by Jill Cooper
“The woman with the purple hair.”
A scene flashes in my mind. Something cold like metal presses against my neck, and then electricity is jolting through my body. The world goes dark as I’m thrown into the back of a van.
When I can see again, a dark, shaded face, framed by purple hair, leans in and whispers to me. “You have to protect that video you took at all costs. If anyone finds out you have it, they’ll kill you.”
I flash back to the present with no idea when or where this happened. Did this happen to me? Or the other Lara before I changed the past?
I leave Mike to go to the bathroom. I flip the light on and peer at my neck, where I felt the jolt of electricity, and sure enough I see two purple marks on my neck. As if I was attacked by a vampire.
Or a Taser.
I take my hair out of its ponytail and ruffle it along my shoulders, so no one else will see. When I exit again, Mike is gone and Mom is standing there waiting for me. Her eyes are rimmed red. If there is a hell, she appears to be there.
“Hi,” I say quietly, awkwardly. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to say.
She frowns and comes to me. Putting her hands on my shoulders, she kisses my head and pulls me in for a deep, warm hug. I close my eyes and give a relieved sigh. I lie against her, wishing she could hold me forever.
“I never should’ve—last night—I’m so sorry, Lara. You’re hurting. I’m hurting. I shouldn’t have.”
I nod but can’t speak.
“You’re my baby too. You know that? But Molly is only a little girl. I … get so scared. I don’t want to lose any of my babies, ever.”
“We’ve been through a lot lately.”
She strokes my hair from my face and kisses my forehead, her chin quivering. “That we have.”
“I guess we really need that vacation once Molly gets back.”
“Umm-hmm, once she gets back,” Mom whispers. “We’ll have the best time. She loves it when you take her down the water slides.”
“Me too. Can’t wait to do it again. I promised her …” My voice trails off as I’m hit with a memory.
I sit on Molly’s bed. Around her neck is a locket, inside which I attach a tiny computer chip. She smiles at me.
“Keep it safe for me, Moll.”
She nods, happy and relaxed. She thinks it’s a game.
But it’s not.
What if that was what the man on the phone wanted? What if Molly has it? Would I be stupid enough to steal something from someone dangerous and hide it on my baby sister?
I’m pretty sure the answer is an obvious yes. Making good decisions is not my best trait, I think it’s fair to say. “Ahem … Mom, do you mind if I go out? I need to do some research for a paper I’m doing. Plus, it’s a team report. I need to get Donovan to help me.”
Mom shakes her head adamantly. “Absolutely, not.”
“Mom—”
“I said no, Lara. Your school will understand. I’m never letting another one of my girls out of my sight again.”
I relent as I begin coming up with a plan. “Okay, I’ll be up in my room. Need to do a few things.”
I bump into Jax in the hall. “Things better now with your Mom?”
“Yeah. Things are as good as they’re going to get until …” My voice trails off as I stare at the carpet.
Jax sighs. “Please try not to upset your Mom anymore. She’s been through enough.”
“I won’t. Promise.” I hug him and he squeezes me real tight, until I can barely breathe. “We’ll see Molly soon, I know it.”
He chokes on a sob, trying hard to maintain control.
I kiss his cheek. “I love you, Dad.”
The words escape my lips even before I realize I’m saying them. I feel shock flood my face. How can I feel that Jax is my dad? My dad is in prison. How does any of this make sense? I can only think of one reason; I’m losing the Lara I was and melding into the new one.
Jax pats my cheek. “Been so long since I’ve heard that. I’m real glad, Lara. Real glad.”
“Me too.”
I barely eke out the words before ducking into my bedroom. I grab my backpack and stuff it with everything I think I’ll need before I toss it out my bedroom window. I turn on some music, so they’ll think I’m studying or something. Hopefully, no one will realize I’ve snuck out for at least an hour. After making sure the coast is clear, I sneak out my window and start the trek to Donovan’s house, careful to stay off the main roads, where police might find me.
The door is answered by a servant, who ushers me into the grand entryway. The floors are marble, and lush curtains frame the dozen elegant windows.
“I will let Donovan know you are here, Miss.” He leaves with a bow.
I peek into the family sitting room. It’s equally as breathtaking and elegant. Family portraits stare down from the wall above the brick fireplace. I go inside and touch the leather sofa—soft as a baby’s bum. On the glass tabletop beside the sofa is a lamp and a plaque. I pick up the plaque. Rewind’s MVP Two Years running.
This is why I’m here. I need answers only Senator Patricia James would have, but if Donovan feels as protective about his parents as I do of mine, I need to be extremely careful.
As I consider my plan of attack, an unstoppable memory dances on the edge of my mind.
****
I am young, maybe five, and sitting in the apartment I shared with my parents before Mom died. It’s a large brownstone, not great but nicer than where I would grow up after she died. I’m playing with an assortment of blocks when an argument from the kitchen draws my attention.
“It’s only dinner, John. A work dinner. You know how important my research—”
“Another one? Every week it’s another excuse to work late, Miranda. I can’t keep leaving work early to pick up Lara from daycare. I’m going to lose my job.”
