Caribbean Rescue (Coastal Fury Book 16), Matt Lincoln [best book recommendations .txt] 📗

“I can take him,” she blurted out. “I mean, I can drop out. I’ll get a job. I’ll figure out whatever my mom’s issue is and get her to come around.”

“Slow down for a moment,” Mrs. Abernathy cut her off, though not unkindly. “We’re getting way ahead of ourselves. There’s still a lot that needs to be done, including a criminal investigation. We’re still not entirely sure how he’s even related to you.”

“But he is related to me, right?” she countered. “I mean, look at him.”

She made a great point. Olivia thought that if someone had told her that the pair were actually siblings, she wouldn’t have questioned it.

“I’m going to talk to my mom,” she suddenly declared, the conviction in her voice palpable. “I’m not going to let him just go into the system. I’ll talk to her.”

The rest of the afternoon flew by in a flash, and Christina seemed extremely reluctant to leave as the sun began to set.

“Okay,” she murmured as she leaned down to give Eddy one last hug. “I’ve gotta go now, okay, cutie? I’m going to be back really soon, though. I promise.”

Eddy looked more upset than Olivia had seen him since she’d met the kid. So far, he’d barely shown any sign of emotion at all, but right then, his lips were downturned into a clear frown, and his eyes were watery. He still didn’t cry, however, only nodded his head before turning to play with his toys.

“I’ll talk to my mom,” Christina reiterated her promise as she stood back up to look at Olivia. “I’ll figure out a way to get her to see reason. She might not be too happy with me after, but I’ll get it done.”

There was a fierce look of determination in her eyes. Olivia wasn’t sure what she was planning, but she sincerely hoped that she’d be able to get through to her.

They left the house after that, and Olivia dropped her off back at the FBI office before heading home. It had been a long and emotional day, and she was ready to get some sleep.

It felt as though she had barely closed her eyes when she suddenly heard her phone go off beside her in bed. She could see light streaming through her windows, though, which meant that she’d slept through the night.

She groaned as she reached over to pluck the phone from her nightstand.

“Hello?” she grumbled sourly into the phone, determined to go back to sleep as soon as she finished this call.

“Agent Hastings,” her boss replied, “I just got off the phone with Christina Newark. Her mother is on her way to Miami now.”

“What?!” Olivia exclaimed, all traces of sleep gone instantly.

“Apparently, she’s on a plane to Florida,” he continued without missing a beat. “They’ll be meeting you at the group home. And just so you’re prepared, Ms. Newark warned me that her mother was not in the best mood.”

“Awesome,” Olivia quipped sarcastically. “Okay. I’ll get everything ready and head down there.”

She ended the call and then took a moment to process what had just happened. Honestly, she was a little impressed. Christina obviously hadn’t been messing around when she’d declared that she would convince her mother to change her mind about speaking with us.

“Well, better prepare myself for battle,” Olivia muttered to herself as she got out of bed.

After getting dressed, she decided to head down to Mrs. Abernathy’s place early. This would give them time to get on the same page, and it would also give Olivia an opportunity to chat with Eddy without any other distractions present. To her dismay, though, he didn’t seem all that interested in talking that morning, so in the end, she spent the following three hours chatting and having coffee with Mrs. Abernathy.

“That must be them.” Mrs. Abernathy stood when the doorbell suddenly rang. Olivia watched as she shuffled over to the door to answer it.

For some reason, Olivia felt nervous, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. Maybe she was just hoping that everything would turn out well for Eddy, who was the one who really mattered here.

“Hi,” Christina greeted her cheerfully as she walked through the door and into the house. Olivia stood up to greet her and was surprised when the young woman actually pulled her into a tight hug.

“It’s nice to see you again,” Olivia replied.

“Where is he?” Christina asked eagerly as she looked over Olivia’s shoulder.

“He’s right--” she was just about to respond when she suddenly caught sight of a woman standing just behind Christina.

She had the same shade of curly blond hair, though hers was streaked with gray and pulled into a messy bun atop her head. Her eyes, too, were the same icy blue, flanked by fine lines and set into a cold, steely gaze.

“Why don’t I go get him?” Mrs. Abernathy replied softly. “Please, have a seat.”

Christina sat down in exactly the same spot she’d sat yesterday. Her mother took a moment longer and was uncomfortably stiff and rigid as she sat down.

“You must be Barbara,” Olivia greeted her politely. “I’m--”

“I know who you are,” the woman spat bitterly.

“Mom,” Christina snapped quietly.

Barbara opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something more but shut it with a click of her teeth just a moment later. The air between them was extremely tense, and Olivia wondered just what had transpired between them in the past twenty-four hours.

“Okay, we’re coming,” Mrs. Abernathy called as she slowly walked back down the hallway. Olivia knew that she was making the announcement as much for Eddy’s sake as for Christina’s and Barbara’s. The meeting was sure to be an emotional shock for all three of them.

Olivia watched Barbara Newark closely. Even if she maintained her silence, just the way she reacted might tell them a lot.

She stood up the moment Mrs. Abernathy and Eddy rounded the corner out of the hallway and into the living room, only to fall right back down, directly onto her knees.

“Oh!” she let out a noise