"That's not going to happen." I blocked her way as she tried to move around me. "Mom said she didn't have any family. She was an only child. Clearly, that was a lie, too. God! Was everything she told me a lie? Was any of it true?"

"She loved you. That wasn't a lie."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Which one are you? Brynn or Dani?"

"So, you know more about us than we know about you. I'm Brynn. What's your name?"

She licked her lips. "It's Rachel."

"Is that your real name?" I challenged.

"How's Laura?" she asked, ignoring my question.

"Don't you mean Kim?"

"Is she alive?" Rachel pressed.

"Yes. She opened her eyes, but when we started talking, she got agitated. Her blood pressure rose so high, the doctor sedated her." I paused. "You know she was shot, right? That someone is trying to kill her?"

"I saw it on the news. What did she tell you about it?"

The way she crafted the question made me more suspicious. There wasn't any actual proof that the person who shot my mother was a man. It could have been a woman. It could have been this woman. But she was my mom's sister. It seemed unimaginable that she would try to kill her.

"Did she see who shot her?" Rachel pressed.

"No, but she didn't want to talk about it. She was more interested in telling me to get out of the city. She did say that she disappeared to protect me and my sister. What do you know about that?"

Rachel stared back at me. "I know it was the most difficult thing she ever did in her life. You need to do what she asked you to do, Brynn. You need to leave San Francisco as soon as possible. It's not safe for you here."

"I know it's not safe. Someone tried to run me over the other day and last night, a man tried to drug me and shove me into his car."

Her eyes widened. "Where did this happen? Who was the man?"

"It was at the school where my mom works. The man claims he was hired off the internet to kidnap me and deliver me to Golden Gate Park. He didn't know what would happen after that. And he doesn't seem to know who hired him." I wondered if I was giving her too much information. I needed to do a better job of getting her talking. "If you know that I'm in danger, then you have to know why. Tell me, so I can protect myself. So we can both protect Laura."

"Telling you would only make the danger greater. If you leave now, you'll be safe."

"You can't guarantee that." I tilted my head, giving her a considering look. "You were going to try to see her, weren't you? That's why you're here."