Hush Baby Hush

Uneasiness ripples through me. The room is in use, though the inhabitant isn’t here. I wonder if the mattress is the same, and if it is, did Janet ever get the blood stains out?

She touches my shoulder. I flinch, whirling to face her.

“You’re still taking in foster kids,” I say, unable to keep the accusation out of my tone.

Janet’s gaze narrows. “Of course we are. Why wouldn’t we?”

I march back toward the living room. Austin tries to grab my hand, but Iwalkon through the kitchen and into the dining room.

It’s in the dining room that I find what I came for.

A nervous-looking dark-haired girl with pale blue eyes sits at the table. The sweatshirt she’s wearing is at least two sizes too large for her frame. I remember opting for shapeless clothing, thinking it would make me less enticing. As if the clothing I wore was the thing that attracted him to me.

My gaze falls on the figure seated at the opposite end of the table. Ewan Cline’s face goes pale at the sight of me.

“McKenzie?” Ewan says, incredulous.

My leg muscles twitch with the urge to carry me anywhere but here. I almost give in to the impulse, until I feel Austin’s presence at my side.

“You have my old room,”I say to the girl.

The girl studies me, and I think she knows who I am, but before she can say anything, Janet rushes into the dining room.

“Iris, go to your room.”

The girl, Iris, rises from the table, taking a wide berth around Ewan’s chair. Our gazes lock as she passes me on her way out. Though she and I look nothing alike, I feel as if I’m gazing into a mirror.

“Well,” Janet says. “I can only assume you’re here about the interview. So, I’ll just tell you now, someone from CDE News contacted us and said they wanted to ask us some questions about you and Holly.”

“How much did they payyou?” I ask.

She scoffs. “What makes you think—”

“You haven’t heard from either of us in six years, yet you jump at the opportunity to lie about us on national television. I want to know how much that’s worth.”

“I don't see how that's any of your business,” she says. When I don’t respond, she says, “Somewhere in the ballpark of ten thousand, though that hardly makes up for what we spent on you two.”

“Who paid you? Someone from CDE News?”

“No. Some public relations company set up the interview. We didn’t ask questions.”

“Why not?” Austin asks. “Too entranced by all those zeroes?”

Janet scowls.Ewan folds his arms and stares at the table.

“We don’t owe you girls anything. We gave you a nice home, food to eat. And you ran off without thinking twice about us.”

“You know,” I say, “I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. How different our lives could have turned out if Holly and I hadn't run away from here.” I glower at Ewan. “If you hadn't given us a reason to run away.”

Janet’s gaze darts to Austin. I’m sure she’s realized he isn’t here acting as my boss. She’s probably wondering how much I’ve told him about what went on in this house.

“You girls made your choices,” she says.“You have to live with the consequences.”

Anger burns hot in my belly.

“Choices? Like all those nights Ichoseto let Ewan into my room. Or when Iaskedhim to corner me in the kitchen. Are those the choices you’re referring to?”

Tension radiates like heat from Austin’s body. I glance at his face. Sometimes I have difficulty reconciling the man I love with the hardened soldier he used to be—right now isn’t one of those times. I take his hand to remind him of the promise he made. As much as I might enjoy watching Austin beat the piss out of the man who raped me, I don’t want to risk the wrong man being dragged out of here in cuffs.