money by gambling, he had managed to draw her in, seducing her with the excitement and risk. But that she compared the men she met to him . . . ridiculous.
She watched the news video again after her mother left. That one of them was out there, killing, made her very uneasy.
Chapter Three
W HEN D EL’S PHONE dinged that afternoon, indicating a text message, she saw first that it was from her mother. Then three more messages came in bursts. Each one stole Del’s breath.
Stay away from the house.
Do not report me missing.
I think they found me.
It’s time for me to go back.
They. Her mother had warned that if her people ever found her, Del had to be careful. If they somehow discovered Del’s existence, they wouldn’t like that someone with their DNA was loose among the population. They might even kill her. Carrie was sure they were unhappy about her being out there. Sending her back to her dimension was the best-case punishment for running away.
“No. No.” The words tore from a throat so tight, it was a wonder any sound could emerge.
Tom, one of her fellow caseworkers, peered into her office. “You okay?”
She leapt from her desk. “I have to go. My mom . . .”
“Go. I’ll make sure your appointments are rescheduled.”
She thought she smiled in thanks but couldn’t be sure. It was probably more like a grimace. She was at a full-out run by the time she reached the parking lot. The cool air smacked her in the face, but hot prickles kept her from feeling the lack of a jacket. She drove to her mother’s place of work and had to keep herself from racing into the austere law firm.
“Goodness, girl, you look like you ran all the way here,” the receptionist said.
Del could only imagine that her hair was disheveled, clothes damp and wrinkled. “Is Mom here?” Her desk was unoccupied.
“She hasn’t come back from lunch yet. She had a window of about twenty minutes to eat, poor thing, before she was due back for a meeting.” Tammy checked her watch. “Hmm. She’s late. That’s not like her. You know your mom. She’s the most responsible person I know.”
Del had to choke back a sob at those words. “Do you know where she went?”
“She usually grabs lunch from one of those carts; God knows what’s in their food.” Her expression became concerned. “Maybe she got food poisoning.”
Del dashed out, having spotted two of those carts as she’d come in. She asked the vendors if they’d seen a woman of her mom’s description.
“Oh, yeah, nice lady. She was here about twenty, thirty minutes ago,” one man said as he filled a taco for a customer. “She went that way.”
Del followed where the Hispanic man pointed, searching everywhere. Maybe she was hiding and would spot Del. She found a courtyard, the secluded kind of place her mother would seek out. She walked to one of the benches and ran her fingers along the wood slats. A barrage of feelings hit her like a cold wave of water: a murmur of a kiss, an argument about money, both muted from the wood. Nothing as dramatic as fear.
She tried another bench and sensed her mother’s energy here . . . and yes, fear. Del flattened her palm against the wood. Hard to get a sense of what had frightened her. Just like with electricity, wood didn’t conduct feelings or imprints well.
She sank onto the bench and pulled out her phone, hoping for a new message. Taking a chance, she sent her mom a text back, just a question mark.
The ding her mom’s phone made when it received a text message sounded from a short distance away, though slightly muffled. Del sent another text, a period this time. The sound chimed again. Her heart tightening, she sent more texts and followed the sounds to a garbage can. Baffled, she took off the lid and started digging, fighting nausea at the smell of food and stale coffee.
She found the phone with the pink cover, and fear vibrated from it. Still no images to go with it. Her mom had ditched her phone. She
She watched the news video again after her mother left. That one of them was out there, killing, made her very uneasy.
Chapter Three
W HEN D EL’S PHONE dinged that afternoon, indicating a text message, she saw first that it was from her mother. Then three more messages came in bursts. Each one stole Del’s breath.
Stay away from the house.
Do not report me missing.
I think they found me.
It’s time for me to go back.
They. Her mother had warned that if her people ever found her, Del had to be careful. If they somehow discovered Del’s existence, they wouldn’t like that someone with their DNA was loose among the population. They might even kill her. Carrie was sure they were unhappy about her being out there. Sending her back to her dimension was the best-case punishment for running away.
“No. No.” The words tore from a throat so tight, it was a wonder any sound could emerge.
Tom, one of her fellow caseworkers, peered into her office. “You okay?”
She leapt from her desk. “I have to go. My mom . . .”
“Go. I’ll make sure your appointments are rescheduled.”
She thought she smiled in thanks but couldn’t be sure. It was probably more like a grimace. She was at a full-out run by the time she reached the parking lot. The cool air smacked her in the face, but hot prickles kept her from feeling the lack of a jacket. She drove to her mother’s place of work and had to keep herself from racing into the austere law firm.
“Goodness, girl, you look like you ran all the way here,” the receptionist said.
Del could only imagine that her hair was disheveled, clothes damp and wrinkled. “Is Mom here?” Her desk was unoccupied.
“She hasn’t come back from lunch yet. She had a window of about twenty minutes to eat, poor thing, before she was due back for a meeting.” Tammy checked her watch. “Hmm. She’s late. That’s not like her. You know your mom. She’s the most responsible person I know.”
Del had to choke back a sob at those words. “Do you know where she went?”
“She usually grabs lunch from one of those carts; God knows what’s in their food.” Her expression became concerned. “Maybe she got food poisoning.”
Del dashed out, having spotted two of those carts as she’d come in. She asked the vendors if they’d seen a woman of her mom’s description.
“Oh, yeah, nice lady. She was here about twenty, thirty minutes ago,” one man said as he filled a taco for a customer. “She went that way.”
Del followed where the Hispanic man pointed, searching everywhere. Maybe she was hiding and would spot Del. She found a courtyard, the secluded kind of place her mother would seek out. She walked to one of the benches and ran her fingers along the wood slats. A barrage of feelings hit her like a cold wave of water: a murmur of a kiss, an argument about money, both muted from the wood. Nothing as dramatic as fear.
She tried another bench and sensed her mother’s energy here . . . and yes, fear. Del flattened her palm against the wood. Hard to get a sense of what had frightened her. Just like with electricity, wood didn’t conduct feelings or imprints well.
She sank onto the bench and pulled out her phone, hoping for a new message. Taking a chance, she sent her mom a text back, just a question mark.
The ding her mom’s phone made when it received a text message sounded from a short distance away, though slightly muffled. Del sent another text, a period this time. The sound chimed again. Her heart tightening, she sent more texts and followed the sounds to a garbage can. Baffled, she took off the lid and started digging, fighting nausea at the smell of food and stale coffee.
She found the phone with the pink cover, and fear vibrated from it. Still no images to go with it. Her mom had ditched her phone. She
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