Letty's eyes blinked rapidly at the change in lighting. The bulb was shining brightly on her face, leaving the rest of the room in deep shadow.

God, she thought to herself. What the fuck?

She began to raise her hand to block out the light, but something cold and sharp pulled her back by the wrist. After her eyes finally adjusted to the light, Letty looked around the room. Her wrists were shackled to the underside of the table in front of her, which held nothing but the lamp and a manila envelope. Across the table from her was an empty chair, behind which was a large mirror. She looked over her shoulder, but could see nothing behind her.

Letty shimmied the cuffs farther up her wrist so she could reach the envelope. Carefully opening it, she spread its contents across the table. It was full of photographs - large shots that were probably taken from quite a distance blown up to fill each page. There was one of herself and her mother at a diner. And another of Jacob at baseball. There was a photo of her at her desk, back when she worked for Kyle at his firm, undoubtedly struggling with the computer. The image was clearly taken from long range, through the office windows. Letty pushed it to the side to look at the final three photographs. The first of the three was of a middle aged couple. The woman was short, with wavy blonde hair that was definitely done professionally. The man was slightly older, and much taller. He wore an expensive-looking suit and tie and a pair of wire framed glasses. She recognized them. Bill and Robin. The next was of a crime scene. The woman in it was sprawled across a tile floor, covered only by a bathroom towel. Daphne Rochefort. The final photo was of Letty. Her arms were draped over Javier's shoulders as they danced. Her smile was as bright as she'd ever remembered seeing, her white teeth shining between vibrant red lips. Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, and strings of lights twinkled behind sheer drapes.

Her mother's wedding.

"What the hell is this?" she yelled. There was no response. "Where's my son?"

Suddenly the lamp switched off, and the room was pitch black for a short moment. Then, the room on the other side of the glass was illuminated, revealing a man in a blue button-down cuffed to a chair. His head lolled back and his hair fell from his scruffy face.

"Javier!"

He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the two-way mirror. Javier began to cough and his wrists strained against the cuffs.

Letty called out to him again, but he couldn't hear her. "Javier! What the fuck is going on? Hello? Somebody?"

A voice came over the communication system in the interrogation room, making accusations of dozens of murders and thought-to-be suicides. Javier only shook his head, a look of dread on his tired face. Then, the light switched back off.

Letty shuddered and imagined what could be happening on the other side of that glass. For all she knew, the FBI had finally found them, and were beating the confession out of him. God, he could be bleeding and crying out for her.

She winced and shifted in her seat away from the glass and toward the door, which slowly creaked open. Between the door and the frame, the hallway was visible, and in it sat two chairs. In the first was Jacob. In the second was a police officer. Footsteps from down the hall grew louder as a shadow approached her son. Jacob looked up at the nearing figure and the cop stood to shake his hand. A gold watch poked out from beneath the man's sleeve as he greeted the officer. Then, the policeman walked away leaving Jacob with the other, who stepped into her view as he placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder.

Letty's eyes grew wide as she read the words from her son's lips.

Hi, Dad.

"No!"

Letty shot upright in her bed as her alarm blared, panting heavily. She looked over at her clock and read the time. It was 4:30 AM. God, she hated her job.

Javier groaned and shifted beside her as he slept, reminding her of his presence. She ran a hand through his tussled hair and climbed out of bed. Donning her light pink Pavilion Diner polo and khaki slacks, she grabbed her keys and slipped out the front door.

Letty drove to the diner in silence. There was nothing on the radio she wanted to hear. A thin sheen of sweat coated her forehead, so she rolled the driver's side window down to cool off. The wind whipped at her hair and neck, and the breeze floated beneath her collar. After driving several blocks, a chill set in, and she rolled the window back up until it was open just a crack. She pulled into the diner parking lot and turned the ignition off. Sitting in her car, she stared through the windshield for a moment, before running a hand through her hair and tying it up in a loose bun. She lit a cigarette and checked the time. It was only 4:45, so Letty had a few minutes before she needed to clock in.

The tip of her cigarette slipped through the open window as she held it between two fingers. Her other hand was gripped tightly on the steering wheel. With her eyes closed, she took a deep breath and brought the cigarette back to her lips.

Thinking back to her dream, Letty frowned. It seemed that everything that could go wrong, did. Two of her biggest fears crept their way into her sleep, invading her thoughts and destroying the feeling of happiness and content that she had finally convinced herself she deserved. It wasn't implausible, the idea of Javier eventually getting caught. If that were to happen, she would lose everything. Without a doubt, Jacob would be torn away from her, and the only man she had thought truly cared for her since Sean left would be spending the rest of his life in prison. And that, she told herself, was the best case scenario.

A knock on her window startled her. Letty flicked the half-burnt cigarette out of the window and it plopped to the floor beside the woman's shoe.

"Didn't mean to scare you there, sweetheart, but our shift's gonna start soon," she said.

Letty glanced back at the clock on the dashboard and then gathered her things. She rolled the window back up and climbed out of the car. After crushing the butt with the toe of her boot, she turned to the petite blonde that waited in the next parking space.

