“Do it. I need to know, and the sooner the better.” Gia gripped the arms of her chair. The people here weren’t the ones hurting her. The Lockwoods never wanted to do anything but help.
The Balzanos, on the other hand, never wanted what was best for her, and she’d known that all along.
NINETEEN
GIA
Gia:Age Five.
Gia arrivedat the park with Ma, just the two of them. Marc was at his friend’s house, and Daddy was busy. He was always busy, but Gia didn’t mind. She secretly liked Ma better, even though she wasn’t supposed to like one parent more than the other. Ma was never mean. Never scary.
“We’re going to meet my friend all the way over by the trees,” Ma said as they walked away from the car.
“Ugh. That’s far,” Gia whined, even though she liked the trees.
“I know, sweetie. Once we get there, we’re going for a ride. It was a surprise, so I didn’t tell you before. We’re going on a secret trip.”
Gia jumped, clapping her hands, all annoyance about the long walk forgotten. “Just you and me?”
“You and me, and my friend, Jeff.”
“Okay.” Gia had met Jeff before. He was as nice as Ma and did the best magictricks.
They walked across the huge park, over the grass, past the playground and soccer field, on and on. It wasn’t a bad walk, but Ma didn’t seem to be having fun yet. She looked over her shoulder again and again.
Gia hated when Ma was scared. It scared her, even if she didn’t know what was wrong.
At last, they reached the trees, and Ma looked around one more time before continuing on.
“Where’s Jeff? I thought we were meeting here.”
“A little farther, Gia, sweetie.” Ma scooped her up, cradling her against her chest as she kept walking.
They came upon a back road. Gia had never been this far into the trees and didn’t even know cars could drive through here. Going into the forest was usually out of bounds when they went to the park.
A car was parked on the road with its rear door open. They reached it, and Ma slid right in, closing the door behind her as she kept Gia tucked close.
“Hey,” Jeff said from the driver’s seat as he pulled away from the curb.
“Wait! We don’t have our seatbelts on!” Gia cried. The car was moving!
“I’ll buckle you in.” Ma set her in a car seat and quickly did the buckle.
“You’re not safe,” Gia protested. Ma didn’t have her seatbelt fastened, and she’d told Gia toneverbe in a moving car without one on.
“Here.” Ma buckled in. Her smile didn’t look happy. “See, we’re both safe.”
Gia wasn’t so sure. Jeff drove fast, like Daddy did sometimes, and Ma didn’t like speeding. She wasn’t convinced this trip would be fun anymore.
Gia gasped,her eyes popping open. She was in Edward Ramirez’s office, a twenty-five-year-old woman, but her childhood self felt so close she could still taste the innocent confusion.
“Gia.” Aurora was in front of her, face fearful, her form flickering in and out. “Breathe.”
Gia was crying. When had she started crying?
The rest of the memory flooded her mind. The car that had smashed into them. Flashes of light. An explosion. The yelling. Gunshots. Franco standing over Jeffrey. Her mother bleeding in the street. Salvator pulling her from the smashed car as she screamed bloody murder.
“I remember them killing her,” she told Aurora. “I was there. I didn’t go to the park with the nanny. Ma took me. To run away.”
