“They just got a warning,” I scoffed, waving off Sierra’s concern. “I’ve been arrested and warned, and trust me, being warned is much better than being arrested. They’re fine.”
“What’s going to happen?” Sierra asked, jumping at the sound of raised voices inside the cabin. “Are they going to send me back to stay with Sandy? I know what we did was wrong – and I’m not proud of writing ‘loser’ in her mulch – but I think she overreacted when she went after me.”
I frowned, numerous questions warring for top billing in my busy mind. “Why did you write ‘loser’ in her mulch?” What? That sounds both fun and odd to me. Of course, that question would win out over the others. “Was there a reason you did that?”
“Our mother told us to be bad so Sandy wouldn’t want us to visit again,” Sierra explained. “She told us Sandy was a bad person and we should be mean to her because that would make our dad come back. Danny and I thought it was a good idea, so we started doing things … and, well, Sandy didn’t take it well. She started hitting us because we wouldn’t behave.”
“We saw the video,” Eliot said. “Did Sandy know you had that?”
Sierra nodded. “We threatened her with it,” she said. “She hit us a few times, but it was always when my dad wasn’t around. She was careful to not leave a mark. We decided to get her mad one day when my dad was at work so we could record it and show it to him.
“I wrote the message in her mulch,” she continued. “She’s crazy about her flowers and she doesn’t like messy things. She freaked out and hit me. Danny was hiding in the closet filming. Then we hid the phone and told her what we did. She kind of wigged out.”
“We noticed,” Eliot said dryly. “How long before Stanley grabbed you in the mall did you tell her you had the video?”
“About three days,” Sierra answered. “We were using it to blackmail her into giving us money and being nice to us. I guess she didn’t like that.”
“I guess not,” Eliot said, shaking his head. “You know what you did is wrong, right?”
“It didn’t feel wrong,” Sierra said. “Sandy broke up my family.”
“Your father broke up your family,” Eliot clarified. “I’m not saying Sandy is a good person. In fact, Sandy is a pretty rotten person. You guys weren’t perfect in this either, though. Your mother shouldn’t have told you to do the things you did.”
“I understand the urge to get under people’s skin,” I added. “I’m a master at it.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Eliot muttered.
I ignored him. “You can’t go after people without consequences, though,” I said. “You have to realize that. Now, Sandy took this to a level that is just … dumbfounding. You still should’ve been more careful, though.”
Sierra’s lower lip quivered. “Am I in trouble?”
“I think you’ve probably been punished enough,” I said.
“Don’t do it again,” Eliot warned. “I got shot and my girlfriend was obsessed to the point she made herself sick. You got kidnapped and your brother was terrified. Your parents got in trouble with the police and … well … each other.”
“What does that mean?” Sierra asked.
“Ask them,” Eliot instructed, refusing to go into the grimy details.
“I have one other question,” I prodded, drawing Sierra’s attention back to me. “How did Stanley get you out of the mall without anyone noticing?”
Sierra knit her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you were on camera by the lotion store and then you just disappeared,” I said.
“Oh, that,” Sierra said, licking her lips. “Um … I’m not sure you want to hear about that.”
“Oh, we want to hear about it,” Eliot said, making a face. “We definitely want to hear about it.”
“The thing is, Stanley didn’t technically kidnap me from the mall,” Sierra said. “My mother told us to get in as much trouble as possible when we were with Sandy. Danny and I decided to separate that day because we wanted Sandy to have to look for us. Danny went to the arcade, and I went to the lotion store so I could shoplift some stuff. I love that pear lotion they have.”
“That does smell good,” I said, earning a reproachful stare from Eliot. “Shoplifting is very wrong, though.”
“I know that,” Sierra said. “That’s why I put on a hat that kind of hid my face when I was doing it. One of the clerks in the store was watching me. I think she was suspicious. When she got busy helping another customer I put the hat on and pretended to look at myself in the mirror, and then I walked out of the store before the other clerk realized what happened.”
“And we didn’t see you leave the store because we weren’t looking for the hat,” I mused. “Then you went to the arcade and took off the hat, right? We saw you go in the arcade without the hat on. We didn’t see you leave, though. Then what happened?”
“I headed for the arcade,” Sierra supplied. “I thought Stanley was following me, but I didn’t recognize him because Sandy made us wait in the car the day before. I thought he was someone Sandy hired to steal my phone, so I hid it in the arcade. I was going to make Danny grab it before he left, but then Stanley came up and told me who he was. Danny wasn’t near me, so I left without telling him where I was going. I put the hat back on and tied my coat around my waist because I didn’t want Sandy to recognize me if she was walking around. I also didn’t want the store clerk to come looking for me.”
“Did Stanley tell you the truth?” Eliot asked.
“He said he was Sandy’s father and told me they had a falling out years ago,” Sierra answered. “He said he didn’t want his daughter married to my father any more than I did and he had information I could use against Sandy to break them up. He said it was in his van and all I had to do was walk out there to get it.”
“So you followed him out, and instead of getting information he threw you in the van and tied you up,” Eliot said. “Did he ask about Danny?”
