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She mulls over something while studying me. “You seem like a nice girl, Hadley. You really do. Unfortunately, my badge requires me to ask these next questions that are going to seem harsh, but it’s just to make sure your sister is being properly taken care of.” She reclines in the seat. “Now, you mentioned that you have guardianship of her and that it happened just a day ago. Am I correct?”
Great. I should’ve figured this is where she was going.
I nod. “I received the guardianship papers early this morning.”
“So, you’re the guardian of your sister then?” she double-checks as she jots something down.
A sense of dread stirs in my stomach. “Yes, like I said, I got the custody papers this morning.”
“And where’re your parents?”
“Our dad bailed on us.” I keep my answer as vague as possible.
Another jot of her pen. “And where’s your mother?”
I press my lips together. “She died quite a few years ago.”
She glances up at me. “So, how did you end up with custody if your dad just took off? Because, from my knowledge, getting custody of someone usually takes more time than a couple of days.”
“Well, at first my sisters were taken by Social Services. But then, early this morning, a woman dropped them off at our house with papers that gave me guardianship.”
Her forehead creases. “Did your dad sign the papers?”
“No.”
“Then, who did?”
Great, I’m going to sound like a liar. “My mom.”
Her puzzlement increases. “But I thought you said your mother is dead.”
“She is.” I fidget with a leather band I’m wearing on my uninjured wrist. “She must’ve had them drawn up a while ago in case something happened.” I’m not sure I believe my own words.
There has to be more to it than that. And what about those photos I found in the trunk?
She meticulously scrutinizes me. “You said your last name is Harlyton, right?”
I give a nod. “Yes.”
She studies me for a second longer before pushing to her feet. “I need to go make a phone call. I’ll be right back.” She starts to walk away but pauses. “Don’t go anywhere. I’m not finished questioning you.” She waits for me to nod then pushes through the curtain and walks off, digging out her phone.
“Oh my God, this is so bad.” I slump back into the chair, close my eyes, and let my head rest against the wall.
I listen to the sound of the heart monitor beeping as I take a deep breath then another. Then I open my eyes, scoot forward in the chair, and take Payton’s hand. “Pay, I’m so sorry for whatever happened to you. Not just with this, but with whatever happened to you while you were at that group home. I promise that if they don’t take you away from me, from now on things are going to be different. I’m going to give you guys a more stable home life. I’m going to do better.”
The problem with that promise is I’m still in debt to August and Axel. And even if Austin wasn’t lying about the location of the bags and I can get out of debt with Axel, I’ll end up being in debt to Austin. Plus, my debt with August will last a long time, so how am I supposed to give my sisters a stable life?
I can’t even give Payton all my attention right now. I keep having to check the clock and watch time tick by, knowing I’ll eventually have to get up and leave to go fulfill part of my debt to August. How am I supposed to do that? How can I just leave her like this? And what will the officer do if I leave? She’s already suspicious of me, that much I can tell.
But if I don’t show up at the dock with the box, the consequences will be awful.
I need to call Londyn and Bailey.
I let go of Payton’s hand and retrieve my phone from my pocket.
I have a couple of missed messages from my sisters. I decide to ignore the for now and just dial Londyn’s number.
“Jeez, you’re seriously the hardest person to get ahold of,” she answers after three rings. “You need to start checking your messages more.”