"Thanks, Annabelle. Lost track of time."

She smiled. "I told ya, call me Belle. Now c'mon, we're gonna be late."

Letty followed Belle up the stairs at the back of the restaurant. She tucked her bag into a cabinet, pulled on her apron, and clocked in.

It was a relatively slow morning. The regulars were seated at the bar, and a few couples occupied booths along the east wall. She brought the guests at the bar their usual orders: steak and eggs with a side of bacon for the burly man in the wool hunting coat, two eggs sunny side up with whole wheat toast and a hash brown for the young businessman, and a single blueberry waffle and a cup of chamomile tea for the elderly woman in the beige peacoat.

She slid the plates in front of each of them with a smile and strutted out from behind the counter. Letty flipped open her notepad as she approached the corner booth. The couple ordered two coffees first, and asked for more time to decide on breakfast.

She made her way into the kitchen, where Belle was chatting up one of the cooks. The young girl leaned against a cabinet and tucked a stray hair behind her ear and smiled. Belle must have felt Letty's gaze, because she straightened up and began to blush. After whispering something to the cook, she stepped over to Letty.

"I don't know what it is, but that boy is so darn interestin'!" she giggled. "So when are you gonna bring your man around? I'd sure like to meet him."

Letty raised her eyebrows. "I- I'm not sure. He's pretty busy."

"Aww, come on, Letty! Gus and I are starting to think he ain't even real." Belle bumped Letty's shoulder and she rolled her eyes. She grabbed a plate of food from one of the cooks before winking at Letty and heading out through the kitchen doors.

Letty leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She had only been at work for two hours, but it felt like an eternity. As much as she disliked most of the morning crowd, she preferred first shift to second or third. The busier the diner was, the quicker the day went, and the sooner she could see Jacob and Javier.

But today was dragging on and on.

The kitchen doors swung open as Marcos, the manager, strut in. The grumpy, fat man stalked around the room. He checked the temperature of each of the fridges and freezers before writing the measurements down on a clipboard. Then, he joined the two cooks, one of which was dropping potatoes in the frier, and began speaking Spanish to the other of the two, who was scraping oily bacon scraps off of the grill. The men shared a laugh, then Marcos crossed the room to where Letty was standing.

"Raines," he said, as he tossed her a damp rag, "got a party of twelve coming in half an hour, set it up. Now."

One of the cooks placed a small plate of home fries onto the counter beside Letty, and her boss swiped a small piece of potato and popped it into his mouth on his way out of the room. Letty rolled her eyes, slung the rag over her shoulder, grabbed the plate, and followed him out into the dining area. She placed the dish in front of the couple who ordered it, then made her way toward tables 9, 10, and 11. She pushed them together and wiped down the tabletops. As she dragged over two chairs, Letty heard a plate shatter on the ground behind her. Stopping in her tracks, she turned on her heel to see Belle across the room, cowering against a barstool.

A young man, perhaps in his late twenties or early thirties, was screaming. Annabelle was shaking as the man flailed his arms at her. Thick veins protruded from his neck and his hands balled into fists. He spewed obscenities and cusses. Marcos was helping a customer at the cash register, and he stopped for a moment. Letty waited to see if he would intervene, but he simply shook his head, gave the woman her change, and headed back into the kitchen.

Heat crept up Letty's neck and into cheeks. She hustled across the room toward Belle and the man, who then kicked the shards of broken ceramic at the girl. Letty unwrapped a napkin from a nearby table and pulled out the knife before stepping in front of Belle.

"Get out!" Letty gripped the knife tightly with one hand and reached out for the woman behind her with the other. Belle grabbed her by the wrist and squeezed.

"Oh, hell, no." The man stood his ground. "I hear my bitch is talking to another man, and I wanna know who. Which of these spics is it? Huh?"

"Trevor, just leave!" Belle yelled through tears.

He looked at Letty, who gestured with the knife in the direction of the exit. After a long pause, he turned to the door and opened it. Before walking through, Trevor glanced over his shoulder and spit onto the ground beside one of the tables.

The sound of his car's exhaust faded away and Letty's shoulders finally relaxed. She exhaled a deep breath and faced Belle, who was sniffling and wiping the tears from her cheek. She looked up at Letty and smiled. It didn't quite reach her eyes, which were puffy and bloodshot.

"Thank you, Letty," she whispered. "I'm okay. Really."

The kitchen doors swung open, and Marcos poked his head out from between them.

"Clean it up! And get back to work," he yelled.

Letty kicked a shard of ceramic toward the pile of cracked plate pieces and sighed, "Prick."

Belle left Letty for a moment, then returned with a broom and a dustpan. Letty wiped down a table as Belle collected the broken shards. While they cleaned, Letty asked about the nature of her relationship with Trevor, to which the young woman shook her head. She seemed uncomfortable when talking about Trevor, and it had Letty questioning why the two had ever gotten together in the first place.

"He was handsome," Belle said. "Simple as that. I just got caught up in him, is all."

