The Rewind Series Boxset

by Jill Cooper

  I’ll be able to stop them.

  One way or another, Patricia James will be found guilty.

  And I will be her juror.

  Chapter Thirteen

  My head clears and, around me, slowly everything pixilates back into place, forming the interior of the sprawling Galleria Mall. Everyone around me is frozen, their faces paused while in mid-laugh, packages in their hands, others with French fries nestled in their salted fingers on the way to their open mouths.

  From behind the safety of a pole, my eyes scan over to the McDonald’s counter. My past self is there. Her palm is open like she was counting change and the register in front flashes $4.97 and the lady waiting at the counter stares off with an impatient squint to her eyes.

  This is the day Molly gets kidnapped. This is the day everything spirals out of control.

  Rick is to my past self’s left holding onto the counter and beside me, holding hands, are the twins, Mike and Molly, their faces paused while in mid-laugh. It hurts so bad to see them happy, but I push past it and place my hand on past Lara’s shoulder to awaken her.

  Her eyes blink and she gazes around. I’m struck by how refreshed she looks. When I look in the mirror I see lines that shouldn’t be there. It’s only been two years, but it feels like a lifetime and I’m in desperate need of a facial.

  Her eyes widen with misbelief. “You,” she whispers, like she was waiting for me to show up all this time.

  “There’s not a lot of time to explain, but you need to go. I need to take your place.” I take a deep, laboring breath and I gaze down at Molly. “Something bad is going to happen today and I need to stop it.”

  Her eyes darken and take me in, traveling up and down my body. “I don’t know what happens today—”

  “—They take Molly.” I clench my jaw. “And we need to stop it. The men who have been following you are here. You have to trust me because I don’t know how much longer we have before time unfreezes.”

  Lara crosses her arms and it’s clear she’s angry. The look on her face makes me want to slap her and I can’t believe I go around looking like that.

  “No one is going to buy you’re me.” Lara touches my hair. “It’s too long and your wearing white scrubs.”

  “Give me your jacket.” I extend my hand and I must have used my stern voice, because Lara starts to peel off her denim jacket to hand it to me. “And your purse. You’re not going to need it anymore anyway.”

  Lara’s eyes narrow as I put on her jacket and I go through her purse. I find some bobby pins and use it to pin up my hair. “Are you her? The one who left me notes in the locker room?”

  “Yes.” My hair is secure, but there’s nothing I can do about the pants I’m wearing. I doubt I can convince Lara to get naked in the food court, even if time is frozen still.

  It’s a lie but Lara doesn’t need to know that. Right now I need her to go along with everything I say. “You have to go.”

  “Where?” Lara demands.

  “It doesn’t matter. If I’m successful, we’ll merge back together.” I watch the shock roll across her face. “There can’t be two of us going around out here. Pretty sure you know that.”

  “I don’t want to just”—tears rise in her eyes—“fade away. I want to stay. I don’t want to go.”

  I take her hands and glance at Molly. “For what we’re going to save, it’ll be worth it. We need to come together as one. And I’ll be waiting for you.” I force a gentle smile.

  Lara doesn’t smile back, but her eyes glint with acceptance. “Take care of her,” she says as she rounds the corner and I go down on bended knee in front of Molly.

  Oh, sweet girl. My heart breaks to see her laughing again, to see her smiling again. I am haunted by how badly she looked last I saw her in captivity with her brown eyes sad and sunken. This is the girl I need to preserve. This is the one I need to take care of above all others.

  I finger the locket around her neck and Molly gasps for air as she snaps back to life. Her lungs fill and her chest rises. “Lara?” she asks me with questions dancing in her eyes as she looks around the mall.

  People are frozen in mid-bite and others are bent over as to scold their children, but we’re the only ones moving. And Molly looks scared as her head whips around at me. But I hold a finger to my lips and the corners dance up in a playful smile.

  “It’ll be our secret. Okay?”

  Molly nods. “What happened to your hair?”

