***
A little over seven days later, we were parked across the road, in Liner’s work truck, fixing a line.
Well, I wasn’t fixing a line, and neither was Liner. His crew was though. We just so happened to be parked amongst them as they worked.
And while they did, I stared across the road that separated us from the school and watched my daughter.
“It’s hard raising a child that’s not your own,” I said softly to the man that was beside me, watching as my little girl played in the sand all by herself. “Tara, Andy and my father scare the crap out of her. Which they should since they’re scary,” I said softly. “And then there’s Tyson, who’s scared to show any affection to her at all in case my family decides to use her against him.” I felt sick to my stomach.
“What about the multiple nannies?” he asked softly.
I looked down at my hands, then back up at Linnie, hungry for a few more stolen glances of her.
I loved her with my whole heart.
There wasn’t one thing on this earth that meant more to me than her.
“I think that was Tyson’s gift to me,” I said softly. “He didn’t want his little girl to love anyone more than me. So he changes them up every so often so she can’t form attachments to them. He’s so standoffish with her, she doesn’t really know what to think about him either. But when she comes and sees me? I don’t pretend not to love her. And she knows it.”
He looked like he’d been hit in the stomach.
“You told me you couldn’t disappear?” he asked. “Why? Why not get her and run? Change your name?”
I smiled sadly.
“My father is high in the government. He can do things, get to people, that are normally untouchable.” My voice quivered. “He’s a bad man, Josiah. Words can’t even explain how bad.”
He made a grumbling noise in his throat.
“I have a friend,” he murmured. “Just got out of prison. Used to be a cop. I’m going to have him look into your father and brother. Sister. But the other friend of the friend? They’re going to get back to me on what you should do next. This tornado that hit? It was perfect. It’s the perfect excuse, and you should use it.”
She shivered. “What you see with Tara is what you get. She’s just a pawn. She has no conscience, so she does what she’s told and doesn’t care what happens to her or to others as she does. Andy? He and my father are the ones you need to worry about.”
He made a sound in his throat.
“Children can be lost all the time,” he said softly, trying not to scare me. “But you’ve been gone out of that facility for a week now. How long do you think it’ll be before they try to take her to make you come out of hiding?”
I swallowed hard.
“I was hoping that they’d think I was dead,” I said softly. “They had four people disappear that night. Two still unaccounted for. I was hoping that they would think I’m just one of them that was lost and will never be found.”
He made a sound in the back of his throat.
“Or they’re thinking that you’re waiting. Hiding. Using the tornado as a front.” He paused. “Which you are.”
I looked down at my hands and said, “What do you suggest?”
“I suggest you take her. Before they can.”Chapter 10Bayou: Do you run?
Liner: My mouth
-group text
Liner
I knew she was scared.
Hell, I could practically feel her shaking all around me.
The meeting with the men of Free, an organization that was experienced in helping battered women escape from abusive situations, was something that scared the absolute crap out of her.
I could tell without a shadow of a doubt that she was scared to hope. Scared to think that maybe this could all work out.
I’d told her that it would, yet she was still refusing to budge. Refusing to think that maybe I was right. Maybe everything could work out.
“How does your ankle feel?” I asked, trying to take her mind off of what was about to go down.
“Much better after the Motrin and rest.” She admitted, biting her lip in worry.
“It’ll be okay, I promise,” I said softly. “Nothing will happen.”
“What if they say that they can’t help me?” she whispered, sounding fearful. “What if they say that I’m dumb and I should’ve left a long time ago?”
I scoffed. “They’re not going to say that. They know the deal. They’re more than aware of your situation, and they’re going to be understanding and kind. I highly doubt anything negative comes out of their mouths at all.”
And I was right.
Mostly.
The moment that Hoax came in the room and saw who I was trying to find help for, he’d frozen solid.