A/N: I own nothing and please forgive all of my mistakes. High school Samcedes begins this chapter, so if you are reading this for them enjoy more of their backstory; then the cliffhanger with Gina will be dealt with. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Twenty

Cedes was trembling as she got in the SUV and headed to work. Her tremors were not from Cooter's attempts at seduction or intimidation. That slimeball couldn't cause her to have any reaction to him other than the loathing she always felt in his present.

No, she was trembling because of one person and one person alone who the power to make her knees dissolve: Sam Menkins. Even though they'd had a rough history, and he was making sure they had an even rougher present.

While he'd never openly shown an interest in her, there was a moment in high school when she had just turned sixteen and had snuck out for the first time in her life. She and Hunter decided to crash a party that the "good" kids were not invited to, but by the end of the night, all Hunter had was a beer induced hangover and all Cedes had was a love hangover given to her not by beer but by Sam Menkins that cemented her crush on him forever.

She could remember that night like it was yesterday. She and Hunter had walked into the party that only the coolest students at their high school who could legally drive were at.

Someone handed her a red Solo cup of beer. She could never stand the sight or scent of lukewarm beer, so she only pretended to drink it. However, her best friend did not pretend and would later come to regret his decision.

As she looked around, taking in all the playful flirtations and downright X-rated sexual activity of drunk high school kids, she saw Sam Menkins. He'd clearly had too much to drink and was to drunk to participate in the drunken orgy.

She couldn't stop help her feet from going over to him. At first, she just wanted to see if he was okay. But as she got closer to him she realized he was actually watching her his eyelashes making it almost impossible to see his eyes.

She immediately started to turn away from him. "Sorry. I thought maybe you had passed out."

"Not yet," he said, watching her intently.

"Well, if you don't need help, I'll just—"

"Do you want a drink?" He lifted a small container off the ground.

"No, I have this," she said, showing him her cup.

"You mean the beer you haven't taken a sip of since you got here?"

"How did you—? Maybe. I just don't like beer."

"You'll like this." He lifted the container again, as though inviting her to get closer. To taste what he had to offer. When he moved his shirt had ridden up. She could see his six no eight pack and even the tops of his boxers.

She stepped closer and had to kneel down beside him to look inside of the container.

"What is this?"

"What you need," he told her a grin lighting up his handsome face.

But just when her fingers touched it, he moved it out of her reach.

She laughed and tried again.

He kept moving it until she was unbalanced. He took advantage of her being unbalanced and used his arm to grab her arm to not stop her from falling but to make sure she landed on top of him. She had fallen for his trick to get him close to her by offering her alcohol that he had not intended to give her to drink.

"You're drunk, and what were you thinking tricking me?" she asked him.

"All I am thinking about right now is taking a shot of Mercy."

Instead of drinking his family's moonshine, he pulled her down to him, and even though she'd never kissed a boy in her life, she knew instinctively how to let him use his mouth on hers. To drink and savor her as she savored him. He tasted like alcohol, cinnamon, and desire, because that was what rushed through her body.

She gasped from behind the kiss, and he pulled her closer. Angling his head as he slid his tongue deeper inside her mouth. She was so lost in the sensations washing over her, she hadn't noticed his hand sliding down her back. Cupping her butt and groaning. Then his hands were caressing her between her legs.

She stiffened and he stopped. He looked her in her eyes and asked, "Do you want me to stop?"

Was he serious? All her fantasies were coming true. She didn't want him to stop, but she didn't want to be making out with him in front of people, but she really wanted to kiss him again. Desire won out over common sense.

She told him in a low and husky voice that sounded foreign to her ears, "No, you can continue."

Not a second later, he was kissing her again, this time parting her knees with his to give himself more access to her center, and she sucked in a sharp breath when he began to dry hump her through her jeans. Waves of pleasure crashed into her and around her and through her, the feeling so intense she feared she would have her first orgasm right then and there.

"Wait," she whispered against his mouth.

He stopped and squeezed her ass before resting his hand on it to give her time.

While she lay panting in a sea of desire like she'd never known, he seemed to barely be moved. "Will you remember we did this in the morning?"

"Depends on if we leave here and how far you are willing to go." He said it with a wicked grin, but she also saw something unbelievable in his eyes. Could it be hope?

"Are you Mercedes?" a boy wearing a letterman's jacket interrupted them.

Cedes quickly got off of Sam and fixed her clothes. "Yes. Why?"