  “I pinned it up.” I unclasp her necklace and pocket it.

  “What are you doing?” Molly asks.

  “I need to keep it safe for now. Get it repaired at the jewelry store. All right?”

  She looks relieved. “I’ll get it back?”

  “I promise.” I smile at her. “Now remember, this is our secret. You can’t even tell Mike what you just saw, what just happened here.”

  Molly nods and her hairs bounce. On the count of three life snaps back into place in the food court and I drop the money on the counter. Mike begins to chatter on about the latest movie he’s seen and Molly giggles at his story, but her eyes are on me.

  Rick places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. I tense up, but I turn to him anyway. “How about you get us a table?”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want.” He leans in to kiss my forehead, but I turn to the twins as their tray of food arrives. Rick glances at me, but he doesn’t even notice my hair is different or that my eyes are older. He just doesn’t care about me enough to notice.

  I was a fool to fall for his lies and the anger builds deep inside me.

  I dodged that bullet. Now I’m left to dodge a few more.

  Just as before, we eat in the food court. I remember doing it, but it feels like a decade ago rather than just a few years. But I am older, wiser. I know so much more about the future so when Rick leans in to get close, I pull back.

  “Let’s head to the jewelry store.” I pick up the trays and dump the trash before returning to the table. Both kids take my hand and we head through the mall.

  Leaving Rick chasing after us. “Lara!”

  “I thought you liked him,” Molly says, her little eyes peering up at me.

  “I thought I did too.” I glance over my shoulder and see Rick is right behind us. He’s following close behind and scowling. He appears cross.

  Good. He deserves it for everything he set into motion.

  I keep the kids close as we get to the jewelers instead of letting them run off. We pick out the necklace we like and wait for the sales lady to grab a box from the back. I’m caught off guard when Rick takes my hand. His hand is clammy just like before, but this time I don’t jump when he touches me.

  Instead I glare. “You want to keep your hands to yourself?”

  Rick’s eyes widen with surprise. He bites his lip and his eyes look like he’s a wounded puppy. “I thought this is what you wanted. I thought that’s what we were doing here.”

  “Sorry if I led you on, but this is not what I want. ” I pull my hand back and there’s no mistaking the disappointment on Rick’s face.

  He falls quiet and I pay for the necklace on my credit card. I manage a smile and drop the receipt into my purse.

  Molly talks about dresses and Mike talks about sports on the way through the mall toward the entrance, and off in the distance is a carrousel. My stomach tightens. This is it. This is the place where Molly is taken and everything changes.

  Where life as I we know explodes around us in conspiracy, lies and secrets.

  They are so excited with giant grins on their faces and my stomach only twists with nerves. “Please, Lara. Please?” Molly asks, bouncing up and down.

  I squat down in front of her. “Sorry, Molly, we don’t have time today, but I promise next time we’ll have plenty of time. Then I’ll let you ride it all you want.”

  Molly’s face puckers like she’s going to cry. Mike puts his arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay, Moll. We can watch your fav cartoon instead. If Lara lets
us.”

  I smirk and gather my arms around them to usher them past the carrousel. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

  And the kids cheer with their arms overhead in excitement. Rick is left scratching his head in confusion. “Lara, if you could just take a second to talk to me. There’s something really important I want to say.”

  I instruct Molly and Mike to sit on the bench and then I go to Rick. I push my open palm into his chest. “There’s nothing you have to say that I want to hear. You get me?”

  Rick holds up his hand and his mouth falls open. “Where is this hostility coming from?”

  “How much are they paying you anyway to give me everything I want? A thousand? Two? What is my life worth to you, Rick?”

  His face rolls with shock. He stammers and stares at the floor. “It wasn’t like that. I … there… Listen…”

  “There’s nothing you can say, so just leave us alone. Come near us again and I’ll call the police and I don’t think you want them at your place, do you? After everything your brother did?”

