Chapter 26 - The Anniversary of the Ice
It was exactly one year since the night Derek had abandoned me on the highway. I stood in my kitchen, looking out the massive bay windows into the blooming garden. The weather was mild, the sun shining brightly, but an involuntary shiver ran down my spine. The phantom sensation of the freezing slush against my bare ankles still haunted me on quiet mornings.
I wrapped my arms around myself, sipping a mug of hot green tea. Maya was sitting in her high chair, cheerfully smashing a piece of banana against the tray, her dark curls bouncing.
Elias walked into the kitchen, carrying an encrypted tablet. He didn't say good morning. His posture was rigid, his eyes scanning the tree line beyond the perimeter fence.
"We have a problem, Lena," Elias said, his voice a low, vibrating rumble of warning.
I set my mug down instantly. "Derek?"
"No. Derek is currently checking in with his probation officer across town. This is something else." Elias placed the tablet on the granite counter. The screen displayed a compilation of high-definition photographs taken from the hidden security cameras mounted on our street.
"For the past three days, a dark gray sedan with heavily tinted windows has been parked intermittently at the end of the cul-de-sac. Yesterday, when you drove to the pediatrician's office, this vehicle followed you. They kept a professional distance, but they executed a classic tailing maneuver."
My stomach tightened. "Who is it?"
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"I ran the plates through a back-channel contact at the DMV. It's registered to a shell company tied to a man named Vance Gable. He's a disgraced former detective who runs illegal surveillance operations for desperate, wealthy clients."
I looked at the photos of the unmarked car. The pieces clicked together with horrifying clarity. "Derek doesn't have a dime to his name to afford an investigator. This is Vivian. She's trying to find a way to break the custody order."