"Does that guy over there belong to you?" He pointed to Hunter who puking his guts up.

"Hunter." She saw him and ran to him.

By the time she got him inside the car, he'd passed out causing her to miss her one chance with Sam freaking Menkins, and Hunter had to ruin it all by trying beer for the first time in his life and not stopping at one.

She looked back at Sam who was taking a drink of moonshine. Then, he looked back at her and raised it as though in a toast.

Monday at school, she looked for him. As a senior, she rarely saw him, so it took some effort to find him. Not that she didn't know his schedule by heart.

She saw him standing with a group of upperclassmen and gathered her courage. Taking it one step at a time, she walked right up to him, but he only gave her the briefest of glances before looking away. As though he didn't see her. As though she were nothing to him.

She stopped before further humiliating herself. He hadn't remembered her after all. Or, worse, he remembered her and was hardly impressed by a virgin who left him to take care of her drunk friend.

From that moment on, she did everything in her power to avoid him and other boys at her high school. All they were good for was breaking hearts.

Little more than a year later, she was abducted, and before she was taken they'd adopted a somewhat distant attitude toward each other. Hers was a classic avoidance of him. His was much simply because she didn't interest him at all. He had graduated high school and was onto new and better things.

She shook her head and vowed to stop thinking about that man who obviously only wanted one thing from her and went into her office to call Andy Collins. She could only hope he'd have news on the nervous Lit Chick, Roz Washington, and why she was behaving so suspiciously. She was just about to call him when Hunter walked into her office.

"You know, we've talked almost every day for the past sixteen years, but we've never talked about what happened."

She looked him in the eyes. "And that's why we've talked almost every day for the past sixteen years."

"Okay, then, that's good to know. There are still no hits on the partial print."

"Any new tips at all?"

"Just the usual town crazies. Poor Dani is dealing with most of them. Abrams was helping, but he got called out to a possible break-in."

"Where?"

"Well, they've mostly been taking the calls at our police station, but they do get up and patrol around every once in a while. They called asking for assistance and he went to give them back up." When her expression told him he better hurry up and tell the location, he said, "Out near the Landries place."

"Couldn't you just tell me that?"

"How's Gina?"

"I think she's going to be alright."

"I agree with you. She's handled all this really well, all things considered. So," he began, "Sam Menkins. Didn't see him being the hero in all of this."

"Me neither."

"Did you find out why he never said anything to you about it?"

"He told me that I never tell him anything, so why should he tell me anything?"

Hunter stood and walked to the window. "I should arrest his ass."

"For what?"

"For being an asshole."

She bit a fingernail, letting everything she knew simmer. "I feel like there's something else going on, like, maybe he really cares for her."

"Then why keep something like that from you, her mother or even her grandparents?"

"I don't know, Hunt, but right now, we have to find Ashlyn. I shouldn't have spent half the day on anything else." After scanning the station, she asked, "Are you sure Dani should be fielding calls alone?"

"She's writing everything down and giving it all to Abrams."

"Okay. What about his connections in Salt Lake City? Anything strange about the Caswell family I should know about?"

"You aren't going to believe this." He sat across from her and leaned in. "They are really that ideal American family."

"Have you talk to the father yet?"

"Dennis Caswell is so racked with guilt for not listening to his daughter all these years, he's driving himself crazy. The governor has called here twice and wants you to call him back."

"You probably should have told me that first."

"They sent a couple of state patrol officers to help out Campion."

"Probably a good idea. We need all the help we can get because I'm missing something." She took her copy of Ashlyn's letter and read it again for what felt like the thousandth time. "How's the sweep of the shed at Estrella Pond going?"

"Good. They're almost finished and ready to have everything processed."

"Okay."

"Did you come back to look into it?"

"What?"

"Your case. Your abduction."

"What would be the point? There are no leads."

"Until now."

"Until now," she repeated.

He got up to leave but stopped at the door and said, "So, the no-more-secrets thing doesn't include me?"

She looked up in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid, Mercy. One of these days, you'll figure that out."

When he turned again, she jumped up and stopped him with a hand on his arm. She closed the door to her office and gestured for him to sit down.

He let out a huge breath of air, then sat.

"Of course I'm still working the case, but it's very hard to so since I haven't had a lead in years, and I'm just flying blind, but I am working it."

"Then why did you just lie to me about it?"

"Because you're my best friend, and I didn't want to involve you."

