The Sacrifice by Mia McKimmy Read Free Book Online Page B

exploration. He materialized inside the kitchen, and
squinted against the brightness of his surroundings. The counters, cabinets,
appliances, walls, even the floors were white. Not a crumb or spot of dirt
anywhere, as if no food had ever touched a surface.
    I ’ m sure she ’ s no Betty Crocker .
    A
slight smile crossed his lips as he recalled the first meal she ’ d
made him. No seasoning, the meat charred so black he could have eaten a burnt
woodchip and not known the difference. Instead of hurting her feelings, he ’ d
forced down every bite.
    Oz
eased through a dining room and came to an abrupt stop at the living room
entrance. He glanced down at his boots and checked for dirt before stepping
onto the white carpet. He scanned the room ’ s white furniture and
shook his head.
    Man , what is it with her and white? Growing
up in this place must have been hell for a child. I bet Riana wasn ’ t allowed to touch a thing.
    He
climbed the stairs, and glanced inside several bedrooms as he eased through the
hall. A pink room with splashes of vibrant greens, the only non-sterile room in
the house, had probably been Riana ’ s before she ’ d
left for college. Pictures of her with friends sat on the dresser. Her carefree
smile in the photographs was a sharp contrast to the girl he ’ d
met earlier at the compound. Framed academic awards bearing her name hung on
the walls. He ’ d missed all the laughter and accomplishments of
her entire childhood. Anger began a slow burn in his gut. How could Analae have
robbed him of being a father?
    The hum of a motor coming up the
driveway alerted Oz, and he transported back to the chair on the screened
porch. A white BMW pulled around to the rear of the house and stopped. He
watched as Analae got out and removed several bags from the back seat.
    A band clenched around his heart and
squeezed like a vice. Analae was as beautiful as the day she had left. The same
pale, flawless skin, bright green eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes, and
hair so black it was almost blue.
    She came up on the porch while digging
in her purse, oblivious to his presence.
    “ Hello, Analae, ” he said with a deep growl.
    Her head jerked toward him. She let
out a blood-curdling scream, dropped everything in her hands and transported
off the porch. The pounding of feet climbing stairs alerted him to where she
was. He rose from the chair, picked up her bags and transported inside the back
door.
    “Analae,
you need to come down here and talk to me. I ’ m not leaving until
you do.”
    “Go away, Oz. I have nothing to say to
you.”
    “Oh,
but I think you do have something to say to me. Now get down here or I ’ ll
come up there and drag you down.” Oz sat her things on the counter.
    After a few seconds footsteps crept
down the stairs. She stopped inside the door on the opposite side of the
kitchen.
    “Is
she my daughter?” he blurted. This wasn ’ t going as smoothly
as he ’ d wanted. He attempted to soften the hard glare he ’ d
pinned her with.
    Analae eased toward the counter, not
taking her eyes off him, as if he were a cobra ready to strike.
    A
knot formed in Oz ’ s throat. Did she really think he was capable of
harming her? He stiffened his back; he had to be strong. Without a healthy dose
of fear, she may not tell him the truth.
    She grabbed the coffee pot and ran
some water. “Is who your daughter?” she asked in an innocent, nonchalant voice.
    “Riana.
You know very well who. Don ’ t mess with me, Analae. You need to choose your
words wisely. I ’ m very angry with you right now, so whatever comes
out of your mouth had better be the truth. You were either pregnant by someone
else when you left me, or she is mine. I suspect it ’ s
the latter, since I can plainly see my mother in her.”
    Analae
didn ’ t respond until she finished scooping coffee into
the filter. She turned, keeping her gaze on the floor and quietly answered,
“Yes, Oz. Riana is your daughter.”
    Oz struggled to