Chapter 7

The squad cars showed up fast. Flashing lights swept over the crowd and painted every face in a wash of cold blue.

I held Annie tight against my chest and pulled my jacket over her head so she wouldn't see any of it.

Rachel handled the police with calm precision, laying everything out in clear, concise terms.

She flashed her bar license and classified Linda's actions as disorderly conduct and attempted abduction.

Linda completely fell apart. She had probably never dealt with the police in her entire life. One moment she'd been the hysterical victim throwing a tantrum, and now she was nothing more than a panicked suspect.

She stammered through her excuses. "I didn't do anything. I was just trying to see my granddaughter. We're family. Officer, this is a family matter."

The officer looked at her, then at the child still sobbing in my arms, and his expression didn't waver.

"Family matter or not, you can sort that out at the station."

Linda was loaded into the patrol car. As it pulled away, she stared at me through the window with pure venom in her eyes.

I stared right back, my expression perfectly still.

The preschool director apologized repeatedly, promising tighter security and assuring me nothing like this would happen again.

I didn't say much. I held Annie close and left with Rachel.

On the drive home, Annie fell asleep in my arms. Even in sleep, her brow stayed furrowed, and her fingers clutched my collar so tight they'd turned white.

My chest ached like an invisible hand was squeezing the air out of my lungs.

Back home, I tucked Annie into bed, then walked out to the living room.

Rachel handed me a cup of coffee.

"I already checked in with the precinct," Rachel said. "It won't stick as a criminal case. They'll probably give her a warning and hold her for a day or two."

I nodded. That was about what I'd expected.

"So what's the next move?" Rachel watched me. "File for a restraining order? Keep her away from Annie?"

"Yes." I stared out at the dark sky. "But that's not enough."

Rachel paused. "Then what are you—"

I turned to face her. The look in my eyes was so cold and so certain that even I barely recognized it.

"Rachel, when I said I didn't want to donate, it was because I thought ignoring them was the ultimate punishment. I believed living well was the best revenge." I shook my head. "But I was wrong.

"Some people have no limits. You give them an inch, and they take a mile. You think you can live and let live, but she won't stop until she's buried you.

"Today she showed up at the daycare and tried to take Annie. Tomorrow she'll grab her off the street."

My voice was quiet, but with every word, Rachel's expression grew heavier.

"Victor needs a kidney, and they've completely lost it," I said. "They'll do anything at this point. I can't spend every day looking over my shoulder, and I won't let my daughter grow up afraid. So I need to end this. For good."

Rachel took a deep breath. "Aurora, what are you planning?"

I lifted my glass. The warmth of the coffee seeped into my fingertips, but it couldn't touch the cold that had settled deep in my chest.

"I want him dead. And I don't mean that as some throwaway line. I want him crushed right at the edge where hope meets despair. And I want Linda to be the one who pushes her own son over that cliff."

Rachel stared at me for a long time before she finally spoke. "What do you need me to do?"

I smiled. For the first time in years, it actually felt easy.

"Find someone for me. That PI our firm worked with before, Timothy Warren. Tell him I've got a big job for him."

My voice carried through the darkness, calm and cold, like a verdict that had already been decided.

Linda had crossed the one line I would never forgive. And now she was going to pay for it.