He stood and went to the window again. "What the hell does that mean? How would your working the case—"

"You think I don't remember?"

Cedes could read him like a book, so when he stopped breathing, she knew he was growing worried.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hunter, I could tell every time I brought up being kidnapped how uncomfortable it made you feel."

"That's not true. I've been trying to get you to talk about it for years."

"Yes. To talk about what I can and cannot remember about my kidnapper. About where I was being held. About how I showed up at the hospital. But there were always certain aspects that made you uncomfortable."

His shook his head at her in disbelief.

She continued. "At first, I thought it was the whole rape and pregnancy thing. You're a guy, and unless you're actually into rape, talking about that kind of thing would have made you uncomfortable."

"Especially, when it was you," he admitted.

"I know." She walked to him and touched his cheek. He wanted to move. She could tell. "And I understand that."

"So, then, what are you talking about?"

She removed her hand but stayed close. "Hunt, do you understand that none of that, nothing that happened to me that day, was your fault?"

"My fault? Of course. How could it—?" When she offered him her most sympathetic smile, he stopped and turned back to the window. "How long have you remembered?"

"I didn't it just took me a while to figure it out. Alarming, since I'm in law enforcement and we speak almost every day. But I've known for about three years now."

"Three years."

"And if I do say so myself, I'm amazing at reading people, and it took me that long to figure it out."

"How?" He asked his voice cracking before continuing. "It wasn't like I didn't want you to know. Once I realized it could actually help the investigation, once I knew a little more about what it takes to solve crimes, I was going to tell you. It's the reason why I became a deputy anyways."

"Hunter Landon Clarington, I hereby absolve you of any wrongdoing, not that there's anything to absolve, but I want you to know none of it was your fault, no matter how much your manhood tells you otherwise. I'm only bringing it up now because I can still tell how much guilt you have because of it."

His eyes were wet with emotion. "I wasn't with you."

"I know that."

"I was supposed to be."

"I know that, too."

"I stood you up to go out with Andrea Cohen."

"I know. And really? Andrea Cohen? She was a part of our rival show choir, wasn't she?"

"And . . . wait, you knew it was Andrea?"

Cedes waited until he figured it out.

"Oh hell, that's how you figured it out."

"I'd suspected for some time, but she told me when she was in town and invited me to lunch. It was like this weight she had to get off her chest. She apologized for dragging you away from me that night. For making me go into Eureka alone. It all made so much more sense once I knew."

"I'm so sorry, Cedes. If I hadn't stood you up, you wouldn't have been abducted."

"You don't know that."

"What do you mean?"

"It was just like Ashlyn's case. My abductor had been planning it for a while. Why else ask my dad for a ransom? He knew he had exactly that amount of money saved up. This was not random and would have happened anyway. But you not being with me that night is an advantage for me because I don't think the guy was planning on taking me that night. I think he had a much better plan, a much stronger plan, but he was getting impatient, and with you not being there, he saw an opportunity and took it."

"And how is that an advantage?"

"Because it was a last-minute decision causing him to make mistakes."

"What mistakes?"

"One mistake was that someone interrupted him from taking me from the parking lot before I drove off. Why else let me get into Dad's truck and drive off if I'd been drugged? I could've wrecked and died and ruined his whole plan."

"I wondered about that, too."

"He had to have been watching me for weeks. Maybe he followed me there and saw an opportunity. Seriously, how often were we apart?"

"True. If we were out in public, we were always together. You didn't date, and I was the only one you would leave Lima Springs other than your family with."

"We were inseparable. I think you standing me up has given us more clues than we'd hoped for."

"What clues?"

"He had to get me out of the truck before someone pulled over to help."

"Yeah, but forensics went over that truck—"

"I'm not talking about the truck. I'm talking about the guardrail I hit. Because he had to let me get in the truck and start to drive home, I hit the guardrail. Because I hit the guardrail, he had to pull over and get me out. And because it was all so unplanned, he didn't have the opportunity to wait for the drug to take affect before he pulled me out."

"Okay, I'm following you. I think."

"I've been remembering things. Like a dream, but still remembering them. When I pulled over, I don't think I put the truck in park."

"Well, you were passing out."

"Exactly. I remembered the truck creeping forward, scraping against the guardrail, and someone screaming. Then I have a blurry image of a man trying to wrap his hand with a towel or something. It's like I'm in the back seat of a vehicle and he's driving while cursing and trying to wrap his hand. And I see red."

"His bloody hand?"

