“Do I not do enough for you?

“Do you think this is what I want to come home to? More nonsense from you?

“Do I not have enough on my plate?

“You just want to pile it on.”

Her finger pushed in my nose and the back of my head hit the railing. “Pile it on, pile it on. Hurt Gloria. Is that your idea of fun?

“You been so sneaky. Just lie and sneak. Lie and sneak. That’s all you do. A sneaky little thing.

“How can I trust you?

“You’re not a little kid no more. Grown-ups make decisions and it’s none of your business. You hear me? You don’t got to know why things happen. You’re too young and too stupid. Stupider than Shar. But there you go. Sticking your big fat nose in. Skulking around. I always knew you were like that. A sneaky little spy. You get that from Telly’s side. It’s disgusting. I’m completely disgusted in you. A sneaky dirty spy. There’s nothing worse in this whole world.”

Her hands were flying around in front of my face.

“Do you want them to take you away? Enormous men are going to show up on our doorstep and you will be gone, Maisy. Do you get that? Gloria can’t do a single thing about it. Gone, gone, gone. They’d probably toss you in a filthy jail somewhere. With all the other sneaky nasty little girls no one can stand. Can’t mind their own beeswax. Is that what you want?”

My mouth was open. No air was coming in.

“You’re not saying a word, but I hear you good and plenty. You want to be gone. And I won’t stop them, you know that? Even if I could, I won’t lift a finger. They can cart you off and do what they want.”

I put my head on the wall. I was in so much trouble. More trouble than I ever was before. “Not one toe,” she said when she left. I was supposed to stay in my room. Rowan was in the basement. That wasn’t a good thing. Gloria knew he was there. She wanted him disappeared forever. Now she was going to disappear me, too.

“Do you get me, miss? Everything I’ve done was to protect you, and now those men are just waiting. Right around the corner.”

I nodded.

“All I got to do is open the door and wave my pinkie finger.”

I nodded again.

“So you better keep away from that little idiot down there.”

I nodded again.

“And if you want to stay under this roof, you won’t tell a single solitary soul.”

MAISY