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Roland sat in the backseat of his father's car on the way to Regina's and asked questions non-stop. It was nice to see his son excited about staying a weekend with Henry, but Robin wished he'd miss him a little.

"Roland, you're going to see the roses and you already asked me about the movie. Relax, we're almost there," Robin told him.

"Do you think Regina will let us eat in the living room or will she be like mama? Always sit at the table with napkins," he imitated his mother a little too well.

"You will follow whatever Rules, Ms. Mills has for you, do you understand?" Robin turned down the street and spotted the white house she described. He'd not driven down this street often enough to know exactly where she lived. Even when he'd dropped her off at night, he was too concerned to pay attention to the house.

"Yes, daddy," he said. They pulled up outside the white house and stared. "Wow, she lives in a mansion," he said in awe. Robin didn't disagree, but he didn't say anything. What he did see what the curtains were drawn, and the house looked empty.

"Come on," he instructed. Roland undid his seat belt and waited for his father to open the door. Robin took his hand and grabbed a duffel bag from the trunk. "I want you on your best behavior."

Roland nodded as they came to a small black gate. Robin lifted the latch that led them along a brick path to the front door. Robin glanced around, her car parked in the driveway, the window curtains drawn.

When he reached the first step, a red light caught his attention. A camera inside of a light post stood staring at him. He lifted his hand and used the doorknocker. He heard pangs like buttons were being pushed. When the door opened, he came face to face with Henry.

"Hi, mom says to come inside. She'll be right down." Henry told them to go into a small sitting room where Robin was afraid to let Roland touch anything. Turning, he noticed Henry punched in buttons to an alarm again.

Henry entered the room and said, "You can sit down, we don't use this room. Well, I don't. Mom likes to read in here. Hey, Roland."

"Hi, can we see your dinosaurs yet?" Robin chuckled at his son's enthusiasm.

"Yea, but we gotta wait until after lunch. Mom's rules." Henry shrugged and flopped down on the couch. A loud beep sounded, and Henry shot up and walked into the hallway. "Yea?"

"Did you set it?"

"Yes, mom."

"Good. I'll be right down."

Robin watched Roland looking upon the mantel of the fireplace. A picture of an old man with wise eyes and a kind smile stared back at us. "Who's that?" Roland seemed interested in the picture.

"My grandpa, but he died." Henry looked rather sad at the fact. Before Roland could ask any questions, Regina walked into the room.

"I'm sorry, I got caught up with some laundry." Robin tried not to let on that he was shocked at her attire. "Hey, buddy. Are you hungry?" She knelt in her jeans and blouse. She looked casual and comfortable.

"I could eat," he said. The room erupted in chuckles.

"Come on, I'll make something for all of us." She stood and offered her hand to him. He slid his hand in hers easily and they walked to a large kitchen. Robin instantly was envious. His kitchen was small and not very practical. But, hers was large and it looked like she used it quite often.

A large island encompassed the center with dark granite countertops and white cabinets. It made him smile to see the chandelier at the center of the room. Glancing around, her bare feet caught his attention. Her nails were painted red.

There was another intercom box in the kitchen, and he wondered why a house would need such a thing. He played with the buttons, "Weird thing to find in a house this old," he commented.

Regina shrugged, "I had those put in, actually. Alright," she gained the boys' attention. "Sandwiches?" The boys nodded enthusiastically, and Roland gave a shout of hooray. Regina smiled and turned to open the refrigerator.

"Henry, set the table, please."

"Yes, ma'am." Robin noticed Regina's shoulders tense before he stopped and said, "I'm sorry, mom."

"It's okay. Go on," she coaxed. Packages of deli meat, cheese, and vegetables were pulled from the fridge and put on the island.

"Can I be of any assistance?" He looked at her across the island and smiled. He noted a slight blush creep up her cheeks.

"Behind you." He turned to see a dark door. "Top shelf you'll find a bag of chips." Robin opened the door and noticed gallons of water on the floor, can goods line the next two shelves, another held boxes of cereal, pop tarts, and crackers. The top shelf had a few bags of chips and a black lockbox tucked behind the rice.

