Page 94 of Did You See Evie

Evie can’t finish the horrible thought.

“No,” I reassure her. “Ms. Terry will be fine. You did exactly what you needed to do.”

Evie sighs in relief, slinking back down to the ground. She leans forward, resting her hands on her knees. Still staring at Melinda, she says, “‘When you face a fierce competitor, that’s when your true ability comes out.’ You told us that at the game.”

I nod, equal parts bothered Evie had to experience any of this and proud she had the courage to defend herself. To do what I could never do.

“I’m going to break down the door,” Nadia yells from upstairs. “The police are on their way!”

“Make sure you tell them Evie is here, too,” I shout back. “And that she’s safe.”

* * *

An hour later, the house is overrun with police officers. Earlier in the week, these same people wore somber expressions, the hope we’d find out what happened to Evie quickly dwindling. Now, their optimism is restored. Evie sits in the Terrys’ living room with Detective Fields, while Melinda sits in the back seat of a police car.

“How did you know I was here?” I ask Nadia.

“I tried calling your phone over and over again,” she says. “When you didn’t answer, I decided to try and retrace your footsteps. I went by the school and ran into some guy. Coach Reynolds. He gave me some names and I started looking up addresses.”

“How did you know I was at Amber’s house?”

“I didn’t, until I saw your car parked outside. When I saw the For Sale sign in the yard, I used that as an excuse to let myself in,” she says. “I knew something was off when you weren’t answering your phone.”

“I wasn’t sure how we were getting out of that until you showed up,” I say. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

Nadia, I realize, isn’t a con or a criminal. She’s a fighter. She’s stands up for what she believes is important, bending the rules as she sees fit. Sure, sometimes that’s led her down the wrong path, but often, it has encouraged her to act in defense of others. That’s what she did when we drugged my father all those years ago. She was trying to help me out of a bad situation.

Her track record may not be perfect, but she’s loyal, and now, for maybe the first time in her life, Nadia has something worth going straight for.

Detective Fields escorts Evie out of the house toward her police vehicle. They stop when they see us.

“Are you Coach Cass’s friend?” Evie asks Nadia. “The one that called the police?”

Nadia’s posture stiffens, her eyes bouncing from me and Detective Fields back to Evie.

“Yes,” she answers at last.

“Thank you,” Evie says, before walking to the car.

Nadia is more than my oldest friend, more than the person who helped save us. She’s also Evie’s aunt. I hope, in time, they’ll build a relationship, and Evie will see just how useful it is having someone like Nadia on her side.

FORTY-EIGHT

The bell above the door rings as we enter the Waffle Shack.

More than a week ago, when I’d eaten here with the team after winning the district championship, this place was a ghost town, but it’s now prime business hours. A late breakfast crowd is swiftly shifting into an early lunch rush, and almost every booth is full.

“You want to go somewhere else?” Nadia asks.

“No,” I say, spotting two open seats near the cooktop. “I’m starving.”

The past twenty-four hours have been trying in way I’ve never experienced. My elation over finally finding Evie was soon overshadowed by my fear over what could happen to us both. But there are other reasons I want to be here, too. This is yet another victory. Perhaps the most important one of my life.

Nadia sits down. The waitress comes by quickly, and we order our food without even looking at the menu.

“It’s been years since I’ve been here,” Nadia says, looking around the crowded restaurant. “It looks exactly like it did when we were kids.”

“That’s why I like coming here,” I say, sipping the steaming coffee in front of me.

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