The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks Read Free Book Online

old. And I can protect us both. I inherited a shotgun from my father.”
    Shanna winced. “You keep a weapon in the house with a child?”
    Heather gritted her teeth. There was nothing she took more seriously than being a good mom. “I don’t keep it loaded. Of course, now I need to get some shells for it.”
    Emma’s eyes gleamed with approval. “You know how to shoot?”
    “Yes. My dad taught me everything about gun safety. He was an expert.”
    “What happened to him?” Shanna asked.
    “He was…shot.”
    Shanna grimaced.
    “In the line of duty,” Heather added. “He was the town sheriff.”
    “Unfortunately, that just goes to show you that even the best of professionals can be killed,” Emma said. “You need help to protect your daughter. You cannot stay awake and alert 24/7.”
    “Fidelia is packing, too.”
    Shanna gasped. “Your four-year-old has a gun?”
    “No, of course not!” Heather huffed. “I would never allow my daughter around guns.” She winced. That wasn’t quite true. Fidelia had made it clear that she never went anywhere without her pistols. “Fidelia is my live-in babysitter and an old friend of the family. She would do anything to protect Bethany and me.”
    “So there are two women in your household who know how to shoot?” Emma asked, smiling. “Would you like to make it three?”
    Shanna grinned. “That’s a great idea!”
    “What?” Heather settled the baby Constantine on her hip.
    “But do you think Angus will mind?” Shanna leaned toward Heather and whispered, “They’re newlyweds.”
    “We’ve been married a year now, so I don’t think a few nights apart will kill Angus,” Emma protested. “What do you think, Heather?”
    “It’s very kind of you to want to help, but—” Heather winced when the baby tugged on her hair.
    “I’m vice president of MacKay Security and Investigation,” Emma explained. “And I’m a former employee of MI6 and the CIA, so I’ll make a very good bodyguard.”
    Heather was impressed. “I really appreciate your offer, but my funds are very limited—”
    “No charge,” Emma interrupted. “Jean-Luc helped Angus and me when we were in trouble. I owe him one.”
    “It’s the perfect solution,” Shanna concluded.
    Constantine tugged once again on Heather’s hair, and she glanced at his face. His eyes captured her attention.
    “My days are…tied up, so I can only guard you at night,” Emma continued. “But that’ll give you and your babysitter a chance to sleep, so you’ll be better able to protect yourselves during the day.”
    “I understand.” A calm acceptance seeped into Heather as the baby smiled at her. “Thank you, Emma. I’m delighted to have your help.”
    “Great! I’ll let the men know what we decided, then we can go.” Emma strode toward the group of men.
    Constantine released his grip on Heather’s hair. “You can put me down now.”
    She blinked. The toddler’s voice was remarkably clear. And there was something oddly intelligent about his eyes. She set him on his feet. “How old is he?”
    “Seventeen months,” Shanna replied.
    Heather watched him stroll calmly back to his mother. “He’s a special little boy.”
    Shanna beamed with pride. “Yes, he is.”
     
    Thirty minutes later, Heather pulled her Chevy truck into the driveway of her home in Schnitzelberg.
    “What a lovely house.” Emma opened the passenger door to get out.
    “I inherited it from my parents.” Heather loved the old Queen Anne with the wide porch and hanging swing. She loved the gingerbread woodwork around the porch and second-floor balcony. But most of all, she loved the fact that she could raise her daughter in the same house where she’d grown up.
    She grabbed her purse and the shopping bag containing her newly purchased lacy underwear and shotgun shells. Emma hadn’t batted an eyelash at the discount store, so Heather liked her already. “This way.” She headed up the stairs to the front door.
    Emma