Sins Of The Mother (Chapter-30)

Brooke walked over to the French doors and stared into the back yard. The tire swing that her dad had tied to the large oak near the back of her property for Sierra last spring was swaying slightly in the breeze. It seemed like an eternity since she’d sat on the deck and watched Sierra swing.

Her mind skipped to the cameras that Dolan had used to spy on her. She opened the doors and walked through the yard to the tree line.

It took her a while to find them, but she eventually located all three. Before she thought it through, she was smashing them on the ground. She stood there looking down at the broken cameras, breathing heavily. How long had they been there? How many times had he sat there in the comfort of his own place watching her and Sierra? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She heard a noise behind her and spun around to see her dad walking through the field. She had to get hold of herself. 

John Stevens looked down at the smashed cameras and then back at his daughter. Brooke knew the cameras were evidence and should have been processed, but she didn’t care. He didn’t chastise her. He didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked up to her, put his arm around her, and walked her back to the house.

As they entered, Brooke heard some type of argument going on, and quickly realized Alex had arrived. Apparently, he had started an argument with the first available person he could find, which turned out to be one of the FBI agents. It was getting heated, and although she could tell the agent was trying hard to keep his composure, he was starting to lose his temper.

Her father broke away and walked up to the two of them.

“Can we try to remain civil, please?” he said. “I understand you’re upset, but—”

“Don’t tell me to remain civil. How would you feel if it was your daughter?” Alex’s tone was demeaning.

“Alex, that’s enough!” Brooke said.

“Shut up. I’ll deal with you in a minute.” Alex took a step toward her, and John Stevens moved to block him.

“Tell her to shut up again, and I’ll break your jaw,” Brooke heard her father say. “Lay a hand on her and I’ll kill you with my bare hands, right here, right now.”

The look on her father’s face and the tone of his voice froze Alex in his tracks. It surprised Brooke, too. She’d never heard that tone from her father. There was genuine menace in his voice.

Danny Smart came to the rescue. “Look, we’re all upset. Let’s try to remain calm. The man to blame is out there.”

Brooke sat down on the love seat. She felt exhausted. She looked up as her dad walked over.

“I’m sorry honey. You shouldn’t have had to hear that with everything else that’s going on.”

“Alex was out of line, and you’re a genuine badass.”

“He’s upset. He’s right about Sierra being his daughter, too.”

Brooke looked around the room. Danny had returned to his task force. They were standing close together in the corner of her living room among the computers, tracking devices and other equipment. It was a scene right out of Criminal Minds.

“I can’t believe it, Dad,” she said. “How? How could this happen?”