"Go away. I don't want you here!"
"So? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to run to dad, like he could do anything?"
"I said, go away"!
"Oh, right. The only thing dad can do is send us to the hospital, where we'll live forever and eat pills. Do you want that to happen?"
She felt that feeling again. The weird feeling that started in her stomach. She didn't like it. Not at all.
"Kee, what's going on? Are you okay? If you really don't want to play..." Her older brother Will said, while he hold the game right in front of her eyes.
"Leave me alone!" Kee screamed and took the game, and threw it on the floor with nothing but anger in her eyes.
"What's wrong with you? Just a minuite ago you wanted to play! I just teased you a little! Come on!" Will said.
"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you" She said in a low dangerous voice.
"I hate you too" Will said, with a cracked voice. He runned out from the room with a hurted face.
The weird feeling disappeard, and Kee wondered where her brother was. Just a second ago he was here, with the game, teasing her like always. She went downstairs too look for her brother, and found him under the kitchen table, with tears in his eyes.
"Will, why are you so sad?"
"Kee, you just said you hated me!"
"Silly, I would never say anthing like that" She said with a little smile.
She felt a quick twist and whispered in a soft voice
"Brother, I love you, but if you even get the idea to tell mum and dad, I will suffocating you slowly when you're alseep."
Her ten year old brother screamed, and ran away.
Left standing next to the kitchen table was the seven year old girl, with a smile on her face, laughing.
A criminal mastermind makes a bold move against a wealthy client to put himself in a position to retire in comfort. He has no idea what he's up against when a young widow, desperate to make ends meet, sets her eyes on earning the bounty set on his head.
***
Newly widowed housewife Melody Scott needs to earn some major cash, fast. When her bright and busy children learn that a priceless ruby bracelet has been stolen and a six-figure reward is being offered, they convince her to try to do what the police, museum security, and the best private investigators have failed to do. Working against them is a notorious thief who has met people from around the world, but who has never once encountered a woman like Melody Scott. When the sweet innocence of the Scott family clashes against criminal forces more dangerous than they ever imagined, Melody is all too aware that a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do to protect her family.
The Widow, Melody Scott is a 2021 Watty Award Winner!
Content Warning: This story does contain depictions of stalking behavior.