Page 37 of The Tracker's Rage
Mom was propped upon a mountain of pillows. The remote control and an e-reader loaded with enough books to last a lifetime rested on her night table. We had brought her home about twenty minutes ago and had made her as comfortable as possible.
Dani came back from the kitchen, carrying a cup of tea, the spoon clinking against the glass as she swirled it around. “Drink this. It will speed up the healing process.”
Mom wrinkled her nose. “Is that one of your nasty brews?”
“Nasty or not, don’t you want to feel better?”
Staring at the ceiling, Mom pretended to weigh her options, then said, “Hand it here.” She took a small sip and made a face. “Gah, what’s in it? Bird poop?”
Dani crossed her arms, offering no comment about the tea’s ingredients.
“Where has Lucia gotten to?” Mom asked.
“I don’t know,” I said as I went through Mom’s dresser, looking for a nightgown. She wanted to take a shower later and had asked me to find her clean clothes.
A silver baby rattle lay at the bottom of the drawer. I smiled, remembering Lucia playing with it. Apparently, we had all played with it, and before us, my mother and her siblings. I went to pick it up, but as soon as my fingers touched its carved handle, a jolt of electricity seemed to go through me, accompanied by a violent assault to my senses. The sudden sound of many babies crying, the smell of curdled milk, and violent flashes of color nearly knocked me on my butt. I jerked my hand back, stifling a cry, and shook my head, trying to clear it.
What the hell was that?!
I glanced around, but, thankfully, no one had noticed my freak out. I took a few deep breaths and chucked the episode to stress.
Mom reached for her cell phone and started pressing buttons. She made a sound in the back of her throat, then peered up at Dani. “Can you check and see if Lucia is in her bedroom. The Find My Phone app says she’s here, but I have my doubts.”
A minute later, Dani returned, shaking her head. “She’s not there, but her phone is.”
“Damn girl!” Mom exclaimed. “I could tell she was itching to go.”
“Where?” I asked.
Mom fluffed one of her pillows and rearranged it. “She’s made some new friends, and she’s been spending a lot of time with them.”
“Should we be worried?” Dani asked.
“I don’t know yet. That’s why I’m trying to keep an eye on her.”
Dani glanced my way, then back at Mom. “Let me know if you need me to talk to her.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said, though I had enough troubles of my own to add my little sister’s to the pile.
I went into the adjacent bathroom and put the clean clothes I’d gathered next to the sink on an empty section of the counter. I considered for a moment, then decided this was as good a time as any to ask my big question, the one that had been burning a hole in my tongue since it perched there.
Mom was fiddling with the remote control when I went back out. Dani was nowhere in sight. When Mom caught me searching for my sister, she set the remote down, leaving the TV on mute as the news rolled by.
“She went to the kitchen to see what to whip up for lunch. You’re welcome to stay.”
I sat at the foot of the bed. “I can’t. I’d love to, but I have to get back to the office. You’ll be in great hands, though. No one can take better care of you than Dani.”
“That is true. Her teas are nasty, but they do the trick.”
“Mom...” Her brown eyes met mine, and her expression grew concerned as she noticed the weight that the single word had carried. “I have something to ask you.”
She deflated against her pillows, almost disappearing in their folds. I had no doubt she already knew what I wanted to ask, and judging by her reaction, she had no desire to answer.
I took a deep breath. “Who is he?”
Mom closed her eyes as if she could hide from me.
“You’ve kept enough secrets from me already,” I said. “I hope it isn’t your intention to keep more.”