"No. Well, yes, but the inside of his car, too. I remember thinking at least the blood wouldn't show up too badly because it would match."

"So, when the truck crept forward, his hand got stuck between it and the guardrail?"

"I think so"

"You know the likelihood of finding DNA after all this time."

She did, unfortunately.

Jay knocked on the door, and Cedes motioned her in. "We got a report on Sander Menkins, Sheriff. There were definitely two distinct blood types on the clothes. They've sent them off for analysis."

"Good. Did they say what the types were?"

"The first one, O positive, matches the blood of Sander Menkins."

"O positive?" she asked, one of theories was shot to hell. She took a moment to think about what that meant. "They're certain?"

"As far as I know."

"What?" Hunter asked noticing her dejection.

"I thought maybe he was the one. I mean, the timing is perfect, and I have no doubt I was held there close to where he was found."

"Well, he was found there but could have been dragged there by an animal or something. But how do you know he's not the one?"

"His blood type. I'm B positive."

"Oh yeah, I remember."

"But Gina has an the rarest blood type. AB negative. Less than one percent of the population has it."

"So, that tells us?"

"That means in order for Gina to have AB, her . . . sperm donor had to have either A or AB blood."

"Then, this certainly fits," Jay said, scanning the report.

"Really?" A tingling ran up Cedes' spine. "What was the second type?"

"AB negative."

Cedes stood and took the report out of her deputy's hands. "Are they sure?"

"I'm assuming they know how to type blood."

"So, Sandy didn't abduct me?"

Hunter stood and studied the report, too. "Not necessarily. He may not be Gina's biological father, but he could have been in on the abduction. Maybe he had a partner."

"Truthfully," Jay said, "it could have been gang rape."

Hunter nodded. "But only one could get you pregnant."

Cedes closed the file and handed it back to Jay.

"I'm sorry," Jay said. "That was unnecessary."

"It was not. You're being methodical and a good deputy. I appreciate it."

"Thank you." Jay started to leave, then turned back. "One more thing. Quinn called. Sandy's larynx was crushed at the time of death, possibly in a struggle, but this actual cause of death was not strangulation. He was stabbed through the heart."

"Somebody really hated him," Hunt said."

"And she said they found some kind of bracelet in his hand, a metal one with a leather strap. It must have broken off in the struggle."

"If he ripped off the ID bracelet of his killer and died with it in his hands, I'm buying everyone drinks."

"It's very likely, but the name is worn off. They think they can recover it with some kind of compound they use."

"Well, tell them to hurry." Cedes' phone rang, and she grabbed it off her desk. "I need to take this call."

They left her alone with none other than Andy Collins, the man she had surveilling Roz Washington and her possible connection to the escaped fugitive Ramon Martinez.

"Hey, Andy," she said, sinking into her chair.

"You sound worn out."

"I am. Anything to report?"

"Well, yes and no. How well do you know Roz Washington?"

"Fairly well. She's one of my mom's best friends."

"You were right somethings. She is a hell of a woman. By the way, is she married?"

"Andy!"

"Sorry. She's a very attractive woman."

"I know, but I thought you were saving your fourth marriage for me."

"Oh, Mercy Girl, don't even tease me."

She laughed. "So, no Martinez?"

"Now, I didn't say that."

Cedes sat up. "You saw him?"

"I didn't say that, either."

"Andy," she said, asking God for patience, "what did you see?"

"I'm saying things are just a little too weird at the Washington place."

"Weird how?"

"I mean, she's looking out of her window every few minutes. Almost as though she knows she's being watched, and she wants to make sure she continues to be watched."

"Do you think she made you?"

"Hell no. But I do think she saw the U.S. Marshal watching her from the unmarked government vehicle across the street. That woman needs to learn more about surveillance."

"No way, really?"

"Yeah, but I have a feeling the marshal wanted her to know she was being watched. Perhaps to make her slip up. Either way, it wasn't a total bust. Like I said, she's not behaving normally."

"I know. That's why I wanted you to check her out. Could someone be in the house holding a gun on her and telling her to act normal?"

"While that can't be ruled out completely, I'm going to say no. She's not nervous enough for something like that."

"So? She knew she was being watched and nothing else."

"Well, she was probably keeping the marshal's attention while the guy in the basement got away."

Cedes shot to her feet. "What guy? Was it the fugitive? I thought you didn't see him."

"No, I said I didn't say that I saw him. You were getting ahead of me."

