( Esther's Point of View)
I couldn't feel my fingers.
It was cold outside at night, but that wasn't why. It was the photo on my phone. The gate to my mother's house. The suit in black. The man stood there like he had all the time in the world.
I grabbed Matthew's arm just as he was reaching for the car door.
I said, "Matthew."
He turned quickly, as if he could hear the fear in my voice before I even said the next word.
He asked, "What is it?"
I held my phone up to him. I almost dropped it because my hand shook so much.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
Not shock. Not being confused.
Anger.
A deep rage that made his eyes darker.
"They went to your mom," he said in a low, sharp voice.
I took a deep breath. It felt like sand in my throat. "Someone is watching her."
He
