“All right, if we split up, we can hit more targets.” Milo leans in over the table, our heads close together as we whisper conspiratorially.
“I see a few people we met out in Utah, Dante you come with me. We’ll see if they have any info on the Whitmores.”
“Mom made me promise I would dance with her at least once, so I’ll go get that over with.” Ollie rolls his eyes like it’s such a hardship.
“That leaves you with Laura,” Dante tells Milo.
Milo’s vibrant blue eyes meet mine. “My parents are over there.” He points to the bar near the door we entered through. “Shall we start there?”
I push nonexistent crumbs from my lab and nod my head jerkily. “Let’s do this.” The words are more for me than him. At least with only Milo by my side we won’t attract as much attention as if we were our whole group.
Milo rounds the table and reaches for my hand. Grateful for the support I take his offered palm, lacing my fingers through his. With a gentle tug he pulls me to stand. I find my balance, making sure my back is straight. With one quick look over my shoulder I give Dante, Ollie, and Ares a little wave. My lower stomach hollows out, and for some reason a feeling of dread fills me as I walk away.
I blow out a long breath through my lips, hoping no one notices the way I’m clinging to Milo’s hand and arm. I push the nervousness away, knowing it’s only the amount of people and the factthatI feel like everyone is staring at me that’s making me feel so edgy. Milo keeps his steps short, but his pace is fairly quick as we make our way across the room. He nods and says several hellos, but keeps us moving toward his parents.
“There they are,” Linda announces like we’dbe lost in the crowd for ages. Her smile and kind eyes go a little further to relax me. I’vebecome familiar with their families, and I may not feel like one of them yet, but it’s not for their lack of trying. “Did you enjoy dinner? I had the salmon, it was amazing.” Her eyes get a little wider.
“It was all great,” I answer quietly, focusing on her instead of the people around her, Matt, and Phil.
“I can’t wait for dessert.” She does a little shimmy, displaying how eager she is.I spend the next five minutes mostly listening to the others talk, no one is excluding me, Ijustdon’t feel like I have much to add to the conversation. I’ve only heard the last few minutes anyway, finding a bathroom has taken precedence over the conversation at this point.
I tug on Milo’s sleeve and he immediately bends his head down so I can whisper in his ear. “I need to use the restroom.” His head bobs up and he surveys the room. Spinning, he points to a sign near the door we entered through.
“Must be out there.” He takes a step like he’s going to lead me out.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell him before he can get too far.
Milo rolls his lips in, looks at me, then the door. “I got it Milo, I’m just going to run to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” I give his hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing him. The exit doors are only a few steps away. I walk hurriedly, feeling eyes on my back as I do.
The hall is quiet as soon as the doors fall closed. My shoulders slump as I slow my pace. I peer left, then right, before guessing which way to go. The knot in my stomach tightens as I journey down the hall, and I place my fist over the center of my belly. Maybe the food isn’t sitting well.
As soon as I turn the corner, I see an alcove with a sign above it for the restrooms. Hurrying my pace again, I push through the door. I don’t even bother looking around before I move through the first open stall door. I’m dancing by the time I gather the tulle from my dress to hold above my waist so I can pee.
Relieved, I exit the stall. There’s a wide mirror above three sinks. I glance up and note my hair is still sprayed into submission, not daring to have moved. My eyes look a little larger with the dark mascara elongating my lashes. I run my finger under each eye after washing my hands to make sure Idon’t have any flecks on my cheeks. Turning so I can see over my shoulder, I get the first good glimpse ofhow much of my back is exposed. I groan, wishing I had asked if the hair girl to leave it all down. Falling back on my heels I shake my head, nothing I can do about it now. It will be hard enough to get this gunk out of my hair with a brush and a shampoo, trying to unravel it in the bathroom would probably leave me with a rat’s nest on my head.
The door to the bathroom pushes open and I hurry to look away from the mirror. I lose the breath in my lungs. “Mom.” The utter shock and surprise of seeing my mother standing in front of me has me frozen.
“Laura, baby, you have to run.”
“Mom, where have you been, why did you leave?”
“We don’t have time.You have to get away from here, away from them. He will hurt you.” I can’t believe after all this time she’s standing here. Her skin has lost the sallow sheen, her cheeks are flushed, and there’s a brightness in her eyes Idon’t ever remember seeing.
I take a step closer, her words finally registering as my body comes unglued. “Mom, no oneis going to hurt me. The guys would never hurt me. I love them, and… I think they love me too.” It feels so strange saying this to her, it feels likeshe’s been gone years, not weeks. So much has happened.
She reaches for my hand, her grip punishing. “Laura, you don’t understand. It’s not them. It’s him, it’s Leon. He’s here, he’s coming for you.”
I step back and pull my arm free from her grip. Immediately rubbing the soreness, she left behind. “He’s dead mom, he died years ago.” Bitterness fills my tone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We do not have time for this, not now. You need to get out of here, run.”
I study her again. Her cloths are new, much nicer than anything she’s ever owned, and even her hair looks healthy. But the feverish look in her eyes isn’t new.
My heart falls, she is still living in the past. “Mom, I know about Leon, what he did.” I reach out for her arm, placing my hand over her shoulder. “Let me go get the others. Ares, he’s been researching Leon and his family. He can help us understand.”
She shrugs out from under my touch and grabs my shoulder. “Everything I’ve ever done was to keep you safe. I’m sorry I never told you. I never wanted this for you. I thought if I kept you away from all of it you would be safe.” A lump forms in my throat as I try to fight the pricking of tears behind my eyes.
“Mom, let me get the guys.” She’s shaking her head in denial before the words are out of my mouth.
