Stealing Her

by Alexis Abbott

  “I’m a friend of Lila’s,” I say.

  I stop short there, and the next moment, I’m relieved to have my theory confirmed when Sandra spins around so fast she almost knocks over the other barista making his way past her. She hurries over to the counter as soon as she can without making a scene, and the blue-haired girl looks to her in surprise.

  “It’s okay, Bea, I know him,” Sandra says kindly. “Mind if I take a minute?”

  “Oh! Yeah sure, no problem, it’s dead in here right now,” the cashier says with a smile, and Sandra looks back to me with a searching, anxious gaze.

  I nod to her calmly, and I gesture to a table in the back corner, where we might have some semblance of privacy. A couple minutes later, the two of us are sitting across from each other with piping-hot coffees in front of us, and Sandra is gripping the cup tightly to keep from wringing her hands.

  “Thanks for meeting with me, Ms. White,” I say politely, remembering the manners my poor mother tried to teach me.

  “Oh please, I’m just Sandy,” she says with a nervous laugh. “I should be the one thanking you, I-I was starting to worry nobody was…” She trailed off, hesitating and giving me that searching gaze again. “Can I ask how you know Lila, before we go any further?”

  “I stop by her math tutoring sessions enough to know some of the other students,” I lie, but I know enough about her schedule and who all frequents her tutoring sessions to be able to make a convincing persona of a college student who’s a little late in the game. “She usually doesn’t miss this much, and one of the other students has been worried about her, since we haven’t heard much of anything. She always comes in with a coffee cup from this place. Said you were ‘the good barista’,” I add in a lower tone and a gruff smile.

  That seems to flatter Sandy, but on a more personal level than I would expect from a barista taking a compliment from just anyone.

  “That’s…very touching,” she says, still a little guarded.

  “You can tell I’m a little older than most college students,” I say, looking down at myself. “And you’d be right. I spent some time earlier on doing freelance work as a PI. That’s why one of the other students asked me to help. I’ve done a little digging, and I’ve got to be honest,” I say, leaning forward and lowering my voice a little more. “It doesn’t take a PI to notice that you and Lila look an awful lot alike.”

  Sandy gapes at me, at a loss for words, and I see tears threatening to surface in her eyes. I hold up a calming hand, nodding silently, a nonverbal oath that her secret is safe with me. It confirms what I was already almost positive of: Sandra White is Lila’s mother.

  But for whatever reason, she hasn’t told Lila.

  Sandy is quite for a few moments, staring down at her coffee and watching her reflection in the swirling surface. I feel terrible having to touch on such a sensitive topic with a woman who’s clearly desperate for any answers from anyone, but this is necessary.

  “I’ve tried to get close to Lila for years without anyone knowing,” Sandy says quietly. “Do you have any idea what it’s like trying to sneak around to be close to your own daughter? Taking this job at a cafe just because she goes to school here is…probably both a high and a new low. I can’t stand it, but it’s the only way I’ve been able to actually talk to her without anyone getting suspicious. All because of her damned father.”

  There it is.

  “Her father?”

  Sandy looks back up at me with a more dark, resolute expression.

  “Bastard. I’d bet anything he’s the real reason my Lila went missing.”

  “Let’s back up a second,” I say, furrowing my brow. “I’m sorry if this is a lot, but can I ask what the history is between you two?”

  “Times like this I wish I could smuggle in a hip flask under my apron,” Sandy chuckles ruefully, rubbing her forehead and leaning her elbows on the table. “I…Edward and I were together for a very short time. He was the last person in the world I ever wanted to get pregnant by, but it happened. It was a different time in my life. I was a starving artist fresh out of college, and he was…well, the rich boy,” she said with distaste.

  I nod understandingly, knowing how hard this must be for her— giving such a painful story to a near total stranger just on the off chance it might help her find her daughter. No matter what her past is, it matters that she cares right now, and apparently has for a long time.

