Claire’s POV
I wake to the wrong kind of quiet.
Not the peaceful kind Jeremy’s warm body brings with him, next to me, and I reach across the bed out of habit, heart sinking when I touch cold sheets. Empty. Jeremy came in sometime after midnight, I know that much because I felt the mattress dip, the weight of him beside me, wrapping me into his bear body.
Trying not to let it bother me too much, because he’s busy on a case, I get up, telling myself I trust him. I do trust him. Still, my chest feels hollow in a way I don’t like as I head downstairs, passing Daniel’s door and knocking on it to wake him up.
Barely on the stairs, Daniel whimpers. It’s small at first, the sound of a bad dream or a half-formed complaint, but it sharpens when I take a step back, turning around to stare at his
