Page 46 of Left Behind

Wiley snorted. “Now, that’s a lie.”

“It’s no such thing!” Corina shouted and pulled an envelope from the depths of her tote bag. “And this here proves it. It’s Ava’s DNA test I had run when she was a baby to claim child support.”

Aaron looked lost. “Wiley. What the hell’s going on? Do you know who…?”

“I know exactly who she is. And there’s a real good possibility that DNA test will prove we’re related to that little girl, but not as a father. We’re likely her brothers. Corina Dalton was one of Clyde Wallace’s side pieces for at least four years before he wound up in prison.”

Corina gasped. “How do you—”

Wiley’s eyes narrowed. “How do I know? Because I saw you two together all over Conway, that’s how. Our DNA is on file here. Compare it, Chief!”

Corina paled. This wasn’t going as planned.

“So, what kind of scam are you trying to pull here, lady?” Sonny asked.

Corina glanced at Ava, and when she did, Wiley saw sheer terror on the little girl’s face, and in that moment saw a tiny, unwanted child—a victim, just as they had been. Only Corina was her monster, just as Clyde had been theirs, and if she was truly Clyde Wallace’s child, then she was their sister.

Corina and Aaron and Sonny Warren were arguing, but it was Wiley who knelt down beside Ava. When he started to put a hand on her shoulder, she flinched as if bracing herself for the blow.

“I’m Wiley. What’s your name?” he asked.

She glanced at Corina, and then whispered, “Ava.”

“Where do you and Mama live?”

“Mostly, Corina leaves me with people like Miss Mattie, but she dropped dead, and now there’s no one.”

Wiley blinked. She didn’t even call her Mama. He looked up at Aaron, and then Sonny. “Ava looks hungry. Okay if I take her to the break room for a doughnut and milk?”

Sonny looked at Corina. “Is it all right with you if—”

“I don’t care where you take her,” she said. “I need to get this straightened out. I got a job waiting.”

Wiley’s skin crawled. Jesus wept. What the hell has been happening to this child? He held out his hand. “Want a doughnut?”

She glanced at Corina again, and then got up and followed him up the hall without touching him. As soon as they were in the break room, she crawled up in a chair and watched him take a doughnut out of a box, put it on a paper plate, and get a carton of milk from a dispenser. He opened the milk, popped in a straw, and then sat down on the other side of the table.

“Dig in, Ava.”

She ate like she was starving, biting off big bites, barely chewing before swallowing, as if afraid the doughnut would be taken out of her hands before she was through. Watching her eat like this hurt Wiley’s heart. He took a picture of her while she wasn’t looking and sent it to his mother with a brief text.

Pretty sure this is our half sister. Corina Dalton just sailed into the PD this morning from Conway, trying to claim Aaron as the father to scam money, and I know you know who she is. The child is covered in bruises and scared spitless of her mother. She’s so tiny. And she’s breakin’ my heart. I’m about to go to war for her, Mom. Will you hate me if I do?

He hit Send and waited. Within a minute, he got a response.

God in heaven. No, I won’t hate you. What can you do?

He texted back.

Corina doesn’t want her. I do. Her name is Ava. I will never sleep again knowing she’s somewhere in the world without us.

He waited. Shirley Pope responded again.

See if she’ll sign papers to terminate her parental rights. We’ll go from there. If this child has been abused all her life, she won’t be easy to raise.

He sent one last text.

We were abused all our lives, but we had you. Until today, she had no one. Now she has four brothers. I need to know she’s fed and safe at night. She’s too quiet. I don’t want her to be afraid again. I can’t be her daddy, but I can stand in for one. I’m going to give Corina Dalton a deal she won’t pass up. Thanks for understanding.

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