He tried to ignore the fact that she kept a gun in her kitchen. He took the bag of chips and closed the door. He set it on the island and looked in the dining room to see the boys putting plates and napkins on the table. He took the opportunity and walked around the island deliberately to place the bag of chips next to her.

"How can I help," he asked bumping his hip on hers. She smiled as her hands were separating meats into stacks with cheese.

"You can turn the oven on to 350. Henry likes his toasted," she said.

"Smart man, I do too," he said. Robin turned on the oven to preheat and noted another lockbox tucked under the cabinet. His stomach twisted a little to know she had reason to have guns in more than one place in a room.

When he walked back toward her, she was already finished putting the vegetables in stacks. "Can you hand me a baking sheet? There," she pointed.

He complied and watch her put the bread and meats on the sheet. The empty slice put above to get the same toasting as the bottom. She slipped it in the oven and turned on a timer, he made his move.

When she stood, he put his arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her neck after moving her hair out of the way. "You look beautiful," he said. He nibbled up to her ear and whispered, "You smell amazing too."

"Robin, the boys," she tried. Her thoughts floated away as he turned her and captured her mouth with his. She enveloped him close and indulged. He kept it light, but his fingers attempted to edge under her shirt and up her back. Before he could get past her waistline, she went rigid.

He pulled back, "What is it?" She grabbed his hands and pushed them back to him.

"Nothing, I need to..."

"Regina?" To her delight and relief, Roland walked into the kitchen as she stepped back.

"The table is set, Regina."

"Thank you, baby. I think," she heard the timer on the oven sound. "Yep. That's the buzzer. It's ready," she smiled.

Putting together the rest of the sandwiches, Robin helped her carry them to the table and they sat and ate lunch together. Robin couldn't stop wondering what he'd done wrong. Throughout lunch, she avoided his eyes and talked only to the boys.

When the boys were fed, they'd all walked outside as promised so Roland could see the rose bushes. Regina had hired someone to care for the grounds.

While they were outside, Henry was showing Roland something, and Robin asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Regina turned to look at him, "No, I just…" She absently pulled her shirt down. It made him wonder if she was uncomfortable with her body. It dawned on him that he'd never seen her in a short-sleeved shirt.

He took her hand to stop her from walking when the boys turned the corner to an entrance of a small garden. A large apple tree stood at the center and he heard Roland get excited about a fairy village built on the ground over the water pipe.

"Wait." He held her waist and asked, "What is it?" He noticed her eyes were darting around and she looked on edge. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her like this. "Is it me?"

To his surprise, she kissed him lightly, "No, stop thinking that you've done something wrong." To accentuate her words, she kissed him longer, slower, and more deeply. When they were lost in one another, they were forced to pull back.

Rustling and branches breaking jolted Regina upright and they both turned to see someone dressed in dark green running up a hill and away from the house. "Who is that?"

Regina turned nearly white, "I don't…Sammy," she was whispering and clearly in shock.

"Who?" That seemed to snap her out of it a little bit with his arms around her he felt her trembling.

"Henry!" The boys came running at the shrill sound of her voice.

"What?" He had that same fear in his eyes. "Mom?"

"I'm so sorry baby," she said as she pried Robin's hands away. Henry's face twisted up and he seemed to be having a non-verbal conversation with his mother he was left out of. Then she simply said, "Code Amber," in a trembling tone.

"No! Not again…" he said. His face turned angry, but his eyes were large and turned to search for his surroundings. "It's not fair!" He started crying and Regina took him into her arms. "I like it here," he sobbed into her neck.

"I'm so sorry, baby," she struggled to say.

"What's wrong, Papa?" Robin was as clueless as his son.

"I don't know. Regina…"

"Go," she said and ushered Henry inside. The boy looked back before going inside the house and had tears in his eyes.

"Tell me what's going on," he said. Roland walked inside, and Robin reached out to grab Regina by the arms. When he was pulling her toward them, they heard something whoosh by them and slam into the wall with pieces of wood splinters shattering.

Regina screamed and pulled him with her until they got inside. "Henry, run to the basement!" She set the alarm and started running through the house until she found the boys outside the basement door. "Now!"

A few more holes were put into the house before Robin realized they were being shot at.

