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“You didn’t know either? And you’rehappyabout this?” I demand shakily. “This place is her dream.”

Washer dream.

Our raccoon hideout is gone, and she never told me!

“It’s about time she started taking life seriously,” she continues as if I hadn’t been talking. My jaw drops in disbelief.

“Do not start in about the tattoos, Maman,” I grit out. “Did she not tell you she shut down?”

“And prove me right? You know she wouldn’t do that.”

Prove her right? What the hell does that mean?

“Is she back with you? Like Dani? Let me talk to her,” I start to pace. I can’t stop it. Someone took something I cherished and threw it on the ground. This shop was a safe haven for me. Seeing it gone is crushing. I wish like hell that I had actually paid attention that day. I didn’t know it was my last chance to see it the way it should be.

Or maybe it had been transformed before that.

I didn’t catch Addie on a break from work like I thought. She was here to see who took over our hideout.Herfucking tattoo shop.Oursafe zone. Gone without a word.

“No,” Maman says, her tone slowly turning wary. “I haven’t heard from her in months.”

“Months?” I bark out. “She calls you once a week, just like everyone else! You haven’t reached out to ask why? What about Dani? Or Soph? Do they know anything?”

“Well, no,” Maman says after a hesitation that makes my teeth grind. “She doesn’t call me as much as she claims she does, baby. Dani isn’t ready to talk to her yet. Her not showing up for the move has proved a lot to everyone.”

“Provedwhat?” I ask in a fury. “She freaked about not being there. I have the texts to prove it. She said that Dani never called her.”

“She’s covering her butt, baby. Just ignore her. Her tantrum has to end at some point.”

I pull the phone away from my ear and deep breathe my way through the rage those words send through me.

This sounds a lot like the gaslighting the sperm donor pulled while he was isolating me. Maman wouldn’t do that, would she?

My stomach starts twisting in fear.

Before I can think, I’m running to Addie’s apartment. That should have been my first reaction instead of wasting time. My thumb slides over the disconnect button in the middle of whatever Maman was saying. I don’t want to hear any more of that. I had that kind of insidious poison all my early life.

I’m seeing so many sides to Maman lately that I’ve brushed aside as maternal overprotectiveness. With the threat to Max and Trevor. Suzette telling me Maman didn’t accept all her men at first and tried to talk her out of being with them. It’s adding up, and I’m not liking the equation I’m starting to see.

“Ash, wait up!” Max calls in concern. I hear his heavy footfalls as he follows me down the street.

“I saw her earlier in the week. I should have known something was wrong. She acted like I was a stranger, and I didn’t even ask why!” I barely get the words out, even though I’m yelling them. My throat has tightened up as my paranoid brain tries to connect dots that shouldn’t be there. I’m panting even though the exercise is light compared to my daily grind.

I get to Addie’s apartment in record time and start slamming on the door like a crazy man. I’ll apologize as soon as I see her. I’m too fucking scared to stop right now.

I consider my Maman my hero for saving me. Of course I do. But Addie is on another level that no one understands. They’ve all teased her for following after me. The truth is, Iwantedher to be here with me. My sunny support when everything feels like it’s going to shit. She’s been a part of my ups and downs without fail my entire life. She held me up when I broke and gave me the best advice she could. Made me laugh. Knocked my ego in the dirt when I was a fool. Kept all my secrets even when it got her in trouble.

“Addie! Open up!” My yell is as desperate as it is furious.

“Hey!”

I look over to see a neighbor glaring my way. His mouth is open to yell at me, but I don’t give him a chance.

“My sister lives here,” I snap viciously. “Have you seen her?”

Max grabs my bicep before I can take a step forward. He’s panting heavily, but his grip doesn’t let me move anywhere.

“Hey man, have you seen her? We can’t find her,” Max adds in a grim tone he rarely uses.