  It would hurt old Lara to say these things to Rick, but for me things are different. I’ve been through a lot in the last two years. I’ve seen too much and felt too much pain. To let an opportunistic kid like Rick mess up my life isn’t going to happen.

  “At least let me drive you home.” His features soften, but I don’t buy a word of it.

  Instead I shake my head. “I’ll go home with him.”

  Right on cue, Donovan and his posse of friends walk past the carrousel. Donovan. He had that smug little strut he had when he was with his peers, but I barely notice that. Instead I notice the twinkle in his eye. The warmth of his smile. I notice he’s alive and not dead.

  Oh, Donovan. This could be our second chance.

  I wave to him with my arm stretched over my head and grin.

  He grins and raises his hand in a greeting. He says a farewell to his friends and starts over. I’m really going to see him. The real Donovan James. I’m going to get to kiss him and if I’m lucky, really lucky, he’ll hold me in his arms.

  I want it so bad I can taste it. I bite my lip and wait for him to get closer. “You better leave now, Rick. Before I make a scene.”

  Rick starts to back up and he snarls at me. “This isn’t over, Montgomery.” He trots away and I sigh with relief.

  The twins are still sitting on the bench, but looking bored. “We’ll be leaving soon. Don’t worry.” I smile at Donovan as he reaches arm length distance. “Hey, stranger.”

  His eyes flash with surprise and confusion. I guess I did just see him at school. “What are the odds of seeing you here? Was that your old friend from the neighborhood?”

  I don’t want to talk about Rick. Actually, he probably is the last thing I ever want to talk about. So I coil my hand around Donovan’s shirt and pull him in for a breathless, hot kiss. Not something I should be doing in front of seven-year-old twins, but after the torture and trials of the last two years, I need this moment.

  I need to be whisked away in Donovan’s arms. And I am as they wrap tight around me and he nuzzles my cheek with his nose. “And here I thought I was happy to see you.” For a moment his eyes flicker. “You feeling okay? I swear your eyes look … worn.” He scowls as he cups my chin.

  I tuck my hands between his arms and rest them on his hips. “Tired, I guess. From my trip to the hospital.” The words haunt me as they roll off my tongue. I almost forgot about the time travel headaches.

  He rubs the top of my head. “Poor girl. You even left the house in those horrible white pants. What is it, laundry day or something?”

  I laugh. “Or something; you caught me. Hey, can you drive us home? Our ride fell through.”

  Donovan gives one of those dimple smiles and I am so happy to see him. So happy that he’s here, alive. I stroke his face and just want to bask in his gaze a while longer. “Of course I can, but we might need to track Molly down first.”

  I turn to the bench and see Mike is sitting there alone. He shrugs. “She wanted to see the puppies.”

  Am I a fool to let my eyes off her again? Or is this event just destined to repeat itself? “Molly!” I screech and I turn in search of her. Right across the way I see the little girl with her nose pressed up against the glass. She waves at the jumping black puppies. They wag their tails at her.

  “Watch Mike.” I don’t wait for Donovan to answer before I sprint over to Molly and pick her up. I cling to her and she wraps her legs around my waist. “Don’t you ever, ever do that again!” I scold her and my brow pinches together.

  Surprise washes across her face. “I just wanted to see the puppies. You always let me see them.”

  “Never again, you hear me? Not without telling me. Not without holding my hand.” I sigh, squeeze my eyes shut and I barely hold together under the roaring panic building inside my chest.

  “She was right across the way, Lara. I think you can cut the poor kid some slack,” Donovan says and when I open my eyes he and Mike are staring at me like I have two heads.

  “I guess I overreacted.” But then my eyes gaze to the left and I see them. The thugs with the golden tattoos from the lab, the ones who kidnapped me and killed Donovan, are coming our way. They are six paces from us, their scarred faces set into angry scowls.

  “Montgomery?” Donovan touches my shoulder. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  My arms tighten around Molly. “The men are coming. The ones who have been following me.”

