“Paige?” I’m frozen in the doorway to Jared’s house.

She’s here. But she’s not supposed to be here, she’s supposed to be at the rendezvous point. My brain stutters to a stop, failing to work through the implications, but my wicked, traitorous eyes keep going, taking in every detail and presenting the scene to me with malicious glee.

Illuminated by the porch lights, she’s standing at the bottom of the short flight of steps that leads to the gravel drive. She’s still in the new dress she wore to the dance. Her eyes are red and mascara streaks down her face like charcoal tears.

And she’s not alone.

“You can have her back as soon as you fix our little problem.” Red-tipped nails grip Paige’s shoulder like talons. It’s a voice I recognize. A voice I’ve gone to great pains to never hear again.

Shock pulses through me.

They’re here.

At Jared’s.

He’s sleeping peacefully less than a hundred feet away.

And the parents, the people I’ve been running from for months, have found me. And they have Paige.

“You see,” Mother says, “you stole a bit of money from us, and now you’re going to pay it back. With interest.”

That’s why they’re here? Money? What we took was a mere trifle to them, a two-bit con.

My brain struggles to process the scene in front of me.

Mother looks the same as always: hair pulled back into a neat chignon, white blouse and dark pencil skirt perfectly pressed, face smoothed with Botox, and a slight smile that masquerades as friendly and unassuming and in reality is anything but. She could be a secretary for the CEO of a million-dollar company, or a wealthy heiress dressed to volunteer at a benefit gala.

But appearances are deceiving. She’s none of those things. And she’s standing in front of me with everything I hold dear in the palms of her hands.

I have to get Paige away from her. Nothing else matters.

I glance behind Mother and into the darkness.

Where’s Father?

There’s a car parked behind the station wagon, a new-model black Mercedes, its interior dark as midnight. It’s running with its lights on, and I have to assume Father is watching everything unfold.

What do I do? Maybe if I just agree . . . I shut the front door to Jared’s house behind me so our voices won’t filter inside and wake him up. I step closer, stopping at the top of the stairs. “Fine. I’ll pay you back. We took, what, three thousand dollars? I’ll give you six grand if you give me Paige and leave us alone.”

She laughs.

It’s not a happy laugh. It’s more of a Cruella De Vil, “I want to kill your puppies” kind of cackle.

I grit my teeth.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, but then you have always been on the slow side. You were supposed to seduce Wallace, and you left before we could finish the con. I think he was worth quite a bit more than what you took from us.”

The voice I remember so well, laced with condescension, makes my jaw clench.

I had almost forgotten how much I hate it. It’s worse than nails on a chalkboard. It’s more like metal on a cheese grater.

“What do you want me to do?”

“It’s quite simple. We don’t have time for a long con, but since you’re so cozy with the locals, you can help us. All you have to do is introduce us to the new friends you’ve made here. Tell them we’re your aunt and uncle, the only family you have left. If you trust us, so will they. You can start with your little boyfriend here.” Her eyes flick behind me, taking in the large house.

A con in Castle Cove? On Jared?

My heart thumps a death knell in my chest. I mean, really, it’s what I’ve been doing already but . . . what exactly are they planning?

It doesn’t matter. I have to get Paige away from her. For that, I’ll promise anything and deal with the consequences later.

My eyes flick from Paige’s tear-streaked face to Mother’s narrowed eyes.

“You have a problem with that?”

“Not if you let go of Paige. And she gets to stay with me while we run the con.”

I know I’ve overstepped when she laughs again, the sound louder and even more grating than before. “Why, exactly, would we do that? If you have Paige, what’s to keep you from running away again? We need collateral.”

And now I argue for my life. “If you take Paige now, I have no reason to help you. I won’t work with you or do anything you say unless she’s with me. And as you’ve said, you’ll need me if you’re going to con this town.”

She pauses, which I hope is a good sign. “That’s how you’ll treat us, after we’ve been helping you this whole time?”

“What do you mean, helping me this whole time?” Even as the words leave my mouth, my stomach sinks with suspicion.

“Who do you think got you your most recent job with the PD? If it weren’t for us staging a little B and E at your place, you wouldn’t have gotten so close to your little boyfriend.” She smirks. “Something you seem to be taking full advantage of.”

