The silence stretched like a rubber band about to snap. Through the window, Samantha watched her mother's expression shift from confusion to something approaching horror as she took in the scene before her - four people, an eerily glowing paper, and what must have looked like a very compromising situation.
"We should let them in," Callum said softly, his violet eyes fixed on the detective's hand hovering near his belt. "Before assumptions get worse."
Kai moved to the door first, his powerful frame blocking most of the entrance as he opened it. "Evening," he said, managing to sound both casual and authoritative. "Come in."
Linda Parker stepped inside, and Samantha felt an unexpected pang at how elegant her mother looked. Time had been kind to her - honey-blonde hair now threaded with silver was swept back in a perfect chignon, and her blue eyes - so like Samantha's - sparkled with vitality.
