“I know who he is. I’ll take you to him myself.”
Sheriff Rogers stared at her as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what she was saying. Lily repeated herself, carefully enunciating each word. “I’ll take you to the man who kidnapped me.”
“Young lady, that can’t happen,” Sheriff Rogers said, speaking to her as if she were a child. He stopped himself, softening his tone. “What I meant to say is, not only is it dangerous, but that is completely against protocol.”
“Fuck protocol,” Abby said, glancing over at Lily, who was standing still, listening to everyone.
Mom stepped forward, joining in the chorus of disapproval.
“Abby, you’re not helping. Lily, you and Sky need medical treatment. Not to mention food and rest. And whoever this man is, he doesn’t need another chance to hurt you. To hurt any of us.”
Lily tried not to overreact. How was it possible that even now she wasn’t responsible for her own choices? Even after surviving Rick, after getting the luckiest break of her life, they were telling her what she could and couldn’t do. She and Abby had always been allies. As children, there were constant battles to be waged against their parents. Lily could remember being furious with her sister over what was no doubt some minor childhood injustice, but the minute their parents turned on either of them, Lily and Abby had each other’s back. That was part of the twin bylaws. They always looked out for each other. Lily was hoping that time hadn’t changed that.
Abby stood by Lily’s side.
“You heard what Lily said. She’ll take us to him. And if I’m not mistaken, you’re the cops. Your job is to protect us. Do your job.”
There was that harsh tone again—the edge Lily had heard when Abby snapped at their mother. Abby didn’t sound like herself, not the Abby she remembered, but her words were effective. Sheriff Rogers gave up and gestured for them to follow him.
Grateful, Lily hugged Abby again. She turned back to the sofa and picked up Sky, who barely stirred, nestling into Lily’s arms. Adrenaline coursed through Lily’s body as she moved toward the front door. An instant later, she remembered Abby. Her sister was still standing near the sofa, frozen, watching Lily, waiting to see what she should do. Lily stopped. She wasn’t alone anymore. Her sister, her best friend, was here to see her through this. She held out her hand, and Abby surged forward and grabbed on tightly. Together, in perfect unison, they walked hand in hand through the open door, toward the beginning of the end of Lily’s hellish nightmare.
CHAPTER NINE
EVE
This is real. This is real, Eve thought as she followed her girls outside. She watched them walking side by side, her heart about to burst out of her chest. Eve always said that having twins was like giving birth to three things: the two of them and their relationship. Losing Lily had destroyed all of that, and now here it was, reborn. Eve would never forget this day. For so long that miserable day in September haunted her. The day she’d gotten Lily’s voice mail.
“Uh, Mom, it’s almost six, and I’m still at school. That bitch… sorry, birch… Abby, left me here. Can you pick me up? And I’m starving. Let’s get sushi tonight.”
Eve had deleted the message, doing her best to fight off her annoyance. She’d been stuck in a budget meeting all day, and now she was going to have to spend her evening playing referee. The girls’ constant bickering was a part of life, like traffic jams or plowing the driveway after a snowstorm, but that didn’t make it less taxing.
She arrived at the high school a little after six. The place was deserted. She’d wandered around, but there was no sign of Lily. She’d tried her cell, but in spite of her and Dave’s pleas, the girls never charged their phones, and the damn thing went straight to voice mail. Eve figured Lily had gotten a ride from Wes or one of her track friends. She’d stopped at Yoshi’s to pick up sushi, knowing that spicy tuna always brokered peace in their household. Dave was on call at the hospital that night, and Abby had been upstairs, in the bedroom she shared with Lily, laboring over her homework.
“Where’s your sister?” Eve asked when she arrived at home.
Abby shrugged. “Her highness said she’d get a ride. I’m sure she’s at Wes’s.”
Eve’s motherly instincts hadn’t been fully functioning earlier, at the school, but in that moment, they kicked into overdrive.
“Call Wes and make sure she’s there.”
Abby did as she was told and dialed Wes.