The Meeting
POV: Maya Chen
My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I watched Eleanor Blackwood's car disappear down Main Street.
The diner felt too quiet. Every person inside stared at their food like their lives depended on it. Nobody would look at me. Nobody would speak.
Eleanor's last words kept ringing in my head: "She's mine now. And if you don't leave town, she'll have another terrible accident."
Riley. My sister's kid. Lisa's baby that I never got to meet.
The bell above the diner door jingled, and I spun around so fast I knocked over my water glass. Sheriff Jake Morrison stood in the doorway, his face white as paper. His eyes found mine across the room, and I saw something there I hadn't seen before.
Fear.
He walked toward my table like he was walking to his own grave.
"Maya, we need to talk."
"You're damn right we do." I stood up and grabbed his arm. "Outside. Now."
Jake looked around the diner at all the people pretending not to listen. "Not here. Too many ears."
He led me out to the parking lot behind the diner where nobody could see us. The moment we stopped walking, I spun around and faced him.
"Riley Chen. Tell me everything you know. Right now."
Jake's shoulders sagged like he'd been carrying a big weight for years. "Maya, you don't understand what you're getting into."
"Then explain it to me!"
"Eleanor Blackwood isn't just rich. She owns this town. The mayor, half the police force, the court. When Eleanor wants something to happen, it happens."
I stepped closer to him. "Does Riley exist?"
Jake closed his eyes. "Yes."
My heart hammered so hard I thought it might burst. "Is she Lisa's daughter?"
"Yes."
"Where is she?"
"Maya, please. If Eleanor finds out I told you—"
"Where is she?" I grabbed the front of his shirt. "That woman just threatened to hurt a child. My niece. Lisa's baby. So help me God, Jake, if you don't tell me where she is..."
Jake looked down at my hands holding his shirt. When he looked back up, something had changed in his eyes. Like he'd made a choice that scared him.
"She lives with the Hendersons on Oak Street. Eleanor arranged the adoption two years ago after your sister died."
"Adoption?" My voice cracked. "Eleanor adopted Riley?"
"Not Eleanor directly. She has people who handle things for her. The Hendersons are good people, but they're afraid of Eleanor. They do what she says."
I let go of Jake's shirt and stepped back. My mind was spinning. "Why? Why would Eleanor want Riley?"
Jake ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know for sure. But Maya, your sister didn't die in a chance car accident."
The world seemed to tilt sideways. "What?"
"Lisa came to Millbrook Bay two years ago. She was asking questions about her daughter. About where Riley was living. She found out Eleanor was involved in the adoption."
"And?"
Jake's voice dropped to a whisper. "Three days later, her car went off a cliff in San Francisco. Single car crash. No witnesses."
I felt like I was going to throw up. "You think Eleanor killed her."
"I think Eleanor has ways of making things disappear. Just like she told you in there."
We stared at each other in the empty parking lot. Jake looked like he wanted to say more but was afraid. I looked like I wanted to scream but couldn't find my voice.
Finally, Jake spoke again. "Maya, there's something else you need to know."
"What?"
"I've been watching Eleanor for two years. Ever since your sister died. I know she's involved in bad things, but I can't prove it. Every time I get close to proof, it disappears. Witnesses change their stories. Files go missing."
"Why are you telling me this?"
Jake looked right into my eyes. "Because you're not going to leave town, are you? Even after Eleanor threatened you. Even after what happened to your sister."
He was right. I wasn't going. Not without Riley.
"No. I'm not leaving."
"I figured." Jake stepped closer. "Then you're going to need help. And Maya, I need you to know something."
"What?"
"I'm not like the others. I'm not on Eleanor's salary. When I became sheriff, I swore to protect people. That includes you."
Something warm spread through my chest. Jake Morrison wasn't just beautiful and kind. He was brave. And right now, he was the only person in this whole town ready to help me.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked.
"Because I just committed job suicide by telling you about Riley. Eleanor has spies everywhere. She'll know we talked. She'll know I betrayed her."
"What will she do to you?"
Jake's smile was sad and scared. "Probably the same thing she did to your sister."
Before I could reply, Jake's phone buzzed. He looked at the screen and his face went white.
"What is it?"
"Text message from unknown number." Jake's voice shook as he read it out loud. "Sheriff Morrison, you have thirty minutes to bring Maya Chen to the building on Harbor Road. Come alone. If you're late, the girl pays the price."
My blood turned to ice. "Riley."
Jake grabbed my arm. "Maya, this is a trick. Eleanor's trying to get us both to the building so she can—"
"So she can what? Kill us? Fine. But I'm not letting her hurt Riley."
"We need backup. We need the FBI."
"There's no time!" I started walking toward my car. "Thirty minutes, Jake. That's not enough time to call for help."
"Maya, wait!"
I stopped and turned around. Jake was right behind me, his blue eyes full of fear and something else. Something that made my heart skip.
"If we do this," he said softly, "we might not make it out alive."
"I know."
"But you're going anyway."
"Yes."
Jake nodded slowly. "Then I'm going with you."
"Jake, you don't have to—"
"Yes, I do." He stepped closer until we were almost touching. "Someone needs to protect you. And someone needs to make sure Eleanor Blackwood doesn't hurt any more innocent people."
We stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Despite everything scary going around us, I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
Hope.
Then Jake's phone buzzed again.
He looked at the screen and grabbed my arm. "Maya, we need to go. Now."
"What does it say?"
Jake's face was pale with fear. "It's a picture. Eleanor's holding Riley. And Maya... Riley looks exactly like your sister."