During a moment of silence I sneak over to the kitchen. I hear Mom mumbling, but I can’t make out the words.
“Oh, don’t give me that!” Dad rages, throwing his hands over his head in frustration.
“My job is important. I’m onto something big, John, big. If I can do it, I will get a promotion, maybe be in charge of the whole department one day. Do you know what that means for you? For Lara?” Mom pours pasta from a pot into a strainer for my evening dinner of mac and cheese.
“Don’t pretend it’s about us. It hasn’t been about us in a long time. You’re getting too ambitious. What about us having another baby?”
“I want that. Of course I do. I love you, John. More than anything. Please don’t make this about something it’s not. One dinner this week. One. That’s all I’m asking. Please.”
Dad finally agrees, nodding. They embrace long and warm, making me smile.
“And this Mr. Montgomery, he isn’t good looking, is he?” Dad jokes.
Mom laughs. “Not as handsome as you. No one could make me want to give you up, don’t you know that?”
“When you look at me like that I do.”
****
Mom was having dinner with Jax.
This news hits me like a ton of bricks. Maybe they were only colleagues who became closer during the trial. Or maybe what I don’t want to admit is true. Mom was having an affair, and Dad was suspicious, but she was ready to cut it off based on her resignation letter. She loved Dad and didn’t want to give up on him. When someone tried to kill her, she obviously changed her mind, at least when Dad became the lead suspect.
“Hey,” Donovan says, snapping me from my thoughts.
I leap up. “Hi. Can we talk?”
He nods and leads me up the stairs. His large room is decorated in simple browns and tans. I sit on the edge of his giant bed, and he sits beside me, but for a long while we are an ocean’s breadth away until his hand slowly inches out to mine. When his fingers squeeze mine, I squeeze back. I look in his eyes and see his sadness, his regret. I feel it too.
“I shouldn’t have kissed Rick,” I say, the tru
th of the words crushing my chest like a boulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Why’d you do it?” His words echo around us as if we’re in a grand hall.
“It was a dream, the childish dream of a girl who moved away when she was eight.” I twist my lip to the side. “Then the dream was in front of me, and it just happened.”
Donovan stares at me, unblinking. “Just happened.” His voice is void of emotion.
“I know that doesn’t make it easier.”
“Makes it worse.” His words lash out at me.
“Will we be okay?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he says, turning towards me.
I fall silent, wishing I could take the kiss back. I wish Donovan hadn’t seen it.
“No word yet?” he asks.
Grateful for the change in topic, I shake my head. “Not yet. They think they’ll call by tonight.”
His eyes widen. “Man. She’s so…little.”
“Do you remember when your Mom worked at Rewind?”
He gives me a funny look. “That’s a strange question.”
“Humor me.”
His eyebrows rise. “Well, not much. I was pretty young. I remember seeing you there.” He knocks his knee into mine.
I laugh nervously. The touch of his skin against mine makes me shiver. My heart leaps, but I wish it hadn't. I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m beginning to feel more comfortable with Donovan than with Rick. I smile, and my hand edges further into his. He clasps his other hand over mine tightly. I can remember loving Rick, kissing Rick, but I can’t remember what it felt like.
Donovan leans in to kiss me, and I hesitate. I think of Rick, everything we shared in the past, everything already gone because I traded it in for this crazy world. Could I win it back? My feelings for Donovan were growing. Could I risk what I feel for Donovan, everything we’ve built, for the hope Rick might really fall in love with me one day?
I bite my lip, and Donovan strokes my cheek with the back of his hand. “What are you so afraid of?” His eyes are sincere, warm.
“That I love you. That I might lose you too. That I’m a screw up caught in the middle of this big thing I can’t talk about.”
“We’ll figure it out together,” he whispers.
When he moves to kiss me, I have no will left to resist. I close my eyes and lean forward to meet his lips. I welcome his urgent kisses. I welcome the distraction. Simply feeling that someone wants me, that he loves and appreciates me, feels good. Rick will never love me as he used to. I can tell that from the look in his eye, and when I’m with Donovan, love and warmth fills me. I’m afraid to think about what that means.
Donovan kisses me harder, more passionately. His arms tighten around me, and I wish the world would fade away. I wish I could forget about saving my dad, Molly, everyone and stay there.
“Thank you,” I whisper for a million reasons, and a shocked smile spreads over Donovan’s face. “For not giving up on me.”
“I can’t imagine how hard things were for you last night.” I see the worry, the fear in his eyes.
I nod. “I need to tell you something, but you can’t tell anyone else.” When he promises he won’t, I continue. “The kidnappers called me. They want something of theirs I have.”
His eyes bug. “You have to tell the police.”
“I can’t,” I insist. “They’ll hurt Molly.”
He takes a deep breath and gazes off into the distance, clearly thinking. “Then we’ll have to go get the papers.”
My heart jumps. “You know what they’re talking about?”
He stares at me, incredulous. “Is now the time for jokes? Of course I know where they are. You hid them at the YMCA.”
Suddenly everything is crystal clear. The key in my wallet is a locker key. My mouth falls open in shock. I try to cover it up but no such luck.
“You really didn’t remember?”
