Chapter 43
Valeria ran outside. She’d heard the big truck pull in. And it was probably Uncle Ted. He always came when she called. He’d rescued her from the time she’d been thirteen. Uncle Ted always took care of her. And he always would.
He’d made her that promise long ago, the first time he’d ever told her he loved her.
She had the bat in her hand. He’d want her to give it to him, too. Like she had Ramey’s before. And Harper’s. He always wanted to keep the bats.
She didn’t want to give him this bat now. She just didn’t.
It was special. It was hers.
But…there wasn’t a big truck out there. It was a dark truck. She recognized it. Those FBI people had been driving around in it. She’d seen them in it.
Her heart started pounding. Valeria ran back inside Hagan’s unit and slipped out the back door. There were trees behind the complex. She was going to go back there. And wait.
Uncle Ted would be there soon. He had promised.
He would make it okay. He would.
Valeria would be okay. She had always been before.
Because she had been the one to fix things for herself every time. Uncle Ted had just been the one to clean it up for her. That was all.
But she was twenty-three years old now. It was time she took care of herself.
She waited, until the FBI agent, the woman, until she went up to Hagan’s front porch.
And pushed open the door.
Valeria had forgotten to lock the door.
Why had she forgotten the door?
She had to do something!