Sierra nodded. “He wanted my brother really badly, but I was afraid to tell him where Danny was. I lied and said we were going to meet at the Old Navy. He was swearing up a storm when he got back to the van after looking for Danny.”
“You saved Danny with that lie,” Eliot said. “You probably saved yourself, too. The shoplifting was still wrong. The messing with Sandy was immature and stupid. The lying was a good idea, though.”
“Do you think I’ll get arrested for shoplifting?” Sierra asked.
“I think you’re going to get a pass because of the whole kidnapping thing,” I answered honestly. “Don’t do it again, though. Only losers shoplift.”
“And we’re going to write it in your mulch if you do it again,” Eliot threatened.
“I’ve got it,” Sierra said. “Stealing bad. Lying good.”
“That’s not what I said,” Eliot protested.
“That’s perfect,” I said.
“BOTH OF the Newmans are in custody,” Jake said five minutes later, descending the cabin’s porch steps with a disgusted look on his face. “Do you want to tell me how you ended up with Sierra?”
“She broke the window out and Eliot grabbed her to protect her,” I replied, unruffled. “Have the Newmans admitted this was all Sandy’s plan?”
“Stanley isn’t admitting anything, but Claire won’t shut up,” Jake replied. “She knows she’s in big trouble for shooting Eliot.”
“I want to kick her in her naughty place, too,” I said, glancing over my shoulder to the spot where paramedics bandaged Eliot’s shoulder and Sierra watched with wide-eyed awe because he was forced to take his shirt off for treatment. What? He looks incredible when he’s shirtless. I don’t blame the kid for getting distracted. “Have her parents been told about her rescue?”
“Sandy is being taken into custody right now,” Jake said, pushing me to the side to allow his deputies a clear path to move the Newmans through as they directed them toward cruisers. “Once Sandy is taken care of, Bridget and D
aniel will be transported here for a reunion.”
“What do you think is going to happen with all of that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as Stanley shot me a dirty look.
“I don’t really know, and I can’t say I care,” Jake said. “I … .” He broke off and followed my death glare as Stanley was led away. “You want to kick him, don’t you?”
“I really do,” I admitted. “I promise to be quick if you let me do it.”
“No way,” Jake said. “I can’t allow … you know what? Knock yourself out. I don’t care. He’s a douche. Just make sure my back is turned when you do it.”
“Thank you,” I said, pressing a quick kiss to Jake’s cheek. “You’re the best cop ever.”
“Coming from you, I’m pretty sure that’s a bad thing,” Jake said, sighing. “What a day.”
“What a life,” I shot back, scurrying in Stanley’s direction. “Everybody stand back! I’m about to kick someone in the nuts and I don’t want to miss!”
“Spending time with you makes me tired,” Jake lamented.
“Join the club,” Eliot called out, pressing his lips together and forcing a smile as Sierra gazed at him adoringly.
I couldn’t figure out what they were complaining about. Today turned out to be a great day.
31
“I don’t want to go in there.”
I pulled up short, causing Eliot to slam into my back and graze his chin against my head, and stared at the family restaurant.
“Avery, you need to suck it up,” Eliot said, rubbing his chin. “It’s family dinner night. We all know that you can’t get out of family dinner unless you’re dead. I thought we should tell people I was shot to get out of it, but you said that wouldn’t work because Derrick knew it was a superficial wound.”
“I tuned out more than half of what you just said,” I admitted.
Eliot made a face. “Why?”
“I got bored,” I answered. “I think we should leave. We’ll call my mother when we’re safely on the road and tell her we had car trouble. That will give us another week to figure out how you’re going to drop the bomb on her.”
“I am not dropping any bomb on her,” Eliot argued. “You’re telling your mother about us moving in together. That’s your job.”
“Eliot?” I used my patented “little girl” voice as I shuffled closer to him. “I would feel better if you told her.”
“That won’t work on me,” Eliot said, flicking my nose. “I know that voice. You pull it out only when you want to manipulate people. You can’t manipulate me. I’m manipulation-proof where you’re concerned.”
“That’s a horrible thing to say about the woman you supposedly love.”
“It’s only horrible if it isn’t true,” Eliot countered. “This happens to be true.”
This time my tone took on a whiny quality that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for cute. “I can’t tell her, Eliot,” I said. “She’ll cause a scene. She’ll shoot those death rays she hides in her eyes at me and we’ll be disintegrated. Do you want to be disintegrated?”
“You watch way too much television,” Eliot said. “Avery, this isn’t a big deal. You’re an adult. Why do you care what your mother thinks about us moving in together?”
“I know I shouldn’t care,” I said, rolling my neck until it cracked and risking a glance over my shoulder to make sure no one from my family snuck out when I wasn’t looking. Now was not the time for eavesdroppers to secure blackmail fodder. “I can’t help it. She will say awful things. She will yell at me and fill the room with her disappointment vibes.”
“Do you want to move in with me?” Eliot challenged.
“Yes.”
“Then you have to tell your mother the truth,” Eliot said. “We’re starting to look for houses this weekend. It’ll be a lot worse if we find a house, sell yours, and move without telling her.”
Now that was an idea I could get behind. “Let’s do that,” I suggested. “She’ll be so angry if we do that she’ll never speak to me again.”
