She Can Hide (She Can #4)(64)

Abby was awfully tight-lipped on Krista’s personal life. But Ethan had made a call to social services. A couple of years ago, Derek was taken away because Krista was an alcoholic. She’d gotten sober and done the AA thing and gotten him back.

Had she stayed sober?

Nancy, the chief’s secretary, popped her head through the doorway. “Ethan, the woman from social services is here.”

Ethan looked past Nancy. A middle-aged woman in a cheap pant suit stood in the lobby by the desk. Guilt, undeserved but strong, slammed through Ethan’s gut.

Derek dropped his Coke. His eyes widened in disbelief, then horror. He stared at Ethan, betrayal seeping from every pore.

The blade between Ethan’s ribs twisted.

A tear welled in Derek’s eye. “How could you?”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“What?” Abby leaped to her feet. She whirled to face Ethan.

He couldn’t. He wouldn’t betray Derek like this.

But he had. Guilt crawled across his face as he watched Derek’s reaction.

“You have to trust me, Derek.” Ethan’s voice was tight, the words dry as dust as he spit them out. “It’s only temporary.”

Abby couldn’t speak to him, not without losing it and upsetting Derek even more. She smoothed her features and sat back down next to Derek.

“It’ll be OK.” She fished in her purse for her cell phone. In the bottom of her bag was the charger. She’d been carrying it around since she’d been staying with Ethan. She pressed both into Derek’s hands. “Quick. Put these in your pocket. I have another one. I’ll text you with the number.”

He nodded. She could tell he couldn’t speak, and he was trying hard not to cry.

“They’re going to find your mom really quick.” She tried to hug him, but he pulled away, wiping at his face with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

The rest happened too fast for Abby to process.

An older woman came into the conference room. With a plain brown pant suit and square-heeled shoes, she could have been a schoolteacher. “I’m Martha Jenkins, Derek. I’m going to take you to a foster home now.”

Abby got up and rounded the table to stand in front of the social worker. “Where are you taking him?”

“And you are?” Martha gave her a tired smile.

“Derek’s neighbor, Abby Foster.”

“I can’t give you the address, Ms. Foster,” Martha said. “I’m sorry.”

Then she took Derek away. He went without a single look back. His shoulders fell forward as if his entire body deflated.

Abby sank into a chair, shock weakening her legs. Panic churned behind her breastbone.

“I’m sorry.” Ethan came in and closed the door behind him. “I had no idea they’d be so fast. I was going to warn him.”

“How could you?” Abby’s hands trembled. Emotions bubbled in her chest, the pressure building to pain.

Hands on his hips, Ethan paced the small space with short, frustrated steps. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Not call social services.”

“Where would he go?” Ethan scraped a frustrated hand through his hair. “You think any judge in his right mind would let you take him? Someone is trying to kill you. Derek would be in danger. Joe was probably in Derek’s house because of you. Did you think of that?”

Realization sank in Abby’s belly, turning and churning like acid. This was her fault. Joe had sought Krista to get close to Abby. To watch her. To plan his attack. To kill her. Abby had put Derek in danger just by living next door and being friendly. Her entire selfish plan to have a normal life had ruined Derek’s future. Not only had her past followed her, the violence was contagious, spreading to the few people she’d befriended like a deadly virus.

An exhausting sense of helplessness washed through her. What was she going to do? “I’ll go to the family services office tomorrow and fill out the paperwork. When Joe is caught, maybe they’ll let me take Derek.”

“Maybe.” But Ethan’s tone wasn’t promising.

“I have to do something.” Abby’s head fell forward into her hands. “This is his worst nightmare. I told you what happened to him last time he was in the system.”

“I told Martha. She said she was placing him with good people.”

Abby didn’t respond. Martha couldn’t know everything that went on in every foster home. She probably managed more kids than she could possibly handle.

Ethan stopped pacing. He turned around and clasped his hands behind his back, taking the stance of a confident soldier. “Look, Abby, I didn’t have any choice. The rules are clear.”

“It’s a broken system.”

“It’s the only one we have, and it’s there as a safety net to protect kids. His mother has been aiding and abetting a criminal.” Ethan took two steps and dropped into a chair as if his legs had given out.

“Krista has no idea what Joe is.” Abby sighed.

Ethan leaned forward. “And why is that? Why would she pick up a strange man at a bar and bring him into her home when she has a child to protect?”

Abby didn’t answer. There wasn’t anything to say. She knew Krista’s faults. Abby’s mom hadn’t brought strange men home. Instead she’d stayed in bed for days at a time. The symptoms were different, but the disease was the same.