"If you hang up you'll never see your family again."
"The police are already on the case. I don't have to participate in these stupid games to get what I want. I'm not getting involved in whatever you have to offer."
A dark chuckle made my...
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Time seemed to freeze as I stared in shock at the woman standing in front of me.
"There is no way she is real."
"Um, hi?" She waved sheepishly at me.
"Hi? HI! That's all you have to say to me? You and dad have been missing for days, and all you have to say to me is 'hi'?" My confusion morphed into pure rage.
"I-"
"Do you know what I've been through while trying to find you two? I've been kidnapped, drugged, nearly killed, nearly raped. I had to kill two men to avoid the last two. And all you have to say to me is 'hi'?"
"I know you have a lot of questions-"
"No shit Sherlock. Where is dad? Where have you guys been? What happened at Carson? Do you even know what happened there?"
"Look, none of those answers matter right now. All you need to know is that you need to disappear. I've wired enough money to your bank account to take you anywhere you want. You'll have enough to start a new life."
"Where did you get the resources to do that?"
"That doesn't matter."
"It matters to me. I thought you were dead or a hostage. I didn't know what to think. Now you're standing in front of me, telling me to run. I just got you back." I felt tears sting at the corners of my eyes.
"It's not safe to be around your dad or me."
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me!"
Dottie let out a frustrated sigh before looking around.
"And why did you feel the need to do all of this? You were spying on me from the bushes like a creep. I could've punched your lights out." I crossed my arms, partially to show her how cross I was and mostly because I did not know if she could see through the wet material of my undergarments in the dim moonlight.
"I didn't mean to scare you. I had to make sure you were alone."
"Why? Wait, how'd you know where I was? How long have you known? Have you known I was here the whole time? Why are you only showing yourself now?"
The color from Dottie's face drained slightly. Now that I was looking at her, I noticed how pale and thin she was.
"Dottie, what happened to you? Who's after you? Why did you leave with no warning? Who left that slaughter mess at Carson?"
"Jacklynn, please run. We don't have time for all these questions. You need to leave and never look back."
"I don't know who dad pissed off this time, but Henry can protect us until we smooth everything out. I tried to get the Sherriff to find you, but you know how the cops here are."
