched on Julia’s face.
    Just as Rachel suspected she would, Neena formed an immediate connection with Julia. Once introductions were made all around and the guests had been shown their rooms, Neena had slipped off to visit one on one with Julia.
    They’d arrived in time for lunch. The day had been filled with getting to know each other and settling in. Now the dinner dishes were cleared away, the baby was happily being rocked to sleep by her mama, Benjamin was chasing chickens, and the girls had settled in for a talk a safe distance from the adults. Rachel noticed that Julia mostly listened, but at least she’d gone with Cara and Gabrielle.
    Rosemary had retired to her room; Rachel suspected she planned to slip into a pill-laced sleep, but she let it slide. She was happy for a chance to finally talk to Charlie and Neena alone with Conrad.
    “You know I’m happy to see you, Conrad.” Neena wasted no time getting to the point. “And you know that I, of all people, can’t throw stones. I shut you out for ten years. But where have you been? And don’t think I’ll let you off as easy as Gabrielle did.”
    “We did miss you. It’s good to see you here,” Charlie added, his approach more diplomatic than his wife’s, as usual.
    “You got chickens,” Conrad observed, skirting the topic. “We used to have chickens as kids. Remember that, Neena? I miss having chickens.”
    “I did, too. That’s why I got some. You could have chickens too, mon cher . Just settle down with Rachel and buy a flock. Hell, I’ll help you build the coop.”
    “Neena.” Charlie shook his head, exasperation evident in his voice.
    “I’m not sure I want chickens,” Rachel hedged nervously.
    “You’ll love them,” Neena promised before turning to Conrad. “See? The only thing she isn’t sure about is the chickens. She seems okay with marrying you.”
    Charlie smiled and went to refill the tea pitcher. Rachel sputtered, but her reply was overlapped by Conrad’s.
    “And you wonder why I haven’t been back in years.”
    “Nice try, cher . But thank you for bringing the topic back on track. Where have you been? Keep in mind, when I disappeared, I was in prison, so you probably haven’t done anything worse than that.”
    The silence lasted long enough for Charlie to come back with the tea. Rachel gave Conrad a pointed look, silently urging him to speak.
    “The casino I worked at