“We saw you laughing with that guy. He cleaned up but he’s the one with the bow, right? The one you beat?” He was smirking.

“Yes.”

“So you two made up? You’re back together?”

His insinuation was clear. Mike’s hands clenched into fists. “He is working for my parents. It’s business.”

“Sure didn’t look like it, from what we saw.” They laughed loudly, then had the good sense to hurry away.

Mike stood still for a few minutes, trying to get her anger under control. Jerks! Now they’d run and tell Hayes their interpretation of what they’d seen. Damnation, but where was her mother?

A woman with three kids stopped to ask Mike about the children’s pet march tomorrow. It took work for Mike to keep her mind focused enough to answer. Yes, birds are allowed. Yes, parents can help. Snakes only in cages. Yes, Dr. Coop would be there with his bag in case some animal was rabid.

When Mike finally got away, she knew where her mother probably was. The cellar. For the first time, she was glad for the gate Kyle had put in so she didn’t have to climb anything. She hurried through, made sure the gate was closed, then ran through the line of trees. As she’d hoped, Vera was sitting at the far edge, under a tree, and reading a book. When she got close, Mike saw it was a history of North Korea. “Planning to go there?”

Vera looked up. “I might. Interested?” She put the book down beside her.

“Maybe. Were you involved in the Falklands War?”

“No. Why?”

“Ask Papi about the little trick he played on me.”

“I gave up trying to figure out his mind long ago.” She patted her lap.

Gratefully, Mike stretched out on the sweet grass and put her head in her mother’s lap.

Vera stroked her daughter’s hair. It was so like her own, but tamed by Miguel’s sleek black hair. “Has Griff tried to con you into helping him with his bio of me?”

Mike grinned. “I wondered if you knew about that. Will you do it?”

“Miguel says I should. He says the book would actually be about what I’ve seen and done. It might help if people know what’s gone on in the world and the results. You have my permission to tell Griff whatever he wants to know.”

“I may not need to. He’s already figured out that I went with you and Papi to some less-than-safe places. He knows about Rabaa.”

Vera let out her breath at the memory of that horror. “If your father hadn’t realized what was about to happen that day... When he saw those bulldozers! And the snipers on the top of the buildings and—”

Mike took her mother’s hand. “It’s okay. He got us out.”

“But so very many didn’t survive.”