“So it was you who broke into Ruby’s.” I make it a statement, knowing she won’t answer a question. The rose was too much of a coincidence, so I already knew they were involved somehow. Plus, Ruby’s was the only place that didn’t fit. It wasn’t in line with the senior center and the bluffs, and Miss Viola didn’t have keys for it. Thankfully, no one else has pieced that together. But why would the parents do it in the first place? And how did they know to stage it to match the other incidents around town?

She shrugs. “Of course it was us. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening around town and take advantage of it, even without the police scanner. People around here are only too eager to gossip.”

“So you did it to get me involved with the cops?”

“We’re going to need your connections in the community if this con is going to work.”

“No. It’s only going to work if you leave Paige with me.” My eyes keep drawing back to Paige. She’s not speaking, barely moving, her eyes focused on the ground. My stomach lurches. I have to get her away from them.

“And why would we do that?”

“If you really want my help, you’ll have to. I won’t do it any other way.”

“You know, there isn’t a court in this land that would take her from us if we claim her.”

Exactly what I’ve been thinking. I can’t let it come to that. “If you take Paige, then I won’t run your con. What exactly is the scam you want to do?”

“For now, your job is to tell your little boyfriend here that your aunt and uncle, David and Leah Hampton, are in town for a bit.”

The same names they used at the hotel.

“We’re here to visit with our nieces. And if anyone asks, we’re retired but we volunteer and do a lot of charity work.”

Charity. Really?

“Now. If you want to take Paige, we’re going to need some other kind of collateral to make sure you don’t run.”

If you want to take Paige. So maybe she’s realized we’re at an impasse and something’s got to give to get us what we both want. “What kind of collateral?”

She jerks her head to my newly purchased station wagon. “Both of you get in the back seat.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Where are you planning on taking us?” I try to keep the edge of panic out of my voice but fail.

“Stop being so dramatic. We’re taking you to that hovel of a shop you’re calling home.”

“How do I know that’s the truth?”

“Would you rather wake your little boyfriend in there instead? We could introduce ourselves now.”

What do I do? Wake Jared and deal with the fallout, not knowing what they’ll do or say to explain their presence here, or go with them?

Where else would they take us? What would they do with us?

“If you want us to trust you not to run off with your sister, you have to trust me right now. Otherwise, we’ll leave you here and she’s coming with us. And neither of you will make a noise about it because you don’t want anyone waking up now, do you?”

I swallow. She’s right. I don’t have a choice. Will they really leave Paige with me? Even just for now? Until I can figure something else out . . .

My eyes go back to Paige, who’s still standing there with Mother’s hand on her tense shoulder, her gaze focused downward.

“Fine.”

Mother hesitates for a few seconds. Her eyes bore into mine, trying to read me. “Here.” She releases her grip on Paige’s shoulder. “As a show of good faith.”

Paige stands stock still for a few long seconds, her eyes wide like a trapped bird who can’t quite believe it’s been sprung.

I can’t believe it either. Mother let her go. Why? There’s always a reason. She intended to release Paige to me this whole time, I’m sure. What is their real plan?

We meet in the middle of the porch steps and she throws her arms around my waist.

“Now that I’ve shown I’m willing to compromise, it’s your turn. Get in the car.” Mother opens the back seat door and waits.

With my arms around a trembling Paige, I consider my options. Go inside? What if they come to the door and expose me? The only other option is leaving with them. What if they have something else up their sleeve and it’s not going back to Ruby’s?

I swallow past a lump in my throat, panic threatening to spill out and overwhelm me entirely.

I have to stay calm and think. Panic won’t help Paige.

If they truly want to use my connections here to run a con, it wouldn’t be in their best interest to do anything harmful. Besides, if they just wanted Paige, they could have taken her by now and run without coming to find me at all. They must really want this con; otherwise, why show up here, now, dangling her in front of me?

With my arms still around Paige’s slight form, we walk together to the car.

Mother slides into the driver’s seat and I get in the back with Paige.

Our getaway bag is on the floor and I grab it and hold it tightly in my lap. All of the money I’ve been saving is inside. If we ever have any hope of leaving Castle Cove and the parents behind, we’ll need it.

“Keys.” Mother holds her hand up in the air.

I pull Ruby’s house key off the loop and drop the car keys into her hand.

The engine turns over with a shudder and a groan and she makes a derisive noise. “This car is a hunk of junk. You couldn’t do better?”

Not without breaking a law or two, but I hold my tongue.