She hurried out of her office and snapped her fingers at Hunter.

He frowned at her.

"Andy Collins." She snapped again and mouthed, "Call the marshals." Then into the phone, she said, "He could be getting away."

"Could be? He already did."

"What? Well, where did he go?"

"Hell if I know. You asked me to watch Roz."

Cedes did the universal sign for dead across her throat, canceling the order. "Was it Martinez?"

"Not sure. A hoodie and a semiautomatic rifle obstructed my view."

Her "What!" came out more as a scream than she'd intended.

"Just kidding. You need to learn to lighten up, or that job's gonna kill you. Of course it was Martinez. But he's probably long gone by now. I tried to get ahold of you this morning."

"Oh, hell. I was out of cell range."

"I heard, but good news on the Menkins kid, huh?"

"Yes. Very. Okay, I have to find a missing girl today if I can."

"Any leads?"

"No solid ones."

"Stay positive, Mercy Girl. You'll get there."

She hoped his faith in her was not unfounded.

A sweet voice Gina loved more than coffee whispered into her ear, "Hey, Gina. Don't scream, okay?"

She giggled and turned to see Stevie Menkins standing on her porch dressed in boots, a winter coat, and a hospital gown.

"Stevie!" she shouted.

He slammed a hand over her mouth again. "If you scream, your grandpa will come and make me leave."

"Okay," she said, but it was muffled because his hand was still on her mouth. She peeled it off. "Stevie, how did you here?"

"I sneaked out."

If one didn't know about his disability, Stevie would seem like a normal teen taking a walk in a hospital gown. You couldn't tell he had autism by looking at him. He just had issues. One was he didn't like his routine messed with, so being in the hospital was messing up his routine and probably freaking him out.

Stevie looked like most of his family except his Uncle Sam. He had the blond hair and blue eyes of most of the men in the Menkins family. Sam's hair was darker, and he had green eyes. Sam's hair would lighten up in the summer with streaks from the sun, but the Menkins men all had light colored hair and startling blue eyes.

Because of his autism maintaining eye contact was a constant challenge, but the he could play chess like a pro. He was also very good with anything involving math. And he loved science more than any subject.

"Come on in, and I'll call your mom." She opened the door telling him her plans.

"Don't. She'll take me back."

"Because that's where you need to be." She took off her jacket, threw it onto the couch, then turned to him. "What were you thinking? Why did you go that far into the mountains alone?"

"There was a hurt mother deer. Her babies needed her."

"Then you knew you should have gotten your mom or your Uncle Sam. You don't go that far alone during a blizzard."

"I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

"Completely." When he didn't catch on that she was teasing him, she smiled at him

After a moment, he shyly smiled back.

"We have to call your mom."

She took out her phone, but he practically tackled her for it. They landed on the sofa, her laughing while he was shouting, "No!"

"Okay, fine. I'll call your uncle instead."

"Don't call him, either. Mom said I almost killed him, and he's at home resting. Do you think he's mad at me?"

They sat up on the sofa. "Of course, he's not mad at you."

"My mom said you got upset today at school. That someone was mean to you. You aren't going to try to jump off the cliff again, are you?"

"No, Stevie. That was a long time ago. I would never do that again."

"Do you want to come and live with us? My mom said it's okay. She said we could both be homeschooled."

"I would love to," she said, playing with his hair. "But who would take care of my mom?"

"She can come, too."

Gina couldn't stop herself from hugging him.

He let her hug him for ten seconds, then gently pushed away from her. Not to be rude but because he could only handle so much affection and Gina understood.

"That was better than the hospital food," he said, showing her the wrapper of a granola bar. "Do you have any more?"

"I have no idea where you got that, but—"

"He got it from me."

Gina turned around to a male voice. A voice coming from her bedroom. Or, more precisely, her bedroom window. She stood and went toward the door to her room. The light was on, and she saw Ricky Lopez-Bowen standing at her open window.

"Ricky!" She rushed forward. "Did Stevie open the window for you? Why didn't you just come to the door?"

"You tried to jump off of a cliff?" he asked.

"You heard that?"

"Answer me please."

She lowered her head and nodded. "It was a long time ago."

"Damn you," he said softly. He stepped away from the window, raked a hand through his curly hair, thought a minute, then came back. "Don't ever do that again."

She held up her finger. "Pinky swear."

"This isn't a joke. After that shit Lily and her crew did today—"

"Ricky, I'm fine." Without thinking, she took his hands. His cold hands. "Crazy enough, this was one of the best days of my life."

