“Really?”

“Yeah. When that guy was at the door, that Kyle guy, I felt that way. Like a caged animal fighting for its life. Everything just hung in the balance for a moment. I swear that’s what Sam looked like when that cop led her out of our kitchen.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Amanda finally finished packing, and I carried her bag downstairs while she made sure Henry was ready. Amanda checked Henry’s diaper and saw that he’d chosen that moment to pee, forcing a delay. She called for me, and I went back up and grabbed him, and placed him on the changing table in his room to deal with the minor mess.

Amanda wandered off to the bathroom, and when she came back, I had Henry ready to go. But Amanda stood in the doorway, her forehead creased.

“What?” I asked. “Are you cooking up another theory about Sam?”

“Not that. Do you think it’s okay to go to my parents’ this way? What if this Kyle Dornan guy tracks me down there? Am I putting them in jeopardy?”

I shifted Henry to my left arm and balanced him against my hip. His dry diaper gave him renewed energy, and he squirmed, trying to escape. Then he started holding his arms out, reaching for Amanda, confirming my suspicion that he liked her better.

“This guy isn’t looking for you,” I said. “He’s looking for me. Or, really, for Blake. He’s not going to go track you down. Not over there. And he doesn’t know your name, does he? Or their names?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Look, you’ve got to be somewhere, and it shouldn’t be here. Do you want to go to a hotel?”

“No. I’d feel more trapped.”

“I think your parents’ house is good. I know how protective your mother is. I think she’d be a pretty formidable opponent if Kyle tried to get in the door of her house to try to hurt her daughter or grandson.”

She smiled. “That’s true.”

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. You fended him off on your own.”

“Sometimes you just have to battle it out with people.”

I expected her to laugh. Or smile. But her face looked serious. A little distant.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

She averted her eyes and looked at the floor as she spoke. Henry stopped moving, perhaps because Amanda wasn’t rushing to take him. But he seemed to be listening too.