“Are you okay? Maddy?”
Maddy ran her hands through her hair and gritted her teeth. “She was here. Inside my fucking business and couldn’t be bothered to tell us why?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe?—”
“She gave me away all those years ago, and it looked like she actually cared. If she cared, why won’t she show herself to me? Why, Nico?” Tears were running down her cheeks.
Knowing that her birth mother had been this close twice in one week and hadn’t bothered to speak to her or even leave another note seemed to break Maddy. She was under so much stress already that this was almost too much to bear. I could see it in the way her shoulders slumped and in the deep sadness in her eyes.
“She abandoned me,” Maddy went on. “She abandoned me, and she’s been here the whole time. Hiding. Not telling me who she was. How can someone do that when they say they love you? How can someone possibly do that to someone else?” Her voice had risen almost to a shout. I didn’t try to calm her down. She needed to vent. So, I would let her vent.
When she finally went quiet and flopped into her chair, I sat on the desk and put a hand on her shoulder. As angry as she was, I tried to think about all the things I’d do to keep my own child out of harm's way. I didn’t even know this woman, but for some reason, I felt like I needed to explain her motives. “You know she probably did it to keep you safe, right? Not saying that it was the right thing, but it’s probably the main reason.”
Maddy had a hand on her forehead as she looked up at me. “I realize that. It doesn’t make me any less angry or frustrated. If she wanted me to be safe, wouldn't it be a lot easier to just fucking talk to me? All this weird cryptic shit is getting on my nerves. Why is this better than face-to-face?”
That was something I couldn’t answer. Maddy was right—an in-person meeting would have made things much easier to understand. On the other hand, when someone had spent decades on the run and hiding, it was probably difficult to put that mindset aside. I could see both sides, but I loved Maddy. I had to side with her on this. It would be simpler for her birth mother to just come out of the shadows and tell us all that she knew.
I squeezed Maddy’s shoulder. “Let’s lock up and go home.”
Maddy sighed sadly. “Yeah. Okay. I’m sorry I blew up like that.”
“That’s okay. It’s what I’m here for.”
“You’re here to listen to me have a hissy fit like a spoiled child?”
“I wouldn’t call it that. We’ll call it… therapy.”
Maddy chuckled. “Okay. I’m sorry, regardless.”
We went through the building, turning the lights off as we went and making sure the back door was locked. This made me wonder exactly how Maddy’s birth mother had gotten into the bar in the first place since we had to unlock the front door. Once everything was locked up tight, Maddy and I walked back to thecar. I’d parked parallel to the building, my driver’s side door facing the road and the passenger side door facing the front of the bar. I helped Maddy up into the truck, and as she buckled in, I walked around the side to my door.
A bright yellow sticky note was stuck to my door, my name written in bold block letters at the top. Below it was a scribble of something else. I didn’t take the time to read it. Instead, I yanked it off the door and shoved it into my pocket.
“Something wrong?” Maddy asked as I opened the door. “You look like you saw a ghost or something.”
I shook my head. “I thought I saw a scratch in the paint. It was just a scuff of dirt. No big deal.”
We drove home, mostly in silence. The whole way, I tried to think of why I’d snatched that note off my door and not told Maddy about it. Was it the fact that she’d already been through enough? She’d just gotten done spouting off about how pissed she was about all the cloak-and-dagger bullshit. Or was it because it had my name on the top? Was this something meant only for me? That seemed like a selfish and childish reason. Though, what if it was something dangerous? If that was the case, then I definitely wanted it to fall to me and not Maddy.
I tried to act casual, but the note in my pocket seemed to take on more and more weight with each hour that passed. I forced myself not to take it out. Whatever was written there might make it more difficult to keep up my façade. By the time I tucked Maddy away in bed, it felt like there was a red-hot coal in my pocket, burning and blistering my skin.
“Aren’t you coming to bed?” Maddy asked as I headed toward the door.
“In a bit. I’ll be up later.”
“Okay. Goodnight. Love you.”
“Love you too. Sweet dreams.”
I went to sit in the kitchen. With my hands clasped together, I stared at the wall. I managed to wait ten minutes, then pulled out my phone. I called Sebastian and Felipe over, telling them not to knock or ring the bell. I didn’t want them waking Maddy.
“Bro? What’s going on?” Felipe asked.
“I’ll explain when you get here. Hurry up.”
While I waited for them to get there, I pulled the note from my pocket. Below my name was an address and a time. Three o’clock tonight. My fingers shook as I stared at the note. It was definitely a woman’s handwriting. My instincts told me Maddy’s birth mother had left this for me. Was there really going to be a meeting?
I searched for the address on my phone. The satellite image showed a house on the outskirts of town. It wasn’t in a subdivision. The house sat by itself on about two acres of land. It was just secluded enough to be a good spot for an ambush. I shoved that thought away quickly. The best place for an ambush would have been the bar today. If this was a trap, it was a poorly executed one. No, this was something else. Why only me—why not Maddy? Well, I wouldn’t know until I got there.
