Page 44 of Tame Me

“Wow,” I say. “She was still looking?”

“Seems like it. Wanna call?”

“Should I?” I ask.

“Call your mother, who you were stolen from? Absolutely,” Reid says. I take Thane’s phone and hit the button to call, but I place it on speakerphone. I’m worried this isn’t real, but I’d almost rather it be fake.

“Hello?” a woman answers.

“Uhm… Hi. Is this Allison Jennings?” I ask.

“It is. May I ask who’s calling?” she asks.

“My name is Ayla,” I say. The line goes silent, and I’m confused. “My last name is Justice, but I found some paperwork that has you listed as having an order of protection against Lenord Hastings,” I say. “We found some articles about how a teen was raped, and Lenord Hastings was fighting for her not to be allowed to have an abortion. A year after that, there was a missing baby girl named Ayla Jennings. My partner found your social media posts, and… well… now we’re here… and I think I’m your kid.”

The call abruptly ends, and we all collectively sigh, but then it immediately starts ringing for a video call. I rapidly tap the button, and a woman appears. “Whoa,” Thane says. “I don’t think we need a DNA test for this.”

“Oh… my God,” she says. “Jerry…”

“Don’t just stare at her, baby. Talk to her,” a man says off camera. He sits next to her and smiles at me. “Wow, yeah. You are definitely her daughter.”

“Can we pause for a moment?” Reid says. I nod, and he takes the phone. “Hey. This is a bit of a complicated situation. I am one of her partners, but I was also her psychiatrist. I very much think this needs to be done in person. We can meet in a public place if you wish, but you are also welcome to come meet at our house.”

“Where are you located?”

“Oakmont,” Reid tells her. “We are at the house she grew up in right now, but we will be going home after this, which is in Mornington. Based on the social media posts, you all are north of Mornington, yes?”

“Yeah, we are in Ridgeview,” Jerry says. “Where is Lenord? We will need to contact…”

“He’s dead,” I say. “He died last March.”

“Oh, thank God,” Allison says with a sigh. “Can we go to her?”

“Of course. If you want to send us the address, we can be there soon,” Jerry says.

“It’s about three hours from here, but it’s two to where she is moving to,” Reid tells them.

“Good deal. We will actually leave in just a few minutes. Allison is already getting ready,” Jerry says. “Thank y’all for reaching out. Allison and I met shortly after the kidnapping, and we have never stopped trying to find her. The police gave up pretty quickly and have been no help at all, but we never gave up.”

“Ayla never thought to look. She was told her mother died giving birth to her. We literally just found out otherwise when she went through a bunch of things Lenord kept in the attic that she wasn’t allowed to look at,” Reid explains.

“He’s the devil,” Jerry says. “Anyhow, we will be on our way soon. We will likely find a hotel to stay at so we don’t have to rush or anything.”

“Well, we will be going home tonight. You are welcome to come stay at the house. We have plenty of room,” Thane says.

“Well, we don’t want to be in the way,” Jerry says.

“You’ve been missing your baby girl for her entire life. You have a lot to learn about one another, so it’s only fair that you all get to be close. She is going through a lot of harsh changes right now, so having you two close by will help, I think,” Reid explains.

“I’m sure that will make more sense when we can sit down and talk. Allison is already in the car, so we are headed out,” Jerry laughs.

“I just texted you the address,” Reid tells him. “Talk to you later.”

When the call ends, I lie back on the floor with a groan. Thane lies on his side next to me, propped up on his elbow, and looks down at me.

“You okay?” Thane asks.

“Yeah… Just… Stressed out. I had a shit childhood, but now everything I’ve ever known was not only a lie but worse than what I thought,” I say. “It’s just a lot to comprehend and try to process.”