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“Anya,” she breathes, looking up at us. “Anya’s surname is Dimitri.”
My loss of breath causes me to stagger back, forcing Beau to catch me. “No.”
“I saw. On an ID card or foreign driver’s license. Anya Dimitri.”
“Fuck,” Beau whispers.
No.
Tell me that’s not true.
“Anya Dimitri,” I say quietly, and in a complete haze, I walk out of the room.
“Rose!”
My pace increases steadily as my mind computes the information until I’m in a full-blown sprint, racing down the corridor.
“Rose, stop!” Beau yells behind me. “Rose, please!”
I burst through Pearl and Anya’s bedroom door and scan the space, pacing to the bathroom. Empty. My eyes fall to the cupboard under the sink. The panel on the front. It’s hanging down on one side. Has been put back in a rush. Disbelief turns into anger. So much fucking anger. I back out, hurrying to the terrace doors, and push my way out, scanning the gardens below. And I see her, hurrying through the garden.
Carrying something.
“No,” I whisper, my blood running cold.
My baby.
“No!” I scream, making her stop. “Anya, no!”
“Rose,” Beau breathes, seeing what I’m seeing. “Oh my God.”
My heart literally falls out of my chest as I turn and race back out of the room, nearly taking Pearl off her feet as I do. I dart down the stairs, seeing my purse by the door. I kick my sandals off and rummage through urgently, pulling out the gun Danny gave me, then I fly out of the front door, running around the side of the house, my legs like pistons, adrenaline fueling them.
“Rose!” Beau screams.
I see Anya on the side of the driveway heading toward the cars. She sees me.
Her pace increases.
“Anya, don’t run!” I yell. “Anya, please!”
I see the headlights of a Mercedes blink. “Anya, stop!”
I keep running. Just keep running. But I’m judging the distance.
I won’t make it.
“Anya, please, stop!” My lungs burn, but I keep going. I will never stop. I will run to the end of the fucking earth. “Anya!”
And from nowhere, Pearl appears, much closer to her than I am. I slow to a stop, my heart clattering, and watch Pearl gain on her. Anya’s unaware of her closing in, her attention on me. I send a million silent prayers to the heavens, willing Pearl on. “Please,” I beg. “Please, please, please.”
“Cindy, Barbie!” Pearl yells, breathless.
I gasp on a wracked sob when she catches Anya, grabbing the handle of Maggie’s car seat and wrestling with her hold. Anya’s not giving up, and neither is Pearl. But it’s the dogs that force Anya to release Maggie. They come charging around the corner, barking as they run.
“Oh my God,” Beau whispers, holding on to me—holding me up. The sneer Anya fires at Pearl tells me everything I need to know about Anya.
She’s the enemy.
