“Sissy, stop. Please, stop,” she whines.
The closer I get to Vader, the more I know he’s no stranger to us. Teeny’s scared but I can’t let go of him. He jerks me hard and I fall to the ground, but I hold my grip and he tumbles to the floor with me. Teeny is sobbing loudly.
Vader gets up on one knee and drags me from the door. He ducks his head down and he’s close enough that I’m able to grab the back of the mask with one hand. He freezes and I yank.
The mask comes off.
I stare at his face and fall back to the ground. Teeny’s cries stop as we both try to process what we’re seeing.
“Oh. My. God. What are you doing here?”
Rules for disappearing
by Witness Protection prisoner #18A7R04M:
Never, under any circumstances, try to re-enter your old life in any way….
New rule by Anna Boyd:
Sometimes your old life sucks you back in. Reacting to what you’re feeling does not lead to smart decisions. Even if you feel like bashing someone’s head in and throwing him out of the window. It may make you feel better, but it won’t help your situation.
backs away until he hits the door and stares at me with hard eyes.
The urge to slap his face conflicts with the urge to throw my arms around him. This internal power struggle makes me want to vomit.
My stomach is in knots as my brain races to comprehend this. All that time I worried about him. Worried what he thought when he showed up at my door and we were gone. How horrible for him that there wasn’t a trace left of us and how long he must have wondered about what happened to me. All that friggin’ time and here he is—in a ski mask helping Thomas hold us hostage. Tyler Collins—the first boy I trusted once I was in the Witness Protection Program. The first boy I allowed myself to have feelings for even though I knew I’d have to leave him behind one day. The boy who made it so hard to open up to Ethan—because I didn’t want to lose anyone else—has been right in front of me for three days.
There are no words. Questions and accusations race through my head but I can’t force any of them from my mouth.
“Good; you obviously didn’t forget about me completely,” Tyler says.
Tyler looks the exact same as he did when we lived in Florida except for the row of fresh stiches across his cheek.
Teeny starts sobbing again and races to my side. “I don’t understand,” she says through hiccups. “Why are you here? Why are you working withhim?”
I try to comfort her but some unknown sensation has settled in my chest and frozen everything inside.
Tyler’s here.
He’s here and he’s helping Thomas.
As I stare at his face, my mind flashes between his unapologetic expression and his sun-kissed face the last time I saw him in Florida. It was the afternoon just before we were yanked out of that placement and we were playing in the waves…jumping in them and splashing around. A big one had knocked us both under, and the current pushed me headfirst into the sandy bottom. But Tyler was there to pull me back up. We stood in the water, body to body, while he dusted away the wet sand that stuck to my cheek. It was the first time since we’d gotten into the program that I felt truly happy. Teeny called from the shore that I had to come home. Tyler kissed me lightly on the lips and said he would pick me up at seven for our date. That was the last time I saw him.
Until today.
I feel paralyzed by that memory.
Teeny pulls her head away from where she’s buried it in my side and yells at him, “You’re a big liar! I hate you!”
The fire Teeny feels slowly breaks through the cold panic I’m in.
I stroke her head and ask him, “Is Tyler even your real name?” My teeth grind through every word.
He nods. “Yes. My real name is Tyler.”
I take a deep breath in and try to control the burst of anger rushing through me. Teeny blubbers against my shoulder and it sounds like she’s finally letting go. I’m so mad I can’t think. I hope like hell the disgust shows on my face when I say, “Get out of my sight.”
He waits a moment then stands quickly, leaving the room without looking back. He doesn’t forget to lock the door, though.