  “Ed bought me off,” she says at last, clenching her eyes shut in shame. “I don’t know why he wanted Lila so bad, but he specifically wanted her without me, and he paid me more money than I could say no to. My own mom was going through surgeries at the time, bills were piling up, and…”

  I put my hand over hers as she starts to get choked up, and I have nothing but sympathy in my heart.

  “You did what you had to do,” I say soothingly, squeezing her hand.

  “I was so scared of him, I didn’t know what he’d do to me if I refused,” she said, and I believed every word of it. “He wanted me to stay away, I can only assume because he wanted to groom an heir, whatever it is rich people like that do.”

  That tracks, based on what I know about the kind of people like Edward.

  “Bastard stole most of it back anyway, so it didn’t matter,” she laughed ruefully. “His family owned the apartment I rented, and suddenly, I was getting hit with fees I never expected out of nowhere. All legal. Nothing I could do about it. You know what he does these days, right? He’s a banker, and he forecloses on houses that he sells to an investment company he has stocks in. Asshole bragged about it to me when we saw each other, and I bet he hasn’t changed.”

  That also tracks with Edward Hawthorne.

  “By the time I recovered from the blows, he’d moved out of state and must have told Lila her mom is dead,” Sandy said. “The only reason I know that is because I’ve talked to her a few times. Tried to get as much personal chat in as a regular barista can, you know? I-I’ve tried to tell her who I am a few times, but there’s no way to do that in a good way at a cafe. I just…the words don’t come.”

  “Anyone would have trouble with that,” I say, nodding. “Especially with a man like him breathing down your neck. Lila complains about him sometimes in class.”

  “That’s my girl, don’t put up with his shit,” Sandy said, laughing through a choked-back sob. “It’s good to know she has good people looking for her.”

  I have to let Lila go. I realize that in one crashing wave, and it’s a heavy thought I have to bear. But what I’ve seen here confirms it.

  It will risk everything for me to let Lila go, but I cannot in good conscience keep her hidden, knowing what a rich and loving life she might have just around the corner, if she can reunite with her mother. I can probably even get them some money to disappear with, get the two of them out from under Lila’s father’s shadow.

  The point here isn’t just to make money, it’s to get back at evil assholes like Lila’s dad. And frankly, the idea of reuniting Lila with her mom and getting them somewhere safe sounds like a pretty good way to do that.

  Hell, maybe if I do that, Lila will come around and see the good in what I’m trying to do with my life. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor has never been a hard thing to justify, right? It’ll risk everything, but my gang can cross state lines and change our names without too much trouble. And we can get moving at the drop of a hat. We’ll be fine.

  Lila is the one I need to worry about.

  “Thanks for telling me all this, I think you might be onto something with Ed,” I say, nodding. “Believe it or not, this gives me a lot to go on. I have a few old friends watching Ed carefully, so I think that might be a good angle to investigate. And don’t worry, we never had this conversation,” I add with a reassuring smile to Sandy.

  “You’re a saint,” she says, looking genuinely relieved. “Can…can I ask you something else?”

  “Shoot.”

  She looks at me thoughtfully again for
a few moments.

  “I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but I’ve been around the block a few times, and I know the look in a man’s eye when he talks about someone he cares about. Are you and Lila… seeing each other?”

  That’s the last question I expected to hear, and it takes me by complete surprise. I chuckle uneasily and scratch the back of my neck, at a loss for an answer to what she doesn’t know is a very complicated question.

  “You don’t have to answer, that’s okay,” she says, smiling more sincerely. “I’ve just been serving Lila coffee for almost a full year now, and she just seems so lonely whenever she comes in. It breaks a mother’s heart. I can tell you’re a good man,” she says, giving my hand a brief squeeze, “and she’d be touched to know you were going through all this trouble to find out what happened to her, even if it does turn out that this is all just some last-minute road trip or something crazy.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Lila, but I suppose anything could happen,” I chuckle.

