“Excuse me,” the woman called out, her voice eerily sweet, a terrifying contrast to the fury vibrating in her jaw. “Have you seen a little boy run by here? He’s in big trouble.”
Melissa stood her ground, feeling the heavy gaze of the mother, while behind her, hidden in the shadows, Jason let out a stifled whimper.
Melissa’s mind raced. Should she send the woman away, or should she confront her head-on while dialing 911?
Part 2
“A little boy?” Melissa asked, forcing her facial muscles to relax into a mask of mild, neighborly confusion. She casually wiped a smudge of dirt from her jeans, sliding her right hand into her pocket to blindly unlock her phone. She knew the emergency SOS shortcut by heart: click the power button five times. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. “No, I haven’t seen anyone. I’ve been out here pruning these hydrangeas for the last hour.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed, scanning Melissa’s manicured lawn, the azalea bushes, and finally, the dark, gaping maw of the open garage. “He’s a liar and a thief,” the woman hissed, the saccharine sweetness evaporating from her voice. “He stole something very valuable from me. I know he came down this street.”
“Well, he didn’t come here,” Melissa said firmly, taking a step forward to block the woman’s line of sight into the garage. “Maybe you should check the park down on Elm.”
The woman didn’t move. Instead, she killed the engine. The heavy metallic clunk of the SUV door unlocking sent a jolt of ice water down Melissa’s spine. The woman stepped out. She was tall, broad-shouldered, and completely unfazed by Melissa’s authoritative stance.
“I think I’ll just take a quick look around,” the woman said, marching straight onto Melissa’s driveway.
“Hey! You are trespassing on private property,” Melissa barked, her probation officer training taking over. She squared her shoulders and stepped directly into the woman’s path. “Get back in your car, or I am calling the police.”
“Call them,” the woman sneered, shoving Melissa hard in the chest. Melissa stumbled back but caught her footing, adrenaline surging through her veins.
“I already did,” Melissa countered, standing her ground. “They’re pinging my location right now.”
A flicker of genuine panic crossed the woman’s face, but it was quickly replaced by violent desperation. “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with, lady! He’s not just a runaway.” She lunged forward, trying to bypass Melissa to get to the garage.
Melissa grabbed the woman by the shoulder, physically yanking her back. The woman whirled around, swinging a heavy, ring-clad fist that caught Melissa glancingly on the cheekbone. The sharp pain exploded across Melissa’s face, but she didn’t back down. She tackled the woman at the waist, driving them both into the soft grass of the front yard. They grappled, the woman clawing frantically at Melissa’s arms.
“He’s got the flash drive!” the woman screamed, pinning Melissa’s arm with her knee. “You stupid bitch, he’s going to ruin everything!”
Flash drive?
Suddenly, a small voice echoed from the driveway. “Leave her alone!”
Melissa wrenched her neck to see Jason standing there, no longer hiding. His hands were shaking violently, but he wasn’t holding a weapon. He was holding up a small, silver USB drive.
“Jason, no! Run!” Melissa choked out, trying to buck the heavier woman off her.
“She’s not my mom!” Jason yelled, tears streaming down his bruised cheeks. “She runs the foster home! She takes the money, but she locks us in the basement. She makes us pack the drugs for her boyfriend! I took the camera footage. I took it all!”
