Page 156 of Steel

“You have to give him back, Anita.”

I could hear my husband clear as day.

“No, Donald.”

“He belongs with his father.This has gotten out of hand, love.”

“I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”

“Mommy, please!”

“D-Donna? Baby, is that you?”

“Mom, this has gone too far. KJ should be with his father. That’s what I would have wanted.”

“He’s all I have of you, baby . . . I can’t. If I give him back, I’ll never see him again. It’ll be like losing you all over again, and I can’t take that.”

“You have to trust Kerrion. He will take care of you.”

“No!”

My eyes popped open just as Kerrion tackled me to the bed.

I sawthe perfect opportunity to subdue Ms. Anita and took it. When I tackled her to the bed, the gun went flying in one direction as KJ rolled off to the side of her. Pops sprang into action and scooped him up before carrying him out of the room. My mom was waiting in the car for him. She insisted on coming, and after much convincing, Hershel agreed to let it happen.

“Give him back!” she screamed in full blown tears as I pinned her down. “Give him back!”

“Stop!” I yelled. “It’s over!”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

I eased up off her. “Help me understand.”

“You don’t care. You just want to take him.”

She curled into the fetal position as I stood back.

“He’s the only thing keeping me here,” she whispered. “My husband is gone. My baby is gone. I’ve spent most of my life being a wife and mother. I don’t know how to live without them.I stayed away from KJ because from the moment I lost Donna, I just wanted to keep him to myself.

“I thought about taking him every day since she’s been gone. Every day, I wake up alone. I go through my day alone. I fall asleep alone. My heart is broken, and I can’t fix it. I can’t bring back the two people I loved most in this world, and it kills me.”

She fell into another fit of tears, and it took everything in me not to cry too. I knew grief could manifest itself in different ways, especially if left untreated. How did you help someone this far gone, though?

“I left them!” she wailed. “Now I can’t go back. My baby . . . she’s all alone out there.”

I shook my head. “She’s not alone. I took good care of her. She’s surrounded by your husband and my family. They will look after her until you can be with her again.”

She sniffled as she finally looked up at me. “They’re together?”

I nodded, stepping closer to her. “They’re in our mausoleum. Side by side.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I didn’t do that. Neha did. She spoke with my grandmother and made it happen.”

She sniffled. “Why wouldshedo that?”

“Because she knows what Donna means to me. She knows that I loved your daughter. That I promised her if anything happened to her, I’d look after you. Please, Ms. Anita. Let me help you. You don’t have to keep letting this eat you alive. Come with me, and I promise, you’ll be safe.”