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Back Strangers She Knows Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. BPA
  61. Author Bio

Max looked toward the kitchen, noted the trail of water, realized what he hadn’t realized before—Rae hadn’t expressed concern about her mother’s fall. Sweet little Rae had been exasperated and angered. “Why you in particular?”

“Because I’m her mother. Because she’s ten years old. Her world is upside down. Her hormones have started on their rampage. She needs all the attention and all the love.”

He got it. “And you just got all the attention.”

“Because somehow she suspects it’s my fault that we’re here.”

“Now, that’s impossible. I told her it was my fault.”

“You’re her daddy. You’ve always been there for her. It can’t be your fault.” She turned and looked out the window again. “Mothers and daughters—we’re either best angel friends or hell’s demons incarnate, and there’s nothing in between.”

“As my mother always says, ‘Craziness is inherited—you get it from your children.’”

“We need to tell Rae.”

“No. Right now, Rae’s just so volatile. So vulnerable. She’s having so much fun here!”

“Max…”

“Kellen, let’s give it a little more time.” He leaned in, all big brown eyes and warm persuasion. “Let’s wait until we get a report that Mara’s coming for us.”

“What if we don’t get the report in time?”

“We have to trust that Diana will surface to send us a warning. We have to trust law enforcement. They have a lot at stake.”

“Not as much as we do!”

“Just a few more days,” Max pleaded. “Let Rae be an innocent a little longer.”

Kellen surrendered, not to the logic, but to the appeal. “When she finds out, she is going to be angry.”

“If everything goes as planned, she will never find out.”

20

Rae rode her bike as hard and as fast as she could, away from her father and mother and that creepy house where it was all boring with nothing to do and weird music played and a white lady came into her bedroom and no one believed her, and she had to escape like a prisoner whenever she wanted to go somewhere. Like there was even somewhere to go.

She pointed the bike at the Conkles’ house. It was five miles downhill all the way, so that was easy riding, and she conveniently forgot she’d have to ride uphill all the way back.