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“He blamed her for getting pregnant and told her she did it to get money from him. She was devastated. She ended up moving back in with my parents. It was my senior year of high school. She had the baby at Christmas. A little girl she named Gracie. That was the picture you saw on my dresser.”
I remembered how she had quickly yanked it from my hand.
“Anyway, it seemed like she and Brian were finished. He didn’t even come to the hospital when she had the baby. We all thought it was over. But then he started showing up again, and he was threatening Hailey. He said she owed him money. He threatened her saying he would get the money from her.”
“What about your parents? Did they get involved?” I could feel my pulse starting to pick up.
“Yes. My dad called the police. He confronted Brian. They filed a restraining order. They did everything they could legally do. But Brian seemed to find a way to Hailey, if she was at the park with the baby, or if they were at the mall. It didn’t matter—he was watching her constantly. Until one day, she came home.”
Sydney stopped. Her eyes fell. I couldn’t tell if she was going to keep going.
“She came home, and her clothes were ripped, she was crying. She had a black eye and a cut on her arm. He had attacked her when she was leaving work. He said it would be worse the next time if she didn’t pay him.”
“God. What did the police do?”
Sydney shook her head. “Nothing. The next morning she and the baby were gone. They left in the middle of the night. We never heard her leave.”
“She took off?”
“Yes. She left a letter saying it wasn’t safe for anyone. She took Gracie and started over somewhere Brian couldn’t find them.”
I sat forward. “Tell me the guy went to jail.”
“No. Without Hailey to press charges for the assault there wasn’t much they could do.”
“That is insane. The guy should be behind bars.” I felt the heat rising in my neck.
“My parents tried. They filed harassment charges. He was out of jail after thirty days. Nothing seemed to stick. It didn’t help that Hailey disappeared.”
“But where is she?”
“I don’t know. She called my parents tonight. That was what the phone call was about. My mom wanted to let me know.”
“Do you ever talk to her?”
“Sometimes. Sh
e uses disposable phones. I don’t get to call her. It’s whenever she wants to check in.”
I could hear it. The anger in her voice. The resentment. The hurt and confusion all of this had caused.
“When is the last time you two talked?”
“Almost three months ago.”
“I don’t really know what to say.” I was dumbstruck. How was this beautiful, driven girl carrying this secret with her?
“There isn’t anything you can say. It’s been close to five years. This is how she wants things.”
“And you? How do you deal with it?”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly. “I try to focus on my life. I can’t convince her to go home. I can’t promise her she and Gracie will be safe.”
“So you moved to a different state and threw yourself headfirst into a new career.” It made sense. I doubted the painful memories of her sister were in South Padre. Although I knew how memories could haunt no matter where you were.
She nodded. Her body relaxed against mine as she slid against my frame. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her tight. I had this sudden urge to protect her. Shield her from the hurt and the pain. Block it from touching her.
“I couldn’t stay there any longer. My parents live by their phones. Every time one of them rings, my parents jump, hoping it’s Hailey. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to get away.”