  “Now I know you know her,” Sandy laughs. “You’re a calming presence, you know that?”

  “First time I’ve ever heard that,” I chuckle, lying.

  “Well, that’s another thing I think Lila needs in her life. But look at me, the way I’m rambling you’d think she lives with me.”

  “I’m not going to let this go, Sandy,” I say earnestly, nodding more seriously. “I’m going to do everything I can for you two. You need it.”

  Sandy smiles at me with shining eyes, then nods.

  “Thank you, young man.”

  I get up and stride away with my coffee in hand, almost untouched. This has been a lot, and it’s only going to ramp up from here, I sense.

  Now, I just need to break some very big, very unbelievable news to Lila.

  Lila

  “Lila,” murmurs a soft, familiar voice. “Wake up.”

  I groan, too tired to make a coherent response. I wriggle more deeply into the pile of clothes, shivering as my body realizes how cool it is in here. And to my dismay, Henry is no longer clutched safely in my arms. Then I feel a large, heavy hand on my shoulder. I realize even without opening my eyes that it must be Chains, having just returned from his reconnaissance mission. I’m beyond tired, but I manage to drag myself up into a sitting position, blinking blearily in the dim light.

  I was right. Chains is crouching beside me, a bright fire burning in those dark eyes. Henry is trotting circles around the two of us, clearly wide awake and ready to play after our nap together. I reach out and pull him into my lap, scratching him behind his ears as I gaze into my captor’s handsome face. Even in this low lighting, I can just barely make out an expression of extreme interest on his features, like he has some kind of bombshell information to drop on me.

  “Are you awake?” he asks, reaching out to cup my cheek.

  I yawn and shrug, leaning against his hand eagerly. I breathe in his familiar, comforting scent. Musky and manly. His body puts off so much warmth. His palm feels so warm and soft against my cold cheek. I’m so sleepy I find myself wishing he would just lie down next to me so we could sleep together. I would love to leech some of his warmth and just feel safe and protected with his powerful body curled around me. But I can tell Chains is not in the same headspace as I am. He’s wide awake, even bristling with energy. I give my head a quick shake to try and wake myself up for him.

  “I’m awake, but only barely,” I admit, another yawn punctuating my statement.

  Chains stands up and walks over to the metal door, pushing it open to let more light spill into the cell. At first, I squint and hold my hand up to shield my eyes, as the light kind of burns a little. I haven’t realized just how fatigued I am until recently. I need rest badly, but judging from the look on Chains’s face, I’m not going to get that anytime soon.

  “What is it? What did you find out?” I ask, my voice sounding rough and scratchy.

  “You might need to brace yourself for what I’m about to tell you,” he begins with a warning. I raise an eyebrow at him, dubious.

  “Alright. Consider me braced. Just tell me what’s going on,” I reply.

  “Okay,” he says slowly. “I met your mother, Lila.”

  I frown at him, certain that I must have misheard what he said.

  “Sorry, um, can you run that by me again?” I groan.

  “Your mother. Sandra White. I spoke to her in person today,” he explains. My stomach churns uncomfortably. Is he trying to mess with my head?

  “Chains, that’s impossible. You know that’s impossible. My mother is dead, alright? That’s a fact,” I tell him imperiously.

  He shakes his head, reaching to take my hand in a firm, reassuring grasp. “No, Lila. It’s all been a pack of lies your father fed you. Your mother is alive. And not only that, but you’ve met her before,” Chains insists.

  I snort and roll my eyes. “Again, that is impossible. I don’t know who you found out there who’s posing as a dead woman for… a prank? Who knows?”

  “Lila, she has your eyes. She knows who you are. She’s had her eye on you for your entire life. She even got a job at a cafe near your classes so she could be close to you,” he goes on. My heart is pounding. I stare into his face, my eyes searching for any hints of deception. Why would he make this up?

  “Okay,” I say slowly, running a hand back through my hair. “You say you met my mother. Sandra White. What did she say to you?”