Robin ran behind her as a metal door slid open and they were enclosed inside. An elevator? Regina put in her hand and the reader scanned her fingerprints. Henry had Roland under his arm. "Regina, explain this to me. What the hell is going on?"

"I will," she said trembling. He felt sympathy as he saw tears streaming down her face. He looked at the boys huddled together. "Ow," she hissed and touched the side of her shoulder.

"You're bleeding," he said. He turned her to see that the bullet grazed her arm. Her sleeve was starting to soak through. She yelped when he touched the area. "I'm sorry," he said. The metal door opened into a large room filled with bags, food, water, and a large safe.

"Take Roland to the bedroom," she instructed nearly clenching her teeth. Henry moved without a word and Robin worried.

"No, I want him with me," he said.

"He'll be fine. This basement is safe. Let him go," she said. "There's a first aid kit in that bag," she pointed.

Robin shot into action and grabbed the bag. Inside, he saw first aid supplies. He took several gauze and said, "We need to take this off," he said.

Regina sighed and unbuttoned her shirt. Underneath, she wore a spaghetti strap the color of burgundy. Slowly, he peeled the shirt from the wound.

Taking the gauze, he carefully wiped away some of the blood, "I'm sorry," he said as she hissed. Taking a bottle of alcohol, he filled more gauze, "This is gonna hurt," he said. He kept his eyes on her before he gently covered the wound.

He was amazed that she didn't cry out. Her face turned red and tears gathered in her eyes, but she remained quiet. When the wound was clean, he assessed the damage. The bullet barely grazed her, but the skin was raw, red, and open. "You'll be alright."

He used more clean gauze and a wrap to bandage the wound. He took the shirt and started to pull, "Let's take this off." He noted she wouldn't look at him when he pulled it down her arms. He clenched his jaw when he saw scars in long lines and deep grooves all down the back of her arms.

As the shirt was folded, he looked at her back and saw the same, "Dear, God." It brought tears to his eyes to know she'd been treated like that. "Regina." He didn't want to touch her, but he softly took her hand. "What happened to you?"

Her eyes were trained on the wall, "My name isn't Regina," she started. He sat next to her and pulled her closer but was careful not to touch more than her hand gripped in his. She turned her head to look him in the eye, "My name is Sabrina Thompson."

"Wait, you're…" It shocked him and made his gut wrench. Her name had been on the news for years. A woman found dead in her home. Revived after being found face down in a swimming pool. The same woman accused of killing a family of four. A woman with many faces and deemed dangerous.

The woman before him was wanted by the police in connection to a strain of murders in her neighborhood. The news reported her husband recruited her and they worked as a team to kidnap, dismember, and bury young single mothers. That was the case until her husband decided to kill his wife.

The news reported she'd escaped from the hospital and never heard from again. It started to click, she was a former teacher, a mother, and an active member of her community. Slowly, he released her hand and questioned every moment he'd ever had with her.

Nausea filled his belly and he stood to find a small bathroom where he emptied his stomach. His eyes shot to the mirror and his anxiety went through the roof. Roland.

He came out of the bathroom, "Where is my son?"

Regina sat with her arms around her, "Henry's room is down the hall," she said defeated. He didn't know what to do or say. He walked down the hall and saw the boys inside watching a movie on a small screen built in the wall.

He stood there in the hall for a long time unsure of what to do. He was in a basement with a woman who participated in unspeakable things. What the hell was he going to do to get out?

Slumping to the floor, he put his head in his hands and brought his knees up to his chest. He'd fallen in love with a monster. He allowed himself to cry for the first time. His luck with women had been spectacularly awful.

Regina stood and winced as she moved around the basement. Her secret was out, and she had to leave and disappear. Taking the first aid kit, she shoved it inside the bag. Moving to the safe, she entered the code and pulled out another metal box. In her pocket, she had a key chain with a key to the box. Opening it, she took out the money and the next identity.

With Simon outside, she didn't get the box with Henry's identity. Instead, she put her belongings in a purse and shoved it inside the duffel bag. Robin walked out to see her moving around. "I have to go," she said.

"Where?" His voice was rough, and she knew he already hated her. It was going to be hard to ask him to trust her.

