“Will you be okay?” Dominic asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
I nodded.
In seconds, everyone left the room, leaving only Ace and myself sitting at the kitchen table. I placed my shaking hands in my lap. My knee bounced in place.
“I always thought that you’d be something great in this family. As a young girl, you were a spitball of fire. A rule was set, and you did everything you possibly could to tweak it to your liking. It didn’t matter how much trouble you got into.
“Between you and Peyton, trouble found you both wherever you went.” He turned to me, a small, happy smile on his lips. His eyes were alight with memories of better days. “Your brother tried his best to keep you out of trouble, but I swear your middle name was just that. With a capital T. He used to take the blame when you both got into something you shouldn’t have done.
“I think Peyton took the worst of it when you disappeared without a trace. He wouldn’t stop looking for you. He’d walk the entire house from floor to floor. He’d track for any signs in the yard. Around the fence. Everywhere he possibly could.
“I don’t think he ever stopped, not even when it looked like you would never be found.”
“How did you know where I was? How did he know where to look?”
“I have help in places men like me always do. Police force. Schools. I was tipped off by someone, and I followed up on that lead myself. I didn’t think it was possible, since so many years had passed. Most missing children aren’t ever found. There are only a few who are, and that is by luck alone.”
“I’m not lucky.”
“Oh, you so are, dear girl,” he said. “You weren’t even supposed to be born. Hannah struggled to get pregnant with both you and your brother. Both of you are very lucky to be alive and healthy.
“She’ssuffered a number of miscarriages over the years, and after you were born, she didn’t try for any more children. She was beside herself when you went missing. She knew you were alive. A mother’s intuition. But, the reason I want to talk to you is about your missing person’s case.”
“Oh, okay.” I blinked, not understand what he was getting at.
“When you went missing, hours after, an amber alert was issued. Every police force task was out looking for you. There were search groups set up. Neighbors came out to help. Police went door to door, cars were searched. For a full month, they were looking for you non-stop.
“It went national when there was no clue as to where you went. Now, we knew you liked to wander, and trouble found you too easily, I knew without a doubt that someone had to have taken you. I just didn’t know who, or where to look to figure that out.
“We went public. Well, your parents did. We figured it was all over money, and there was a huge sum offered for your return. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years.”
“And now here I am,” I said.
“Yes, you certainly are,” he said. “That is why your father isn’t here today. He went public again, something he didn’t want to do. But with you turning eighteen, and for you to have a life without questions following you everywhere, he had to come up with a plan to close your open case file. Caesar went public today to tell the world that you are safe, happy and alive. It’ll also keep the media out of your way when you’re up to venturing out in populated areas.
“That is his gift to you. He wants you be able to have a normal life, if you choose to do so. He wants to give the world to you, Scarlett. He wants you to be safe.”
“Alan is still out there.” I wasn’t ever going to have a normal life. I didn’t even know what the word meant anymore.
“Yes, and now he knows that he’s going to have one heck of a time to get you again. He’ll either go into deep hiding, or he’ll move on.”
“You can’t just let that man get away scot free.” My blood boiled at that thought. I would forever be looking over my shoulder. What kind of life would that be?
“Don’t you worry about that,” he said, waving his hand in the air. “He’ll come to us in time. He’s not going to just pop out of the shadows and attack you. That’s why he has a few men that he pays well to do his dirty work.”
Yeah, that didn’t help me feel safe here.
“You are safe. You have my word.”
“I won’t be able to have a life until he’s off the streets.” He was out there, waiting for me. “He took me once. He’ll do it again. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
“No, he won’t,” Ace said, patting my leg. “But we’ll make you disappear. He won’t find you, because you will no longer be anywhere he can find you. Alan may have some money on his hands, but he can’t travel. He will not be able to leave the country at all.”
“And you think I should?”
“Yes. With either Zevon or Dominic. Or both, if you prefer. You would be out of his sight, and he’d be able to do nothing about it.”
“I can’t hide for the rest of my life,” I said, standing and turning my back. There was no way I’d be able to.
