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Mona, the PTA mom

“Watch out!” I scream to Emmy, sensing Travis’s movement before he bounds up.

He lands on her, throwing her onto her back. As he bangs her arm against the ground, her grip on the gun loosens. The weapon flies away. Travis straddles her as she swats at him, screaming incoherently. Quicky, he gets her arms pinned to the ground, panting as he sits on top of her.

I’m so focused on them that I’m not paying attention to Cassie, not until she screams, “Stop!”

She’s got the gun aimed at her brother.

“Travis, get off her.”

Travis stares at her, stunned.

“Get off her,” Cassie grunts through closed teeth. She presses the gun a little farther in his direction. He must take her seriously, because he throws his leg over Emmy and stands up, stepping away from her. Emmy continues to lie on the ground, catching her breath. In the sky, the birds call to each other. The wind lashes the tree limbs above our heads, but here in the grove, we’re protected. The air is still. Calm and salty, beginning to warm.

“Are you all right?” Cassie asks Emmy, who sits and stares up at her, confused.

“Sandy?” Emmy asks. Cassie startles at the name, so Emmy says it again. “You’re Sandy Stevens?”

“How do you—” Cassie points the gun at Emmy, who immediately throws her hands in the air. “Why do you know that name?”

Emmy is petrified, immobilized by her gun, aimed at her, and the confused, frightened expression on Cassie’s face.

“Because she’s Emmy Carter,” I say. Cassie whirls the gun in my direction. “Travis’s girlfriend who—”

“I know who Emmy Carter is,” Cassie says. The gun guides her body, twirling her back toward Emmy. “You’re Emmy Carter?” The gun shifts toward Travis. “And you knew this?”

“Why do you think I’m here?” He grins like an eager child. It sends a chill up my arms. His sister has a gun pointed at him, and he’s enjoying this. “I didn’t want her talking to Stella.”

At Stella’s name, the smile falls from Travis’s face, leaving me with a sinking feeling that something terrible has happened. How had I missed they were dating? I know every inch of Travis’s past. Somehow, my PI missed this basic fact of his life now.

I’ve been in my head a moment too long and stopped tracking what’s happening around me, where Cassie has the gun pointed. Suddenly, it’s aimed at me, closer than it was before.

“What did you do here, Mona?” Cassie’s arms shake as she points the gun at me. “Is this why you pushed the Channel Islands?”

“I wanted you to talk to her. To understand,” I say desperately. Would Cassie hurt me? After saving my life, would she take it just as instinctively?

“Jesus, you’re pathetic,” Travis mutters. Cassie isn’t paying attention to him. I’m not either.

For the moment, it’s just me and Cassie. And the gun. I only have one move at my disposal.

“In my backpack—” I lean toward the backpack at her feet. She steps in front of it, gun still aimed at me, so I can’t reach it. “I have testimony. From other women. He’s dangerous, Cassie. Emmy can tell you.” But Emmy’s curled in a ball, rocking and muttering to herself. “I thought if you could talk to Emmy, if you saw what his other girlfriends said about him, you’d understand why I was so concerned about having him near the children.”

And then you wouldn’t try to take PO from me.

It really does sound pathetic now, what I’d hoped to accomplish with this plan. Exposing Travis was never going to save me. I have to confront my own truth. Brady stole money. He broke the law. We need to accept what he’s done and plan for the consequences.

“You think I don’t understand my brother? Mona, I’ve been handling him for years.”

“Handling me?” Travis roars as he’s suddenly approaching his sister. She whirls around again, except now he’s too angry to care about the gun trained on him. “I’m not a child, Cassie. I don’t need you to handle me. Besides, you weren’t exactly there when I actually needed you.”

“Don’t,” Cassie cautions him, pointing the gun harder in his direction. “We aren’t rehashing that again.”

“Why not? Certainly seems like the perfect time. Emmy’s here. You’re here. When else are we all going to be together for a good ol’ trip down memory lane?”

“I mean it, Travis. Stop.” She steps closer to him with the gun.

“Oh, put that down. You don’t even know how to use it.”