It was a story Letty was all too familiar with. She and Belle had a lot more in common than they let on, and perhaps that is why Letty had been so intent on protecting her. When Letty was in her position, curled up on the bathroom floor, fine white powder sprinkled over every surface, she had wished there were another person there to wield a knife or a gun and step between herself and Sean. If only she had been strong enough to do it herself.

It didn't help that Marcos abandoned them, choosing to not be bothered by disturbances in his restaurant over the safety and well being of his employees.

The women finished cleaning the area in silence, then Belle helped Letty set up for the party. Before the group arrived, another waiter clocked in, taking control of that whole area. All she had to do was finish taking care of her current customers, and then she was free to leave.

Javier tossed a towel over his shoulder and grabbed Jacob's plate from the kitchen island. He placed it into the sink before checking his watch.

"Time to go," he said as he quickly rinsed maple syrup off of their breakfast dishes. Jacob hopped down from the stool and opened his backpack and the refrigerator door. From the fridge he pulled a bottle of water and a superhero lunchbox.

Javier led Jacob to the car, and the two pulled out of the driveway. As the car turned onto Pine Street, Jacob reached over and lowered the radio.

"What was it like in Argentina?" he asked innocently.

Javier smiled. "It was beautiful. Do you like the beach, Jacob?"

The boy nodded.

"Well, the beaches in Buenos Aires are magnificent. The sand is soft and clean, and the water stretches as far as the eye can see. At night you can dine on the pier under the city lights."

Jacob smiled. "That sounds really nice. I like the beaches here, too. My dad said he's going to take me to Myrtle Beach over the summer when he gets to see me again."

Javier's breath caught at the mention of Sean. His grip tightened on the steering wheel and he drew in a deep breath. Then, as he exhaled slowly, his hands and shoulders relaxed. Javier didn't like the idea of Sean spending time with Jacob, that was no secret, and often times he thought it a bit odd that someone like himself could grow to love and care for a child as if he were his own. He sometimes still worried that Jacob's father would find a way to take him away from Letty - away from them. While Javier was still confident in his decision not to take physical action with Sean as Letty had requested, a part of him knew that when push came to shove, he would do anything to protect Jacob.

"That's wonderful. Do you miss your father?"

Jacob turned to look out of the window. He watched as palm tree after palm tree flew by along with pedestrians on foot and on bike.

"Sometimes."

Javier hung a left, then turned right onto the following street. "It's alright to miss him," he said. "He may not treat your mother right, but he does love you. So does your mom. She loves you very much, Jacob."

He smiled. "I know."

The boy reached out and raised the volume. A familiar song played as they drove the final few minutes to the school. As they approached a stop sign and Javier eased on the breaks, the song changed to a particularly vulgar rap song so he quickly changed the station. The next station was in a commercial break.

Myrtle Beach Hard Bodies! We get-

Click.

They pulled up to the front of the school and Javier unlocked the doors. Jacob wrapped his fingers around the handle before turning to Javier.

"You don't like my dad," he said solemnly.

"I- " Javier sighed. There was no point in lying to him. He was a smart boy, he would understand. "No, I do not."

Jacob nodded and opened the door, but paused before getting out.

"Do you like your dad?"

He was not sure how to respond to that. He could tell the truth, that Oscar Pireira was not exactly Father of the Year, but moreso a constant reminder of how not to raise a child, and how not to treat others.

Oscar Pireira was a constant reminder of what he had become.

"No, I do not," Javier repeated, hoping Jacob would accept the answer and stop asking questions.

The boy nodded, thanked Javier for driving, and closed the door. Once Jacob crossed the threshold into the building, and Javier could no longer see his bright red backpack, he pulled out of the spot and headed home.

Christian turned the knob and hot water fell to his face. He grabbed the soap and scrubbed for a while. The door clicked open and a rush of cold air blew the shower curtain.

"I forgot my toothbrush," he heard Rhonda say from the other side.

He rinsed the soap off his face and squinted.

"You know, you can leave one here."

She expelled a guttural laugh and said, "No thanks. You keep your stuff at your place, I'll keep my stuff at mine."

Christian scratched his head. "But I have stuff at your place."

"Ha. I know," she said, before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She headed straight for the bedroom. When she entered, she sat on his side of the bed and glanced over her shoulder. Through the open bedroom door the shower stream could be heard, so she quickly reached for Christian's cell phone.

First, Rhonda scrolled through his contacts. Under the letter 'J' were listed several contacts.

Jennifer, John, Jasmine

She pursed her lips. No Javier.

Next, she pulled up his most recent text threads, one of which was to Letty Raines. Two speech bubbles filled the screen.

How are you adjusting? I heard some people on the coast in Saint Mary's can be pretty pretentious. How is Jacob?

Jacob is great. He loves it here. We're adjusting well. Even holding a job though we'll see how that goes. Miss you, stalker.

She grunted, scrolling farther up in the conversation. After several minutes, Rhonda was satisfied that there were no leads to be found there.

Then, the faucet turned off, and she could hear the shower curtain being shoved aside. She locked the phone and placed it back on the night stand. Guilt washed over her as Christian stepped into the room, towel wrapped around his waist.