“It’s kind of weird. I was debating whether I was going to show you or not but I think you should probably know about it.”
“Okay, now you’re being really weird.”
Lora laughs awkwardly. “Just stay here, okay?”
She runs off before I can answer. Amber sits up and drinks some water. “She’s nice.”
“Yeah, she is, but she’s up to something.”
“Come on. Not everyone’s scheming all the time.”
I glance at her. “You don’t know my family.”
“Clearly.”
We don’t have to wait long. Lora comes back with a little laptop and sits down in front of us cross-legged. She types rapidly, eyes squinting at the screen. I sit next to Amber and wait.
Lora turns the screen around. “This popped into my feed earlier. I thought it was a joke at first, but…” She trails off.
I stare at the screen.
“What am I looking at?”
“It’s an ad,” she says. “I have no clue how it’s targeting me. I bet it’s targeting, like, everyone on Facebook.”
“That’s got to cost…”
“Thousands of dollars?” Lora laughs. “Yeah. I know.”
I stare at the post. It’s from Samuel Gibbins, Amber’s father. It’s a simple post with the words “MISSING: MY DAUGHTER, AMBER GIBBINS” in bold at the top.
Underneath, it continues:
Amber Gibbins, my pride and joy, was taken from me by a nasty and horrible man. She’s been seduced by her doctor, a man named Brent Lofthouse. This unethical and frankly illegal act has caused me much pain. All I want is my daughter back.
I am offering one million dollars for the safe return of my daughter. Bring her back to me without the Lofthouse fraud, and you’ll earn your reward.
Good luck, cowboys.
And under that is a large picture of Amber’s face with the words “ONE MILLION REWARD” underneath it.
I look at Amber and she’s ghost-white. Her normally fair skin is bleached out, washed completely. She’s sweating again, but it’s a sick anxiety sweat, a heavy stink that hangs over her like a fog.
“I’m sorry,” Lora says. “I thought you should know what he’s doing.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I, uh… thanks.”
Lora bites her lip. “Is that part about you… true?” she asks.
“I was her doctor,” I say. “That’s true.”
“But, I mean, you two are… together?”
I hesitate. “Something like that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He’s a lying piece of shit,” Amber says, her voice so harsh that it startles both me and Lora.
Amber stares at the screen then struggles to her feet. She limps away, over to where her cane is leaning against the wall, and grabs it. She slams the cane over and over against a metal bench press frame, sending loud clanks through the otherwise empty room.
I sit and watch. I know she needs to get her anger out and I just let it happen. Eventually, she stumbles forward, and I’m already there. I grab her and hold her before she can fall.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“It’s okay.” I sit her down on the bench press and look at Lora. “It’s not that simple.”
“I figured.” She shuts her laptop. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“He did this.” Amber extends her leg, wincing at the pain. “This is his fault. If I had stayed, he would’ve done worse.”
I look at Lora, willing her to believe us. “That’s why we’re here. I couldn’t have let her stay with him. I figured it out, based on the way the leg broke and the accident she claimed to have been in, and it just… it spiraled from there.”
Lora stares at the two of us then shakes her head. “Well, shit. That’s really insane.”
Amber laughs a little bit. I smile, uncertain. I want to hug her and hold her, but I’m not sure what she needs right now.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“I can imagine. I mean, we’re part of this family, after all.” Lora stands. “You’ll be okay here. My parents won’t be happy about this, though.” She looks at me.
“I’ll handle them.”
“He used your name. Our name.”
“I know.”
“Mom and Dad—”
“I know.”
She stops herself and shakes her head. “Yeah, okay, big brother. You can handle it, I guess.”
“Listen, keep this to yourself for now, okay?”
“They’ll hear about it sooner or later. Their friends are all over Facebook.”
I laugh a little. “Yeah, I know. Just, keep it between us still.”
“I will.”
“Thank you.”
She nods once then looks at Amber. “I’m really sorry about what happened to you. For what it’s worth, your dad seems like a real fucking asshole.”
“Thanks,” Amber says.
Lora hesitates then leaves the room without another word.
I hug Amber then. She melts into my embrace, holding me tight. We stay like that for a little while, not speaking. I just want her to know that I’m here for her, no matter what.
Eventually though, the hug ends.
“What do we do?” she asks. “What if your parents are mad and they make us leave?”
“They won’t. Not if we tell them the truth.”
Amber hesitates. “Will they believe?”