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She looks confused by my request, but she doesn’t question it. The moment she goes inside, I rush around the water fountain and kneel at my son’s side.
“Honey, guess what?” When he looks up at me, I say, “You, me, and Auntie Cee are going on an adventure.”
“An adventure?” he repeats and then his eyes go wide. “Like a spying adventure?”
“Exactlylike that.”
He dusts his hands off and jumps to his feet. “Are we going to meet Grandpa?”
It takes all my strength and control not to burst into tears right then and there. But for Adam’s sake, I rein in my emotions and put on a brave face. I can break down later. Right now, my son needs me to be strong.
“No, honey. We’re going on a mission of our own. But—” I press a finger to my lips. “It’s secret, okay? No one can know.”
“Not even Uncle Illy?”
“Not even him.”
“Aw, I was hoping he could come with us.”
I grab his hand and pull him along the garden path. “Not this time, I’m afraid.”
Not ever again.
When we get to the driveway, there’s a silver Lexus parked just outside the front door. Celine is in the driver’s seat and she’s got the passenger side door thrown open. She glances at me and mouths, “Hurry.”
I strap Adam into his booster seat in the back and then I jump into the passenger’s seat. The second I’m in place, she guns the engine. The guards squint at us as we pass, but they make no move to stop us from zipping through the open gate.
“Auntie Cee, Mom said we’re on a spy mission!” Adam declares excitedly from the back seat as we emerge onto the public road.
“We are, buddy,” Celine agrees distractedly as she checks her rearview mirror every few seconds. “Hang in there, okay? We’re gonna go a little faster.”
“Cee, please,” I beg. “Not Pinehurst and Third.”
Her jaw sets firmly. “It’s the only choice we have.”
Three hard right turns, a mile of open road, and then a sharp left turn and I see the black Land Rover, parked exactly as promised.
“Shit,” I breathe as my nerves pull tight with anxiety.
Celine doesn’t even wait to see who might be waiting for us in the other vehicle. She gets out of the Lexus and walks over to the Rover.
“What’s she doing, Mama?” Adam asks as he unbuckles his seatbelt.
“I’m not sure, baby.”
Just then, Celine glances back at me and gestures for me to get out of the car. Nothing about this feels right, but she seems certain.
“Stay close to me, honey,” I tell Adam before getting out of the car.
The man standing next to the Land Rover is tall and gaunt, with long, white-blonde hair and a silver scar over his right brow. His gaze passes over Adam and me with complete disinterest. “Get in,” is all he says.
“Celine,” I hiss, grabbing her hand. “Are you sure about this?”
“Get in the car, Taylor. We need to ditch the Lexus fast. They’re going to be looking for the license plate number.”
We’re sitting in the back of the Land Rover when Adam’s excitement starts to shrivel. He pushes his little body against mine and grips my hand tightly. “Mama, I don’t want to be a spy anymore. I want to go home.”
My heart sinks. “Hey, how about I tell you a story?” I suggest. “The elves and the shoemaker? You love that one, right?”