  “That she misses seeing you and that she’s worried,” Chains says. “She’s the one who went to the police. She’s the one who’s been trying to find you. Lila, she’s alive, and she cares about you deeply.”

  I get to my feet and start pacing back and forth, Henry trotting happily after me.

  “Chains, this doesn’t make any sense,” I tell him. “No one knows about my mom. She’s never been part of my life. Daddy even had her name removed from my birth certificate. He always said he didn’t want me to be burdened by the past. Every photo we ever had of her, he burned or threw away. He tried to erase every image, every memory of her. I always assumed he was doing it to minimize my pain. He told me not to think about her, and definitely not to ask about her. Hell, I only even found out her name by accident once. I was about to graduate high school and I was going through a stack of old newspapers in our attic, you know, procrastinating on my final essays. And I found an article in one of the old papers announcing that Sandra White was pregnant and expecting my birth soon. Of course, as soon as Daddy found out about that article, he had that burned, too. Before that, though, it was like I never even had a mother.”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what your father wanted you to think,” Chains says darkly.

  “And now you’re telling me she’s been right there all along?” I ask again, full of doubt.

  “Yes, Lila. I swear to you I’m telling the truth. There’s no denying it. She even looks like you. As I said before, you have the same eyes. Identical,” he insists. “And she’s so concerned for you. She really does care.”

  “Okay, but if she gives so much of a damn about me now, why did she never try to reach out to me before, huh? It doesn’t make any sense,” I retort, throwing up my arms.

  “Because she didn’t want to drag you down,” he answers patiently. “She didn’t want to screw up what looked to her like a very comfortable, easy life. Besides, she even explained to me that she wanted to say something, but could never figure out how to tell you. I mean, think about it, Lila: how would she even go about breaking news like that out of the blue?”

  “I don’t know! But I just can’t believe she would wait and put it off for so long,” I lament. “I want to believe you, Chains. But you have to understand. My mother has been literally dead to me my entire life. The idea that she’s alive, that she’s been alive the whole time… I just can’t even begin to wrap my mind around that.”

  “I know,” he says gently. “I know. But it’s the truth. I would not lie to you about this.”

  I stare at him f
or a long moment, sizing him up, trying to find the lie in his expression. But there’s nothing. He’s being truthful. I can feel it in my very soul. Tears start to burn in my eyes and I make no effort to stop them from falling.

  “My mother is alive,” I breathe, trembling all over. “I can’t… it’s just…”

  “It’s a lot to take in. That’s understandable,” Chains says kindly.

  “How did I not know? I’ve seen her, you say,” I murmur.

  “Yes. You’ve even spoken with her before at that cafe where she works. She’s the one with the gray and purple hair,” he adds.

  I feel like someone has just smashed me in the gut with a baseball bat. I can picture her perfectly. I know exactly which employee she is. I wish I could better remember what we’ve talked about together, but I never thought much of it. All just regular chit-chat. Nothing that would ever point me in the direction of realizing she’s my mother.

  “Why did my father keep her from me?” I mumble, shaking my head as the tears roll down my cheeks. “Why would he do that to her? To me?”

  “He paid her off. He gave her no option but to disappear. He hounded her for years, chasing her off, making her life a living hell,” Chains tells me, and I can hear the hatred in his voice. “He did everything within his power to keep her away from you, Lila. He is a powerful man, and he does whatever he sees fit, morals be damned. You know that.”

  I know I should believe him. I know I should listen. But my instinct, deeply ingrained in me, is to defend my father. I can’t help it. “I don’t believe it. My father may be a shrewd businessman, but he’s not evil. He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t do that,” I protest.

  Chains remains totally calm. “It’s a difficult pill to swallow. I get that. But I know how to prove to you that I’m telling the truth. There’s only one way to find out.”

  I whip around to look at him in confusion. “And what might that be?” I ask.

  He shrugs and simply replies, “I’m going to set you free.”