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“Ouch,” he whined.
“That’s what happens when you don’t listen!” I turned toward the man he’d run into, grimacing. “I’m so sorry.”
Shaking his head, he continued on his way.
I heaved a great sigh. “Jack, you need to listen to me, or we’re goin’ home. I’m not kiddin’.”
Jack gestured at a storefront. “But there’s trains!”
“We came to look, no buyin’,” I gently reminded him, hoping to stop a full-blown tantrum.
We edged closer to the glass display, and Jack’s face lit up.
“That one!” He pointed at a bright red train, and my heart sank.
“Honey, we talked ’bout this. We can’t buy a new toy.”
He pushed his bottom lip into a stubborn pout, his dark brown eyes large and swimming with tears. “But I want it.”
I blew out a tense breath. “Bub, we can’t get it today, but some other time, alright?”
Jack’s meltdown intensified. Scooping him up, I held him close as he sobbed into my shoulder. His tiny frame shook with each cry. “It’s okay, little guy. Auntie’s here.”
He cried harder.
A deep ache clawed inside me. It wasn’t just about a toy. I wanted to give him the world but I always had to say no. Elise had made it seem so easy.
I decided to distract him with the play center in the middle of the mall. I set him down, positioning him toward the playground. His crying stopped. He sprinted up the stairs and zoomed down the slide.
I collapsed onto the bench, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. The burden of being Jack’s everything pressed down on my shoulders.
As Jack played, my attention wandered to two men. They sat on a bench, their coats too heavy for the mall’s warmth. They stole glances at my nephew, their heads bent together. My thighs tensed. Then a woman walked by with her stroller, blocking my view of them. When she moved out of the way, they’d disappeared. Unease pricked gooseflesh across my arms.
Where did they go?
Maybe I’d imagined them. I rubbed my raw eyes. When I opened them, Jack was gone, too.
I stood, frowning. “Jack?”
My heart thumped as my gaze swept the area, expecting Jack to burst out of his hiding spot.
“Excuse me,” I asked a woman seated with her family. “Have you seen a little boy?”
She shook her head.
Shoot. I plunged into the crowd, pushing people aside as I yelled for Jack, my voice lost in the cacophony of the mall. The bright lights seemed dimmer, every passing face a potential threat. My nerves shot, I powered forward. What if someone had taken him? I clutched the railing on the second floor, fighting the urge to vomit. Then a voice rose behind me like a ghost.
“Quite the runner you got there.”
I turned around, my throat tightening.
Achille Costa stood in front of me, a half-smile tugging his lips. “He’s with Romeo, my brother.”
He nodded at the toy store. Outside the storefront, Jack held a strange man’s hand, chatting away. I charged in that direction, but Achille blocked me.
“We have a lot to discuss.”
“Why do we have to talk while you’re keepin’ Jack from me?”