“You act as if that’s what you want, but the last time that happened you obsessed about it for days,” Eliot pointed out. “The best thing to do is tell her the truth.”
“Fine,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. “Just so you know, though, if she does manage to get her hands around my neck and kill me I’m going to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life. You’ll never be able to date anyone else again because I’ll ruin it for you.”
“If you die I won’t want to date anyone else ever again anyway,” Eliot said. “My heart will be too broken.”
“Oh, you’re so sappy and cute,” I said. “That doesn’t make me feel better, though, so you need to stuff it.”
“I hate it when you get like this,” Eliot grumbled.
“Because it’s your fault, I have no idea what you’re complaining about,” I shot back.
“What are you guys doing out here?” Derrick asked, appearing out of the darkness. He had his arm around Devon’s waist and they appeared snuggly. I couldn’t help but wonder if that meant she’d told him the truth.
“We’re arguing about something,” I answered.
“We’re not arguing,” Eliot clarified. “We’re … debating the merits associated with one course of action versus another.”
“That’s called a fight,” Devon supplied.
“No, it’s not,” Eliot said.
“Yes, it is.”
Eliot glanced at me for help. “Tell her we’re not fighting.”
“We’re definitely fighting,” I said. “What? Don’t give me that look. I don’t like her, but she’s right. We’re fighting and you’re a butthead.”
Derrick snickered. “I’m glad to see some things never change,” he said.
I took a moment to study him under the dim light. He looked happy, relaxed even. If Devon told him the truth, he took the baby bomb a lot better than I expected. “Why are you in such a good mood?” I asked. “Did you two make up?”
“We were never fighting,” Devon answered, shooting me a quelling look. “We had a misunderstanding and we’ve worked it out. We’re blissfully happy again.”
“I’m thrilled for you,” I deadpanned. Internally I was actually thrilled. Devon and Derrick’s reunion offered me an out if I wanted to take it. “Are you guys … I don’t know … making an announcement tonight?”
“Avery.” Eliot’s voice was low and menacing.
“What kind of announcement?” Derrick asked, knitting his eyebrows.
Devon and I locked gazes, something unsaid passing between us. I knew then that she hadn’t told Derrick about the baby, and she knew I was aware of her secret. That little bomb was still hanging around until she gathered the courage to drop it. I almost felt sorry for her.
“Nothing,” I said finally, shaking my head. “We should probably go inside. If we’re late my mother will complain about it all night.”
The four of us fell into step and moved toward the restaurant.
“What happened with Sierra?” I asked.
“She’s back with her parents,” Derrick replied. “They’re back together, by the way. Apparently their parking lot sexcapades weren’t an isolated thing. As soon as Daniel found out Sandy was guilty he announced he was getting back with Bridget. They’re going to sue Sandy and her parents for all they’re worth.
“You were right about why Sandy wanted the kids kidnapped, by the way,” he continued. “She thought she could scare them into straightening up their act, steal the phone back and rescue them to look like a hero. Once that backfired on her, she had no idea what to do. She was beginning to panic.”
I snorted. “That sounds about right. Is Sierra okay?”
“She seems okay,” Derrick answered, reaching for the door and holding it open so Devon could enter first. “I think she has a long road ahead of her. She wasn’t physically abused. Her family is a form of abuse in some ways, but in other ways she’s going to get exactly what she wanted
.”
“How long is that going to last, though?” I asked, walking into the restaurant and immediately scanning the family table for a glimpse of my mother. Thankfully she didn’t appear to be here yet. “Daniel and Bridget are volatile. It’s only a matter of time before Daniel feels neglected and starts looking for someone to dote on him again.”
“I know,” Derrick said. “We can’t fix that, though. We found Sierra and reunited her with her family. That was our job, and it’s done. We got the best outcome we could hope for. The rest is up to that family.”
I knew he was telling the truth, yet I couldn’t help but hope things would get better for Sierra and Danny. I didn’t care about their parents, but I wanted both kids to have a shot at decent lives. “I hope things work out.”
“I do, too,” Derrick said.
“I can’t believe you wore that shirt to dinner,” Mom said, popping up in the spot behind the cash register and taking me by surprise. She must have been kneeling down so we didn’t notice her.
I glanced down at my shirt and smirked. I’d almost forgotten what Star Wars top I selected before leaving the house. This was a special one. It had round C-3P0 and R2-D2 heads right over my breasts and read “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” There was something strangely titillating about the shirt. Eliot loved it. “What’s wrong with my shirt?” I asked, feigning innocence.
“It’s pornographic,” Mom answered, not missing a beat. “I know what that means. If you thought I wouldn’t know what it means, you were wrong. You should change.”
“I don’t have any clothes in Eliot’s truck,” I said, shooting a dirty look in Devon’s direction when I realized she was enjoying my mother’s distaste. “We could leave if you’re really offended,” I offered.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Mom said. “I … wait a second.” She looked me up and down. “You have a secret.”
Crap. How could she possibly know that? “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, averting my gaze.
“That right there,” Mom said, pointing at my face. “You have a secret. I want to know what it is.”
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