  Donovan glances over his shoulder and he puts an arm around my shoulders to shield me. We start away toward the door. “What about if we stop and get some milkshakes on me? Is anyone on board with this plan?”

  The twins cheer with their arms over their heads. “This is the best day ever.”

  I take a shaky break. “Best day ever.” My voice echoes in my ears as we step out into the parking lot. The air is crisp and refreshing. I glance back and see Patricia’s thugs staring at us from the curb. The leader’s long mustache twitches.

  The day has gone different than they thought it would. They thought they were going to snatch Molly and I ruined their plans.

  But for how long?

  *****

  We go to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and the kids share a large malted frappe. When it arrives, the sheer size of it drowns out their complaints. The frappe is so thick they spend all of their time trying to draw it through the straw rather than argue with each other.

  Donovan spends his time at the window, gazing out into the street. I leave the twins to finish their shake because they are only a few feet away and join him. Donovan takes my hand when I stand beside him. “If they followed them here, there’s no sign of them.”

  With relief, I take a deep breath. Thank goodness for small favors.

  “These guys are getting more brazen.” Donovan’s face is clearly worried.

  “We’re safe now. Thanks to you.” I glance back at the twins and they are happy, talking and together. That’s the best thing I can wish for right now. “If it wasn’t for you they were going to snatch her today.”

  Donovan’s eyes widen. “How do you know?”

  I shake my head and my curls swirl. “Let’s just call it a hunch.”

  “That’s a pretty specific hunch, Lar. I feel like there’s a whole section of this thing you’re not telling me.”

  I lean in and kiss his cheek. “I know I’ve been crazy. Sometimes I’m distant. I’m always neurotic.” I bite my lip as I smile. “But I love you, Don. And I promise, soon it’s all going to be clear. I just need tonight to gather the last of what I need.”

  “All right, Montgomery.” Donovan slings his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in. “For the record, I trust you. If I didn’t, I doubt we would’ve made it this far.”

  It’s true. Boy, is it true. I rest my head on his shoulder and gaze outside. Part of me can’t believe I’m really here, that I’ve reset the clock two years and I now have this second chance. But I
have to do things differently. I need an ally and I need someone to help me find a way out.

  I need to clue Donovan into everything. I know that, but I’m not ready. Not with the twins around.

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t go to the cops?” Donovan asks.

  “Not yet, but soon. There’s something I need to get tonight. After that I should have enough information, but I can’t go to the cops. They’re in her pocket.”

  “Her? You know who is sending those men? I thought we were working against a he?”

  A he? Then I remember that Lara and Donovan thought the one who framed my dad was Jax. It feels like so long ago that I went through all of this; I’m frozen for a moment and I stutter.

  Donovan steps close. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  I glance back at the twins. “Not now. Tonight. Can you meet me?”

  He takes my hand and kisses it. “Don’t you know by now, Montgomery, I’d do anything you asked?”

  ****

  When we get home, I smell something weird. I sniff and I realize it’s dinner. Someone is cooking dinner. It’s the first time in the Montgomery home that I remember the fresh smell of dinner cooking and I wonder what the occasion could be.

  I lock the front door and peer out the window. Behind me I hear stomping as feet and a voice ring up. “Hey, kids! Did you have fun with Lara?”

  It’s Jax.

  My skin rises with goose bumps at the sound of his voice after everything. The images of the broken, haunted man I found at the hospital will be with me forever. But I’ve snatched a second chance for me, for him, for everyone. Now I just can’t mess it up.

  Outside everything is quiet. I make sure all the windows and doors are locked. I even arm the alarm system so if anyone gets too close to the outside, it’ll alert us.

  I can’t be too careful.

  I won’t let Molly be kidnapped again. No matter what I have to do.

  Heading into the living room, Jax gives me a tempered smile. “Hey, kid.” He messes with the twins’ hair before he heads over to me. “Nice of you to bring them back in once piece.”