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“Linsey? This is your mother.”

I grip the edge of the counter to steady myself. It’s been ten years since I heard her voice. She still speaks quietly, almost timidly. I’d recognize her voice anywhere.

“I’m here,” I say quickly. “Is everything okay?”

Instead of answering the question, she asks, “Are you alone? Is anyone with you?”

Glancing up at Sabre, I decide to lie. I don’t owe these people my loyalty, not after everything they’ve put me through. “It’s just me, Ma. What’s going on?”

My mother takes a deep breath and begins talking. “Things have gotten worse here since Dylan was arrested. Your father’s the one who found Dorothy’s letters. He contacted Dylan and told him the baby survived. He gave him your location.”

Sabre crosses his arms. His face is expressionless.

“I didn’t want that man near you or your son,” she continues. “I told him to stay out of it, that this was down to you and Dylan. But your father said it was his duty as the man of the household to make sure you stayed in line.”

“You sat there and watched him send Dylan after us and didn’t think to warn us. You know what he did to me all those years ago. Why would you do that?”

“I thought maybe your father was right about Dylan being a changed man. Then we got the news from his parents that Dylan had been arrested, and your father was furious. He thinks Dylan is being treated unfairly, and his only crime this time was trying to hold his family together.” Her voice becomes even quieter. “Linsey, it’s getting to the point that I’m afraid of him. I’ve never said that out loud in forty years of marriage, but he’s never been this angry before.”

My hand tightens around the phone. “Why are you calling me now? You had ten years to call.”

“Because of Ruthie.”

I slowly sit in the chair beside the eggs I prepared. My mind drifts back to the conversation with Shelly about my younger sister, the one who’s the same age as my Noah. Nine is such a vulnerable age. I’ve never met her, but no matter how I feel about my mother, I don’t want to see either of them hurt.

“What about Ruthie?” I ask.

“Your father has gotten a lot harder since Dylan’s arrest. He says terrible things at the table about you and your boy. Ruthie is old enough to ask questions now, and I’m sure you remember what happens in this house when girls ask questions.”

“Of course I remember, Ma,” I respond as all the memories come flooding back of getting grounded, shouted at, humiliated and even slapped for asking the wrong innocent question.

“I’m thinking about leaving him,” my mother states quietly. “I want to take Ruthie, but I’ve got nowhere to go. You and Carol are the only people I’ve ever known who truly escaped.”

“Can you call the police?” I ask. “If you believe you’re in danger, just call the sheriff.”

“No!” My mother’s response is instantaneous. “No police. You know better than that. Your father has known half the deputies in this county since they were children. He grew up with them. One of them will come out, talk to him on the porch and leave. They’ll call it a wellness check but it’s them taking Gerald’s word for everything. Once they are gone Ruthie and I will be alone in the house with what I did. I can’t have that.”

“I get that. I guess I’ve been gone so long I forgot how things work there.”

“Can I come and see you? Just the two of us. Maybe if we put our heads together, you can help me figure a way out of this situation for us.”

“Come here. Bring Ruthie and get on a plane. I’ll pay for everything. I’m not at Aunt Carol’s anymore, but she’ll probably let you and Ruthie stay in mine and Noah’s old rooms until you get back on your feet again.”

“I can’t take your sister across state lines. Your father would report me for kidnapping before the plane had a chance to land.”

I look at Sabre. He’s rubbing his chin, deep in thought.

My mother turns out to be the one with a solution. “There’s a church conference in Sacramento,” she practically whispers. “It’s a women’s retreat through our church. I go every year, so your father won’t be suspicious. I’m driving down for it right now. I can reach Las Salinas in two hours and leave again before anyone realizes I took a slight detour. We don’t have much time. Can you meet me?”

“I can make it, don’t worry.”

“What’s your new address?” my mother asks.

While I’m looking forward to seeing my mother after so many years, part of me is still wary. If my father doesn’t know where Sabre lives then I don’t want him getting that information. Instead, I go for the safe option. “There’s a diner called the Rusty Anchor. They do a good brunch. I can drop you a pin of their location, does that sound okay?”

Sabre listens and nods, clearly happy that I’m being cautious.

My mom gives a soft laugh. “Brunch? You’re turning into a fancy city lady. Okay, I’ll be in Las Salinas around eleven.”