Free Sins of the Father by Melissa Barker-Simpson

under the
cold spray, revelling in the way it cooled her skin. She was on a
deadline so she didn’t have time to waste languishing in the
shower. First on her list was a visit to her brother, but she’d
already convinced herself a few extra minutes wouldn’t
hurt.
    The fact that Brad was
out there somewhere, made her stomach flutter nervously. She could
see him standing to attention like a sentry on guard; he had a
quiet strength about him that she admired.
    When she was tempted to
stretch her few minutes into several more, she turned off the
shower and reached for a towel. Without the sound of running water
to mask the sound, she could hear her mobile chirping away in the
other room. It was her private line, so her mind automatically
jumped to Jack and had her rushing through to pick it
up.
    She didn’t even look at
the display. “Hello?”
    “ Hello,
Alicia.”
    Her heart rammed hard
against her chest. The voice was artificial, a synthesised replica
of the real thing. It didn’t take a genius to guess who it was.
“What do you want?” She was surprised at how level her voice
sounded.
    “ So much for
the Gladstone charm I’ve read so much about. Did you like your
gift? I put a lot of thought into it.”
    Her heart kicked up a
notch – Brad had been right about the parcel. She dug deep to find
the anger disguising itself as a hard ball in her stomach. It
wouldn’t do to give the sick son of a bitch a platform for his
dramatics.
    “ Got to
hell.” She slammed the phone shut, feeling good about regaining
some of the control. ‘See how you like this,’ she muttered and
ripped the battery out. It was satisfying to imagine his
frustration when he called back. The annoyingly pithy tone
informing him she was unreachable had to hurt a little.
    With forced calm, she
walked to the bedroom and threw on a pair of jeans and an old
sweatshirt. The adrenaline was starting to work its way through her
system. It made her hands unsteady, so instead of pulling her hair
back she ran a comb through it as she headed for the
door.
    As she pulled it towards
her, Brad was on the other side about to rap his knuckles on the
smooth surface. It caught them both by surprise - Alicia with one
foot posed to exit and Brad’s fist suspended in mid-air.
    “ We…”
    “ I…”
    The laugh escaped her
before she could stop it; she was feeling a little giddy. “You
first.”
    It took him a moment to
form a coherent sentence. He was mesmerised by the way she looked,
it never stopped taking him by surprise. Her hair was damp and hung
around her shoulders in silky waves. The image of her in the shower
was as distracting as hell.
    “ We scanned
the parcel. I thought you’d like to know.”
    “ It’s from
him, or at least I think it’s a him...the voice was disguised. It
sounded like a man.” Alicia was embarrassed to find herself
babbling.
    She watched the storm
play across his face, fascinated by the speed in which he
controlled it. “He called you?”
    “ Yes, he rang
to brag about the gift, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction.
Hang on.” She ducked back inside to retrieve her phone. “It’s my
private line, so I have no idea how he got his hands on the
number.” She passed him the phone.
    “ There’s a
model of some kind inside the box. We detected a toy car, and
judging from the dimensions it’s probably a replica of your own.
There are no electrical components or hazardous materials, so it’s
safe to open.” He waited for her to secure the lock, a recent
precaution, before leading her across set. “I have a make-shift
office set up if you want to take a look. My partner, Kelvin
Fairchild, has given the all clear.”
    “ I’m tempted
to destroy it, but I have to admit I’m curious.”
    His responding grin was
infectious; it gave her a feeling of alliance. She watched with
interest when he replaced the battery in her phone and began
punching numbers; his long fingers gliding with a familiar ease
over the keypad. After