"I can't tell you." She put her duffel on the chair and went to a black trunk against the far wall. Another key to her chain opened the trunk. Inside she took out a black hoodie and winced as she put it over her shoulders. Taking in deep breaths, she tried to swallow the pain.

"I've called the police," he said. Though, she wasn't stupid. The first thing she did when she created this basement made it so there was no way to use a cellphone.

Standing, she unbuttoned her slacks and slid them off, there was no time for discretion. As she put her black jeans on, she saw him watching her every move. "No, you didn't. There's no service down here. I made sure of it," she said.

She put on a black pair of socks and black army type boots with laces knotted at the tops. "What do you intend to do with Roland and me?" She glanced up and he looked genuinely worried that she'd hurt him. It made her stomach hurt. She never did anything Simon was involved with.

"Nothing, but I'm going to ask you to trust me."

He scoffed, "How can I? You're a…" He stopped himself and hung his head. His fingers scratched back and forth through his hair. He couldn't say it out loud.

"A murderer? Monster?"

He looked up to see her head lifted, but her lip was trembling, her eyes were filled with tears. Could this woman with fear in every bone be capable of that? "Who are you?"

"There's no time to get into it. In an hour, I'll be gone, and you'll never see me again. But, I…" She started to cry openly. "I need you to do something for me…"

He was conflicted by the image the news projected and the woman he'd fallen for. "I don't know…I don't want to be involved in this."

"You won't be. At least not anything that would put you in jail. I need you to do something. I'm trusting you. I've never trusted anyone, and I'm forced to trust that you'll do the right thing."

"What are you asking me to do?"

She looked toward the bedroom, "I…" She burst into tears again and took in a breath. She decided a short explanation would help her. "The man shooting outside is my husband."

"I figured," he said sarcastically.

Nodding, she huffed, "So, you know the story projected on the news. You believe it. This is pointless."

"What is? Tell me, I deserve to know the truth after you dragged me into this." His face was turning red, the vein on his temple protruding out of his skin.

Defeated, she sat, "I'm innocent," she said. "I didn't do what he said I did. But Simon made it look like I did so that if I ever got caught, they'd never believe me." She absently started to turn a ring around her finger in circles. "I didn't know what he was doing."

Robin didn't say anything, he stood staring at her. It was all he could do, listen.

"Sammy was four when I found out. I brought him home from his soccer practice and I saw…" she choked on tears. Closing her eyes, she covered her mouth. "That poor girl was laying there. I couldn't do anything. Simon…"

She paused, "His eyes were glassed over, he wasn't there. I started to call the police and he…" Her body jerked, and she closed her arms around herself. "He took a belt and smacked me across the face with it." She reached up to trace the scar above her lip.

He'd wondered where she'd gotten it, it had been something he found attractive. It drew his eyes to her lips often. To know that he'd hit her, made his blood boil. If she was telling the truth he sympathized.

"The next morning, he'd put her body in the trunk of my car and taken her somewhere. All I knew was there were pieces of her hair still in it. I couldn't use a trunk of a car for a year after that."

Her eyes were still trained on the floor like she was looking into the past. "Simon made it impossible for me to do anything, always fearful that I'd tell someone. So, he when he picked another girl…" She closed her eyes and clenched them tightly.

"He used my credit card to buy tarps and a saw," she whispered. "Each time, there was something easily tracked back to me. I couldn't stop him. Then, when he knew I wouldn't turn him in, he made it impossible to leave his side."

She reached up and rubbed the back of her arms. To that, he remembered the scars on her skin. Those were real, he knew. For that, he could sympathize with her. He saw her lips tremble, her tears fall. The part of him that had fallen for her softened.

"How did he do that?" She flinched when he spoke. It angered him that she was afraid of him when he was afraid of her.

"He set rules and when I broke them…" Her face changed from fearful to angry. He'd never seen her look angry before. "There were consequences even when it wasn't my fault. It didn't matter to him, it was the belt or his teeth."

Robin frowned, "Teeth?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I got away and I'm never going back. You can believe what you want," she said standing. Turning to him, he took a step back. "I need you to…"

"To keep your secret?" he guessed. Her jaw jumped, and she shook her head.

"No, I want you to keep Sammy safe," she said. That was not at all what he was expecting her to ask. "Will you?"

Robin's mind went blank.