“Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom,” Dylan came up and announced. The bathroom was down a wide hall that also held a small storage room. It led to the back door of Violet’s shop. I had previously told Dylan that he wasn’t allowed to go back there by himself. Call me overprotective, but I didn’t want him back there alone. I got up to walk him back and wait in the hall.

“Come on, bud,” I said, and he raced ahead of me to the hallway. I saw light from the back door shining into the hall. Violet always kept it shut and locked. She didn’t want anyone sneaking in through the back.

“Dylan, wait.” I rushed into the mouth of the hall and saw the good-looking, ponytailed, Hawaiian-shirt bad guy named Derrick come out of the storage room. He lunged for Dylan and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the open back door.

I ran forward to jump on his back, reaching around his neck I pulled at his nose, I kicked, I scratched, I hit him over and over until Dylan was able to break free. “Run, Dylan, get Luke, get help,” I grunted.

Dylan stared at me for a second as tears filled his eyes, then he shot off down the hall.

I was glad he didn’t see me get thrown off. I was glad he didn’t see me get shoved into the wall and punched in the side of the head.

After that, I couldn’t see either. Everything had gone black.

26

Lily

I woke up in a trunk. Before I could even try to remember how to get out of a trunk, it popped open. I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. I looked up and saw the huge, hairy Hagrid-looking bad guy glaring down at me unhappily. He reached out and touched the side of my face. Even though he looked concerned I flinched away from him. I didn’t care about his concern. I was in a freaking trunk, for flip’s sake.

“I don’t care what’s going on. You don’t punch a girl. You okay?” he barked.

I nodded. “Are you going to let me go? Please?”

“No. I can’t.” The trunk slammed shut, sinking me into darkness once more.

I knew, I just knew if I got happy, something or someone would come along and mess it up. Such as being in a motherfucking, flipping, effing trunk. I squinted in the dark, trying to see the safety lever. In my youth, I had spent time in the trunk of a car on occasion. Cops and Robbers could get kind of dicey with my brothers and sisters.