After leaving the Foster family, I rented a small house in the suburbs.
Just as I had expected, it took Adrian only a few days to start calling me nonstop. Either Leo refused to sleep, or he had eaten something and gotten sick. I declined every call.
"Whatever happens in the Foster family has nothing to do with me anymore. Stop harassing an outsider."
Apparently, my words got through, because Adrian disappeared for a while after that. But the next time he called, his voice carried a panic I had never heard before.
"Vanessa, Leo's been kidn*pped!"
So it had happened after all.
I had expected it, yet hearing the words still made my heart lurch, cold sweat dampening my palms. After a long silence, I said, "That has nothing to do with me anymore."
Adrian exploded. "Vanessa! You raised h
