I look.
“What’s this?” I mutter. It looks like a folder I’ve never seen before. Password-protected, but now open, the first stroke of luck I’ve had in forever.
Just then, a warning comes up:Battery low.
Shit.The second the battery dies, it’ll shut down everything. I don’t have the resources to crack this open again—not on my own.
I make a split-second decision and plug in my flash drive.
The transfer is slow. Maddeningly slow. I have no idea if it’ll even fit, but part of something is still better than nothing, right?
“Mommy?”
My head snaps back.
Eli is in the doorway, blinking up at me with confusion. “What are you doing in Dad’s study?”
“Nothing,” I blurt. “Just, um. Checking on stuff.”
My heart gives a hopeful flutter. It’s the first time he’s spoken to me of his own accord—the first time he’s called me “Mommy” in ages.
I pocket the flash drive and kneel by his side. “Eli, I need you to listen to me now. We have to leave, okay? And we can’t let Andrew know we’re leaving.”
“But—”
“I know you’re mad at me now, but please, trust me. This is for the best. Will you come with me?”
He gives a little nod.
Relief crushes me. “Good. Then?—”
“But Andrew’s out sick.”
“What do you mean?” I frown. “Then who?—?”
“Me.”
I stand up so fast, black spots dance in my vision. But those are nothing compared to the man at the center of it, smack in the middle of the hallway.
“Brad.”
“Mia.”
I pull Eli behind me. “W-what are you…?”
“What am I doing in my own house?” He scoffs, his feet dragging closer. “I think the better question is, what the hell areyoudoing?”
“I was, um… looking for something.”
“Behind a locked door?”
“It wasn’tlocked.”
“Liar.”
Brad crosses the threshold. I back up against the wall, keeping my body between him and Eli. “Brad, please,” I whisper.
“‘Please’ this, ‘please’ that. You’re always fucking asking for shit, aren’t you?”
