Carter Reed 2 (Carter Reed #2)(63)

Her name hushed conversations in the lobby.

Everyone knew. The news flashed Andrea’s picture, already reporting that she’d been found. The clerk’s eyes widened, but she leaned forward and wrote the information down. Andrea’s mom and dad glanced over their shoulders.

As they did, I saw the wrinkled lines in Andrea’s father’s forehead. He had bags under his eyes. He might’ve been in his late fifties, but he looked like he was in his seventies. I saw the sadness there, too—the way his hand lifted to hold onto his wife’s shoulder, the way he moved closer to her, as if he was worried more about her than himself.

The clerk slid a piece of paper across the counter to them and pointed down the hallway to the elevator. As Andrea’s mom took the paper, the clerk lifted a remote and changed the television channel. A cooking show replaced Andrea’s photograph.

“Thank you so much.” Andrea’s mom held the paper to her chest as they left for the elevators.

“I…” I felt panic rising as my heart longed to follow them, but also to stay with my friends.

Luckily, Amanda and Theresa understood. They stepped back. Amanda gestured after Andrea’s parents. “Go, Emma.”

I didn’t waste any more time. I hurried after them, but I didn’t have to worry about them noticing my face. They kept their heads down and seemed to want attention about as much as I did. When the doors slid open and they got in, I entered and watched to see what floor they hit. Sixth floor. Then I scurried back out. Riding up with them, walking right behind them into her room—I didn’t think I could be that close.

Because, after all, it was my fault. Their daughter had gone to find me. The guilt sat on my shoulders, weighing me down, so I took the next elevator.

When the doors opened on the sixth floor, I heard them down the hallway. They were arguing about something.

“Stop it, Gail,” Andrea’s father said. “We can ask those questions later. We have to make sure she’s healthy first.”

I started for them, but that voice… I recognized that voice. His tone. His pitch. The softness with a hint of authority underneath. Everything about him was familiar, and I froze in the hallway. My feet had a mind of their own. I couldn’t move. I held a hand to my stomach as memories flooded through me, one after another. All of them came at me with lightning speed, and I shook my head. I couldn’t handle all of them at once. They weren’t making sense.

In my mind he argued with my mother.

He shouted at her, threatening to take both the girls. My mom shrieked back. Ally was hers. Andy was his.

Wait. That didn’t make sense.

Then another memory—I was hiding behind a door and knew AJ was coming to see me. I was so excited, hugging my knees with my backpack ready to go. He didn’t come, though. He was delayed, and when I had waited as long as I could bear, I went to the window to see if he was there. He was. He’d been there with this man. They were involved in a heated conversation, their arms waving in the air. AJ looked upset. The man looked tired. He was crying, and as AJ looked over at the window where I stood, I saw that he was crying, too.

A third memory—I could hear AJ saying to this same man, “She’s my sister. You can’t take her from me.”

The man said, “Neither girl is safe with Coralea. We both know that. I’m taking Andrea with me. Cora won’t fight me. She knows she’ll lose, but Ally. Ally’s her big sister.”

“She’s my sister.”

“You know what I mean. We shouldn’t separate the girls. They should live together.”

“You just said Cora would fight you on that.”

“Yes, but Aaron, we both know you have no rights to your sister. You’re not an adult. You have no guardianship over Ally.”

“We have the same dad. Isn’t that enough?”

“Not against her mother. If you fight Cora, Ally will go into the foster system.”

“Whatever. She might be better off there than anywhere else.”

“Let me fight for her. I have the money. I can petition the court to take both girls, not just my daughter.”

“No. Ally’s my sister. She belongs with me.”

“She’s not with you. She’s with Cora. We both know that’s a disaster waiting to happen. You can visit your sister. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of—”

AJ yelled, “I said no! I know what you’re planning. You’re going to take her out of state and hope she doesn’t remember this place. You’re not going to take me with you, and I can’t afford to go myself. Any way you slice it, you’re taking my sister away from me. I’m not on board with that. Stop asking me to do it.”

“Wait,” I spoke without realizing it.

The man stiffened before turning to look at me. His wife turned with him, a confused frown on her face. But there was no confusion on his face. He knew me, just like I knew him.

I pointed at him, and a deep swirl of emotion began twisting inside me. He—this guy—he knew AJ. He’d spoken to him. He was… I looked at him closely. He looked the same except his hair had twinges of silver in it now, combed to the side, and he’d put on a few pounds. He’d seemed so old to me then, but looking at him now, I realized he must’ve been in his thirties. He had been my age now.