Page 72 of The Chain

“Oh, Mommy, I thought I was never going to see you again,” Kylie says.

Rachel can’t believe it. She isn’t sure the world is big enough to contain the relief and gladness she feels. “I knew I’d see you again! I knew I’d get you back,” Rachel replies and holds her close. So close. Her little girl smells like her little girl. She’s trembling and cold. She must be hungry and so, so scared.

The tears flow.

Rivers of relief and happiness.

A weird, unbalanced, off-kilter kind of joy.

“Are you hungry?” Rachel asks.

“No. I ate a doughnut and the people fed me while I was there.”

“What did they feed you?”

“Normal stuff. Cereal. Graham crackers.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll take you home. Uncle Pete’s here.”

“Uncle Pete?”

“Yeah, he’s been helping me out.”

“You didn’t tell Dad?”

“No.”

“’Cause of Tammy?”

Rachel nods.

“They told me that if I said anything, we could all be in danger,” Kylie says.

“That’s what they told me. Come on, let me take you home.”

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Kylie says.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, Mom, no. I’ll be OK.”

“I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”

“Mom, I’m not having you go into the bathroom with me. I’ll be one minute.”

Rachel walks her to the Dunkin’ Donuts bathroom and stands outside the door. It’s one of those unisex, single-person toilets so there’s no way there’s someone in there who’s going to drag Kylie out a window or anything, but still, Rachel hates to lose visual contact with her for even a few seconds.

The middle-aged cashier catches her eye.

“Is she yours?” the woman asks.

“Yes.”

“I was just gonna call the cops. I thought she was a runaway.”

Rachel smiles and texts Pete that Kylie is safe.

“You gotta keep an eye on them when they start hitting their teens,” the cashier says. “It’s a difficult age. I should know. Four daughters.”

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