Page 21 of Emi's Hero

“An only child?” he asked.

He glanced over in time to see a tear slide down her face.

“Sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“No. It’s okay.” She swiped at a tear. “I just haven’t let myself think about my family outside of Sara in a long time. My little brother would be the same age I was when...” Her voice caught and more tears followed the first.

“Don’t you want to let them know you’re alive and well?”

“No,” she said sharply. Then, in a gentler tone, she added. “Not yet.”

He nodded. “Not until we recover Sara.”

She gave him a brief nod. “Right. Only when Sara’s safe will I think about letting them know about us.”

George frowned. “What do you mean you’ll think about it?”

She shrugged and looked out the side window, turning her face away from him. “I’m not the same person I was when I left Texas eight years ago.”

“You’re still their daughter and your brother’s sister,” he said. “That hasn’t changed.”

“I’m not the same.”

George didn’t respond for a few minutes. “You can’t blame yourself for what that bastard did to you. It’s not like you asked for it.”

“I did nothing to stop him,” she said so quietly he barely heard.

“Did you want him to do all those things?” he asked.

“No,” she said, now staring down at her hands.

“Exactly.” George reached over, took her hand in his and squeezed it briefly. “You had no choice,” he said. “You did nothing wrong.”

She sighed. “Still...I don’t know how to face my family. How do I look them in the eyes?”

“Emi, you lift your chin and be proud you’re alive. You’re a badass survivor who has done everything in her power to protect her daughter.”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” she said. “Right now, I can’t think of anyone else but Sara.”

“You’re right.” George gripped the steering wheel tighter, mentally kicking himself. The last thing Emi needed was a reminder of what she’d endured. “I didn’t mean to upset you. If you want me to shut up, just say so.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “What about you? Where did you grow up?”

He gave a twisted smile. “A lot of places. My father was in the Marine Corps. We moved a lot. North Carolina, California, Virginia and Japan. The longest we stayed in one place was Norfolk, Virginia. My mother became an expert at packing us up and getting us started in new schools wherever we were stationed.”

Emi faced him. “How many siblings do you have?”

George smiled. “Three brothers. With me, we were four hellions, giving our mother hell. But she could handle it, even when our father was gone for months at a time.”

“She must be a strong woman.”

He nodded. “She is.”

“Do you still have both parents?” she asked.

George nodded. “Alive and kicking. Since Dad retired from the corps, my mother has kept him busy. After all their world travel, they spend most of the summer months traveling in their RV all over North America. They belong to an RV travel club and are living their best lives.”

Emi smiled. “And your brothers? Did they join the military like you?”

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