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Disoriented, but assuring herself this was the good uncle. She asked, “Where’s my mom?”
“Mia?”
Her body turned toward that warm, lovely voice, as if it instinctively knew the origin before her brain made sense of everything.
There she was. The most important person in her life. Her other dad, Lucas, fast becoming a close second. The stress of the evening’s events engulfed her, and she plunged her body full force into her mother’s arms.
Tears flowed as she breathed her in. Breathed in the scent of the person who held her hand when she was little while crossing a busy street. Sometimes squishing her fingers so hard. When she’d complain, her mom would blow on her hands and kiss them to make them feel better.
The Mom who let her crawl into bed with her when it stormed at night, holding her close and assuring her the storm was just God’s way of chuckling. He just didn’t realize how loud he was.
The very same Mom who chose to raise her, not because she had to but because she wanted to. At least she hoped that was the case, and continued to be.
She stood there and held on tight and breathed in her mother’s singular scent of kindness and patience and…and all the good things in her life.
“I’m so sorry,” Mia cried, the tears flowing at an embarrassing rate, making her sniff and blubber. “I said so many awful things, please, you have to forgive me. You have to come home.”
“Baby,” her mom replied, stroking her hair. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I kept too many secrets. Telling myself you weren’t old enough, but that wasn’t it. The reason was because I was afraid I’d lose you.”
“Ladies,” Flynn interrupted deadpanned. “Although this is quite the familial moment, I must insist that we take the opportunity of exiting the unguarded bedroom. Now.”
Mia wiped her eyes. “Dad said we have to leave the house as soon as I found you.” She turned to Flynn. “And to tell you I had the necklace and gave it to him for safekeeping.”
“You saw your dad?” her mom asked.
She nodded. “He’s in the basement. I found him in the room where Dad, you know, Marshall, use to store the chopped wood for the fireplace. But guards came and got him. Said some doctor was on his way and they had to get him ready.”
Looking up at her mom’s face, the tears continued to flow. “They hit him, Mom,” she cracked a sob. “Like, really hard.”
Her mom held her tighter as her eyes flew to Flynn. “We’re not leaving without him.”
Flynn’s eyes darted back and forth between the two.
“But, you heard Mia, we have…instructions. From my employer,” he said, clearly conflicted.
“There’s a new rule. New instructions. We leave no man behind,” her mom said with fiery conviction.
Flynn considered this. “Like in war movies.”
“Correct. Even though the soldiers had orders from their superiors to escape and save themselves, they always defied them for the greater good. To save their captain, or sergeant. Whoever was in charge.”
“Will you vouch for me if he opts to terminate my contract for insubordination?”
“You have my word.”
Mia watched the exchange as Flynn reared back his shoulders, swung around, and opened the door.
Standing there with his beefy arms crossed was the guard. His head was shaven and his nose crooked and when he smiled his evil-looking smirk, three gold teeth glinted from the light in the hallway.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
* * *
Before Birdie could muster a response,Flynn pulled something from his pocket and then she heard a strange vibrating, clicking noise.
The guard began to shake uncontrollably, losing all control of his body as he fell to the floor writhing and mewling.
Birdie noticed the pink Taser in Flynn’s hand as he placed it back into the side pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out a piece of cloth, bending down on one knee and gagging the man.
