He glanced up at me, then over at my mom, his lips thinned, and he gave a slight shake of his head before holding the papers in through my window for me to take back.
“Take care on these back roads ladies, they’re narrow.” I pulled the papers into the cab, shock keeping me from responding as he turned and walked away.
The revelation of what really happens hits me quickly. My mom must have used some kind of compulsion on him. “Oh my God.”
“What is it?” Ares hits the breaks too hard and the SUV jerks to a halt. Thank goodness we’re not even out of the parking lot yet. My tone must have alerted him that something was wrong.
“When you asked if I ever got pulled over…” I swallow thickly, my mind speeding through other memories to see if I remember any other times something like that could have happened. “When we got pulled over, I wasn’t even legal to drive yet. My mom, she gave him a library card and a scrap of paper, but he acted like he thought it was my license and registration. She must have voodooed his mind or something, because hejustwalked away, told us to drive carefully. I don’t know how I could have forgotten that.” I rub my temples in my hands feeling a headache coming on.
The carstarts rolling forward again. “You might not have forgotten, she might have made you forget.”
“What?” I whisper in shock.
“Itactuallymakes sense, if your mother has been manipulating your memories, that means what youdoremember about her disappearance, and right before, might be false memories. Maybe the things you think you remember are what she wanted you to remember.” Ares’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. I look away and scrub my hands over my face.
“This might help Laura, maybe there’s aclue in your memories. Something we haven’t figured out yet.” Ollie reaches back and lays his hand on my knee.
I think back to everything that happened in the weeks since we’d moved to Canton. The only thing that keeps nagging at me is the night I heard her talking, but Ididn’t hear anything useful. I blow out a frustrated breath.
“How many more lies and deceptions? How am I ever going to know what’s the truth?”
“We’ll figure it out Laura.”Ares glides the car onto the road, our journey more somber. We make another stop at a fast-food restaurant before returning home.
Ares parks the car near the entrance but doesn’t get out. “Are we going in?” I wonder, not sure why he didn’t just hit the drive-thru.
“In a minute,” Ares answers. He turns in his seat, so he can see me. “I don’t know your mom.” I look away, not sure if I’m ready to have a conversation about herright now,I feel even more betrayed. “But I don’t think she was trying to hurt you. I bet she was doing her best to protect you.”
I know he’s probably right, but I’m still hurt. Still too raw to accept it for the truth just yet. I nod anyway, letting him know I’m hearing him. I may not be ready to believe it yet, but I hear him.
Chapter 19
The moving truckis already parked in front of the garage when we return home. A little of the sadness I was feeling dissipates when I see our house nestled back in the mountainside.
How I got here isn’t important, what’s important is that I’m here with them now. And no matter what my mom has or hasn’t done, I still love her, and I’m still going to find out where she is. There are no other options for me.
I climb out of the back seat, bringing several bags with me as I do. Ares opens the rear door after getting out and grabs several drink trays, filled with orange juice and coffee, off the floorboard. He snaps the door closed with his hip.
Milo jogs over and takes the bags from my hands. “Hey, took you guys forever.” He leans in and places a soft kiss against my lips. I’m still getting used to this more affectionate side of Milo.
“Ollie.” I roll my eyes, putting all the blame on him. “How long have they been here?” I point over to the moving truck with several guys already loading things up the ramp.
“Not long, thirty minutes or so.”
“Geeze, no wonder Ares ordered so much.” I don’t bother trying to count the mengoing in andout of the truck. We might not have enough.
Milo looks down at the bags he took fromme. “You mean this is supposed to feed more than Dante?” He grins, telling me he’s only joking. “Come on, let’s go feed him, he’s alreadyhangry.”
Dante prowls out of the open garage before we make it inside. His eyes already focused in my direction. He tilts his chin in the air and his chest expands, the tightly packed muscles roping up his sides standing out. I watch as his shoulders slump a little and he lowers his head; it does nothing to hide his predatorylope as he comes toward us.
“He’s been crabby even since he woke up and found outyou guys were already gone,” Milo warns quietly. “I’ll meet you upstairs,” he adds louder, leaving me to fend for myself.
Instead of meeting Dante halfway I stand my ground, waiting for him to come to me. His steps never slow as he pushes into my space, not touching me, but almost.
I reach out and walk my fingers from his waist up to his chest, placing my palm over his heart. “I thought you were hungry. Ollie and Milo have the food.”
“You didn’t wake me,” he says like I’ve broken some unspoken rule.
“I didn’t knowI was supposed to,” I counter licking my lips.