“It’s been a hard week, okay?” I shrug him off, defensive.
“Okay, okay,” he says, holding his hands up.
I try to hide my smirk. “Sorry. So this is all I need? Just the key. Well, that seems pretty easy—”
Donovan shakes his head. He takes me by the arm and leads me out of his room into a home office. He goes under the desk, where I hear him pull something from underneath. He reaches out and pops a flash drive into my hand.
The flash drive.
“This is it,” I whisper to myself, but Donovan thinks I’m talking to him.
“Part of it. You get the paper documents. Then you have everything.” He smoothes my hair and kisses my lips. “Be careful.”
I nod, hanging onto him. “This isn’t good-bye.”
His eyes twinkle. “It better not be.”
We walk to the front door, and I pause on the front steps. “Donovan, be careful.”
He nods.
I turn the corner around some bushes, finally on the street, and two police officers step out from their squad car. I swear under my breath as I nearly crash into them.
“Ms. Montgomery, your parents are looking for you.”
If getting into trouble was a career, I’d be at the top of the ladder.
Chapter Fifteen
Hiding out in my room might be a bad idea, but that’s exactly what I do. Mom comes in and sits on my bed but is silent for too long, making me anxious.
“Lara,” she laments, “do you know how worried we were?”
“You’re not going to yell at me?” I ask. “I’d yell at me.”
“Then why do it? Why sneak out and go to Donovan’s?”
A lot of answers would work, but I decide to go with the truth. “I was tired of being alone and scared. He…always makes me feel better.”
She exhales. “It’s me. I drove you to him by how I acted last night. God, I’m sorry, Lara.” She strokes my hair off my face. “I’m real sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel any of those things.”
“Yes you did,” I whisper.
Shock fills her face, but she nods and tears glisten in her eyes. “You’re right, and that makes me even sadder and angrier at myself.”
We hold hands. “I’m glad you’re not mad.”
She gives a short burst of nervous laughter. “Well, how can I be? My daughter has been kidnapped. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She nods. “Of course.”
“When did you fall in love with Jax?”
Her mouth falls in astonishment. “Lara, where is this coming from?”
“Please tell me. Honestly. Please.”
She rubs her hands on her pants and shifts. “The moment I met him, the attraction was instant, and I did my best to avoid him, keep it at bay, but we spent a lot of time together. And your father…I loved him too, but we were under a lot of stress. We lost our way.”
“When did Dad find out?”
She shrugs and tucks her hair behind her ears. “I didn’t think he knew. After the day in the alley, I swore I’d never see Jax again. I’d move us to the mountains in a log cabin if I had to.” She laughs bitterly.
“So you wanted to stay?”
“Of course I did! But after the police started questioning your Dad, he changed. He became jumpy, and then…our life changed forever.” I watch her twist her wedding ring around her finger. “We waited until after the trial to date again and got married a year later. We were happy … and I never expected to get pregnant again.” She takes a deep breath. “But it’s been a good life. We’ve been happy, for the most part.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a crummy daughter,” I say, wringing my hands together.
“You’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. I’m the one who needs to step it up.” She kisses my cheeks.
“Does Rewind have you working on stuff that’s illegal?”
Her eyes cloud over. “Where is this coming from?”
“I saw it … in the paper. Some reporter's questions.”
“Memory storage isn�
�t illegal!” she says, standing up. “It’s a good company and not one to mess around with illegal things. Don’t listen to those phony articles; they are designed to sell magazines. Don’t worry, Lara. My job is perfectly safe. Once we get Molly back, everything will go back to normal.”
Her tone signals the conversation is over. Even though I know she’s lying, part of me believes her. She’s as good a liar as I am.
Once she leaves, I make my plan to escape. I need to head to the YMCA and find those papers, but I look out the window and see two police officers guarding the premises. There’s no way I can get out while it’s still light. Hopefully, I can get out later, when it’s dark and people are beginning to fall asleep.
That’s my plan.
I only have thirty hours left.
***
I pack a duffle bag for the night. As I’m storing a flashlight, I hear a rumbling downstairs about an early dinner. Everyone is on edge, so I go out quietly, but I bump into Jax in the hall by the front steps. His eyes flash with surprise, and then I see sadness, anger cross his face.
“Dad,” I say softly, reaching for his arm, “I’m sorry about this morning, sneaking out after we talked.”
He nods, and for a brief moment I’m off the hook. “You always promise, and you never mean it, Lara. That’s the problem. You’re … too spontaneous. You need to think sometimes about how your actions affect other people.” He turns and leaves for the stairs, leaving me feeling guilty.
But I can get her back. I just need some time away from the FBI.
I head downstairs to eat pizza with the family. We have a quiet, strange dinner in the living room, while the agents eat against the wall. The entire thing is like a weird sort of funeral or wake, where no one wants to talk, but a deep foreboding fog hangs over the room. I can think of no chit chat that would be worthy of the space, and apparently neither can anyone else. Even Mike folds his pizza three times before being content enough to bite into it.
I need to get some medicine soon to cut off the edge of an oncoming headache before I have a full blown incident. I stand up and am mentioning getting a drink from the kitchen when I hear a crash upstairs.
