Shadow's Embrace: Slaughter Series Book 2

Chapter 3

Stanley Turk watched his daughter dash across the small playground and race up the slide, her yellow skirt blowing around her small legs as she made her way to the top. He smiled and waved to her as she adjusted herself and slid down, landing comfortably on both feet before running around and climbing up the ladder again.

He made his way to a small bench and sat down with a sigh, his stomach starting to grumble in protest. They had been to the local burger joint, and although his daughter seemed to be energized, the meal was not sitting very well with him. Still, he fought the urge to drive home and do something about it. He rarely had enough time to spend with his daughter anyway, and he wasn’t going to deny her the pleasures of the weekend.

Stanley scanned the other benches around the playground, smiling at the mothers sitting and reading as they watched their children play. He brought his own book, but he knew Tracy wouldn’t give him a chance to read, constantly calling out to grab his attention as she showcased her talents on the swings or monkey bars.

Stanley Turk closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing his senses to saturate with the sounds of the park around him. It was good being outside for a change. The endless hours in front of a computer screen were getting to him, and he was getting sick of the constant demands of his job. It was one thing to be freelancing and working from home; it was something else entirely to have to sit behind a desk where your boss could constantly look over your shoulder and ask for a progress report.

Not that he minded the career in itself. Ever since he was a child, he loved the idea of electronics. When his father bought him his first personal computer, Stanley was over the moon. He loved the intricacies of the machine, the way it spoke to him as if both he and machine were locked in a constant numerical conversation. He loved the codes, the tapestry of intricate lines of letters and numbers, and the results that played out in the end.

He wouldn’t have traded his career for the world.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true.

Stanley opened his eyes and gazed at his eight year-old as she raced back and forth between the different games in the playground. He knew that it was only a matter of time before she would wave him over to help push her on the swings. She looked over at him and smiled, and as always, he felt his heart melt as he smiled back. 

Tracy was the one exception. He would give up everything for her, and in a way, he had.

Stanley tried not to think too much about the last few months; the struggle his wife fought and lost with cancer. The devastation took over his entire life, and if not for his daughter, Stanley would have probably lost his mind. It had been hard trying to man up for the little girl, but he had done all he could to make sure that, although her mother was gone, Tracy would always feel loved and appreciated. It was a promise he made to her and to himself.

It did mean he had to make some serious life changes to fulfill his promise. Leaving Boston was probably the most important of them; his childhood home an integral part of his life. However, in the grand scheme of things, when it came to his daughter, Stanley knew he couldn’t be selfish about things like that.

Boston had too many memories, and the only for Tracy to grow up healthy and strong was to make sure she wasn’t constantly subjected to those. A part of him knew that leaving Boston would be good for him, too, and eventually the choice hadn’t been as difficult as he imagined.

He applied to several jobs in New England, and although he received many offers, Melington was the most promising of them all. He needed a change of atmosphere, and although he could have moved anywhere in the country while keeping his clients, he knew that staying at home would make things more difficult than they needed to be. He hated the idea of a nine-to-five job, but after a month on the job, he welcomed the numbness it provided.

Stanley watched his daughter hang on the monkey bars, giggling as she showcased her talents to her new friends. He could already see the changes Melington was making to her mood; the sullen look that had constantly been on her face gone completely as she adapted to the new environment. Even the school had been a warm retrieve from what she had been accustomed to in Boston. He could already see that this town was going to be good for the both of them, and there was no doubt in his mind that he made the right choice.

Stanley Turk opened his book and began to read, his eyes shifting from the pages to his daughter, then back again. Melington was going to be good to them; he could feel it.