The ride is quiet and tense. Paige is stiff as a rock, leaning against me in the back seat of the car. I focus on my breathing, in and out, in and out.

We’re both in shock, I think. The Mercedes follows us the entire way.

We pull up in front of Ruby’s, and Paige and I scramble out of the back seat like the devil is on our heels.

I hand Paige the house key and murmur for her to get inside.

She doesn’t even question me, just takes the key and runs to the front door. I stay on the walkway, halfway between the car and the house.

Mother is still in the running station wagon.

Father climbs out of the Mercedes. He looks the same as always, dressed in expensive but comfortable slacks and a button-up shirt that fits like it was made for his lithe frame. He stops next to Mother’s open window and leans in to tell her something I can’t hear.

Then he turns toward me. “We’re taking your car so you won’t be tempted to leave.” He moves in my direction, stopping a few feet away. “Where are you keeping the money you were planning on using for your little getaway?”

“I don’t have any money.”

He laughs, the sound dark and unbelieving. “We all know that’s a lie. Hand it over or I’ll go inside and get Paige right now, and you won’t be able to stop me.” His eyes are hard.

He could overpower me, break into the house. They’ve gotten into Ruby’s before, after all. Is there no safe place?

Swallowing, I reach into my bag and pull out the wrapped wad of bills, placing it quickly in his open palm to avoid any physical contact.

“Good girl. We’ll be in touch.”

He gets back into the Mercedes and then they both drive away, Mother taking our newly acquired station wagon with her.

Still reeling from the entire experience, I head into the house, locking the door behind me like it will protect us from anything.

Paige is sitting on the couch in the living room. I go to the kitchen and make tea, needing to do something with my trembling hands and buzzing thoughts. It doesn’t take long. When the tea is done, I find Paige sitting on the couch in the living room and sit next to her, handing her a mug.

“This is all my fault.” Her voice is full of tears.

“What happened?”

“They found me when I left school.” The words waver slightly as they leave her mouth.

We had planned on meeting on a quiet street between the school and Ruby’s an hour into the dance. The parents, having bugged our phones and listened in on our last conversation about Paige staying until the very end, were supposed to have taken the bait and gotten occupied by the crowd of people picking up their kids at the school. Paige was supposed to have been long gone by then. Nothing is going as it was supposed to.

“Did they hurt you?”

“No. They told me if I came with them and did what they said, they wouldn’t turn you in. Then they were completely silent the rest of the ride here.” She shivers. “It was so creepy. What are we going to do?” Her small frame, already huddled on the couch next to me, droops even further. I rub her shoulder.

I don’t have an answer yet. “It’ll be okay.”

How can it ever be okay? I don’t know. The words are meaningless, but I can’t stand to see Paige hurting. It makes me want to punch things. Or cry. Or throw myself onto the floor and have a tantrum, wailing about the injustice of it all. But I can’t do any of those things. If we’re going to find our way out of this, I have to stay strong and sharp.

I have to protect Paige.

“This is all my fault,” she says.

“It’s not your fault, Paige. They would have found us no matter what.”

They would have. They were onto us the entire time.

But how?

How did they find us?

I thought I was so careful . . . but they’ve always been two steps ahead of me.

My jaw clenches.

I hate them.

“We would have had to deal with them eventually. They would have found us, even if we had managed to leave Castle Cove. They’ll never give up. Maybe it’s better to get it over with now. Confront them and get them off our backs for good.”

“Really? How is it better? You know what they’re going to want you to do.” Her hair—which had been fashioned into an intricate bun for the dance—is now in disarray, strands flying around her shoulders like wisps of frayed ribbons.

I do. Mother said as much. A con here. In Castle Cove.

My stomach clenches and my heart hurts.

We sit on the couch, staring in silence at the blank TV.

“I’ll think of something, Paige. I will. I promise. We’ll get out of this.” I mean the words, but even as I say them, I have no idea how to pull one over on them. I never have.

“How?”

“I . . . don’t know. Yet. But I will. I’ll think of something.” I inject as much confidence into my voice as I can. I have to think of something. “In the meantime, there’s not much we can do except wait and see. Why don’t you go get some sleep?”

She nods uncertainly, her eyes red and bleary. Her steps are slow as she makes her way upstairs, her bag still on her back.

Once her door shuts softly, I close my eyes and slump back on the couch.

My worst nightmare has come true.