Evie had expected some kind of reaction, but not this soon.
They were outside the college, parking in one of the few spots available to guests. The morning saw an increase in the number of students walking around, each one busy with their own lives. She wondered what it would be like to not have to worry about serial killers.
“I won’t be long,” Amelia said. “Just let me grab some clothes and books.”
“You want me to come with you?”
“It’s safe in there. Trust.”
Evie let her go, then climbed out of the car for some air. The morning had a touch of frost to it, but she knew the Californian sun would soon melt that away. Until then, she covered her torso with her arms and shivered in the cold, watching her daughter head inside.
Wow, my actual daughter.
It still hadn’t hit her yet, but something else did. Out of nowhere, something small, cold, and plastic struck her forehead. It didn’t hurt, but Evie stumbled back from shock. As she reached up to touch where it had hit, she turned around to see a familiar-looking woman storm toward her. She was short and wiry, her big eyes full of hate.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing here?” she asked, spitting.
It wasn’t until she got closer that Evie recognized Amelia’s adoptive mother. She was eight years older than when she’d last seen her, and as she got closer, the crow’s-feet and bad Botox showed their inability to work together.
“Well? Answer me!”
Evie lowered her hands and put them in her pockets. Although she was trembling, she put all her effort into putting on a calm, unaggressive display. “Look, it’s not what you think. Amelia’s in trouble. She needed me—”
“She needed me. Her real mother. You shouldn’t be here. Now go away. Leave us alone.”
It surprised Evie to discover she actually wanted to comply. She saw the pain on this woman’s face and hated the idea that she had caused it. But it was necessary. “I’m sorry to have to do this,” she said in a low, soothing tone. “Amelia needs to come and stay with me for a few days. Just a few days. Then I’ll make sure she comes back to you safe and sound.”
“She’s not going anywhere,” the woman snapped.
“Sorry, but… she is.”
“I won’t let you take my daughter.” The first sign of tears appeared on her red face.
Evie sighed. The worst part of her was coming through, but she had to use it. It was the only way. “There’s nothing you can do anymore. Amelia is old enough to make her own decisions. The law is not on your side anymore, and Amelia chose this.”
The woman stared at her, teeth gritted and her face turning a darker shade of red. She reeled back her shoulder as if to try a slap, but then she resisted, slinking against the car. “I raised her,” she said, her voice cracking. “I brought her up from a baby. Please don’t do this to me. I need her in my life. I need her…”
Evie’s heart swelled. She had nothing but sympathy for this woman, but she was too stubborn to let her win. Though that didn’t stop her from behaving like a human being. Evie stepped up next to her and spoke calmly. “I’m not stealing her. She knows you’re her mom. It’s just that a killer is out there, and Amelia looks like she might be a target. I’m keeping her out of harm’s way while the police investigate. Okay?”
The woman sniffled. “You promise?”
“Of course.” But Evie didn’t want to promise. Having Amelia back in her life was one of the best things that had ever happened to her, and letting her go at the end of this would destroy her. So she promised to send Amelia back, and that was what she would do. But if Amelia chose to stay, what could Evie really do about it?
She had her mother’s stubbornness, after all.