He stared at her in doubt, but he didn't remove his hands from hers.

"How did you even get here? I thought you were grounded."

"I was. I rode my bike. And I am still grounded, but my dad also understood my side."

"And what side would that be? Did you get in a fight with Bastian?"

He looked at their fingers. Rubbing each of her fingertips. It caused a warm, tingling sensation in her belly. "Sure. That's what we will say happened."

She let go of his hands got her inhaler and took a hit then sat onto her window seat. Stevie walked in and sat on her bed.

"Would you like to come inside?" she asked him.

"No. I don't want to get you in trouble. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yeah, no phone. When will you get it back?"

"I got it back. I just wanted to see you to make sure you really were alright."

His confession caused her pure joy. "You know, you're making my room an igloo."

"I know. I have to leave, soon."

"You do?" She faced him.

"Yes. I promised my dad I'd only be gone thirty minutes. Can I come by tomorrow when you get out of school?"

"Yes. How long are you suspended for?"

"Don't know yet. We'll find out tomorrow."

"Okay. Let me know."

"Will do," he replied.

She leaned closer to him. "Thank you. For today."

He shook his head as though embarrassed. "I'm so sorry for what they did to you."

"I'm not." When he looked at her in surprise, she said, "It was really a setup to reveal who my true knight was."

"Ah. So, it was a setup."

"Yep. Sorry, I had to go to such extreme measures."

"Was it worth it?"

"Every bit and then some." As her Big Poppa always said.

"Are you guys gonna kiss now?" Stevie asked. "I can leave."

Laughter erupted out of both of them, but before she could change her mind, Gina leaned out the window and brushed her lips across the corner of his mouth.

He let her, then got on his bike and took off.

"That was a good kiss."

She smiled and turned to Stevie. "The best I've ever had."

Cedes was on her way home with a boxful of file folders and reports—she was going to go through every tip and every piece of evidence herself—when her phone rang.

"It's your mom," Minnie said.

"Yes, I figured that out when your name popped onto the screen."

"Right, well, you should know there's a boy at Gina's window. What do I do?"

"Are you kidding me?" She groaned aloud. "Tell Daddy to go to the kitchen—"

"Yes."

"—grab the biggest knife—"

"Yes?"

"—and make you a sandwich, because I don't care if there's a boy at the window. Now, if there's a boy inside the house, that's when you take the knife and pay the guy a visit."

"Oh, well, there's one of those, too."

"What?"

"Do you want me to keep an eye on them?"

"YES!"

Minnie breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm on it."

Hell to the yeah. There were advantages to living in your parents' backyard. Gina didn't stand a chance. Cedes couldn't have stopped the laughter that bubbled out of her if she'd tried.

"Oh, wait, the boy at the window left. And the boy inside is wearing a hospital gown."

"It's Stevie Menkins."

"Oh yes that's exactly who it is. He's such a sweet kid. Shouldn't he still be in the hospital with that gown and all?"

"I'm thinking yes. I have one stop to make, then I'll be home."

"Okay. I made beef stew and biscuits."

"Thanks, Mom. You know you don't have to cook for us."

"No thanks necessary. Take your time. I'll keep an eye on them."

Cedes couldn't help it. She texted her daughter. "Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"A boy at your window."

After a very long pause, Gina called her. "GeeGee?"

"Yes, GeeGee."

"He's gone now."

"Great. What about the one inside the house?"

"Mom, don't get mad."

"Ladybug . . ."

"I'm putting you on speakerphone. It's Stevie."

"The hospital gown gave that away."

"Does she have binoculars?"

"Eyes of a hawk, bug. She sees all. Also, the house is probably bugged. You have to remember your grandfather was in military intelligence. Now why is Stevie there?"

"He left the hospital."

"I know that. Does his mom know where he is?"

She heard Stevie yell in the background, "No, she doesn't!"

"I've texted her," Gina said, then she lowered her voice. "Have you heard anything?"

"No, sweetheart, but I'm on my way home. I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay."

"Love you."

"Love you, too," her daughter said, followed by Stevie, speaking way louder than necessary.

"Love you, too!" He had fallen a little in love with her when she helped him have a needle put in his arm while panting like a dog.

She told him she loved him, too, and laughed before ending the call and leaving to go buy a bottle of wine. It had been a long day and would be a long night, and she didn't keep alcohol in her house as a general rule.