Page 44 of Behind the Shadows

“Hey. Are you alone?”

His forehead creased as he glanced around the room. “Let me get my AirPods before you continue. Your mom is home.”

I waited as he located the white case, then popped one earbud in. “I’m ready.”

“You and Mom are going to a private resort and spa for two weeks. Someone has eyes on you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Dad’s forehead creased. “Yes. I’m assuming from what you’re saying it’s not the ex.”

“Yeah. Worse. I’m so sorry. The least I can do is keep you two safe and relaxed. You’ll probably see some celebs there, so that might be fun. Your food, room, massages, and everything you can think of is available and paid for. Think of it as my apology.”

Dad gave me a pointed look. “You’re not responsible for what he’s doing. I appreciate the effort and that you’re on top of it.”

“I figured Mom wouldn’t really need to know why you were going, either. Only that you were surprising her.”

Dad pondered that for a moment. “I can work with that without raising suspicion.”

That was a relief. I wanted Mom to have fun, not be terrified the entire time she was there. After giving Dad the information and Draco's picture, he agreed to not let his guard down.

I chewed my thumbnail until Dad gave me a disapproving look. He must have realized it was down to the nub. “There’s one detail I don’t have figured out. I was hoping you could help.”

“Hang on, Holland. I hear your mom coming.”

Seconds later, Mom appeared on the screen. “Take your earbud out, so I can say hi.”

Dad did as Mom requested.

“Hi, Mom. How are you doing?” I gave her a thousand-watt smile, doing my best to hide the real reason I’d called.

“Good. I didn’t know you were calling, or I would have put my book down.”

“It’s okay. Dad and I were just talking about you, actually. Dad. Wanna tell her?”

“Tell me what? What’s going on?” she asked, her gaze bouncing between us.

“It’s good, Mom.” I wanted to diminish any drama before she worked herself into a full-blown panic.

Dad cleared his throat. “It was a surprise but go pack, Evelyn. I’m taking you to a fancy resort for a few weeks. Holland helped me pick it out. She’s been there before. Celebrities stay all the time. We’ll lounge by the pool, eat amazing food, and get massages every day if you want.”

Mom’s expression lit up like a kid with a bucket of candy on Halloween. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, go have fun and relax, Mom. Dad was asking me to take care of the plants while you’re gone. Since he hadn’t told you yet, he wanted to make sure everything was taken care of. Go pack!”

“Oh! Oh! This is so exciting. Thank you!” She turned to my dad and kissed his mouth.

My heartfelt laugh filled the line. At least there was something positive in a dark situation.

“Have fun, Mom. I’ll talk to you when you get back.” I blew her a kiss, loving seeing her so happy.

“Love you, hon. Thanks for taking care of the house while we’re gone.” With that, she hurried off.

Dad replaced his earbud. “That went well. Now, what’s the other issue?”

“I need to figure out how to get you there safely since there’s an … obstacle.”

His brows knitted together, and I could almost see the wheels in his head turning. “I have a friend that might be able to help us. They could be a decoy, allowing us to leave undetected.”

I sucked in a breath. “What if they got hurt?” My voice wobbled with my question. I couldn’t handle being responsible for anyone else. It was bad enough that my parents were caught in the middle.