Emmy & Oliver - Robin Benway Page 0,97

bad that you turned me in,” Keith said, and he sounded so calm, so mollifying. “And I’ve done enough to hurt you. We had seventeen really good years together. I got to see you grow up, but your mom didn’t, and I have to pay the price for that. You’ve paid enough. It’s my turn.”

That’s when I heard the first siren. It was far away still, but the restaurant was quiet enough to hear it. Keith glanced out the window and I realized that he was putting his jacket back on.

Oliver heard it then, too. “Wait, what’s—” He looked out the window, then back at me. “Did you call the police, Emmy?”

I just shook my head, as confused as him. The sirens (there were more than one now) were getting closer, screaming toward us, and Keith started to get out of the booth.

“Wait,” Oliver said. “Did you—Why? Dad, why would you do that?” He seemed as panicked as Keith was calm. “Why would you call them? You have to go, you have to . . .”

But Keith just stood next to the table as two police officers started to get out of their cars. I climbed out of the booth, Oliver scrambling after me, and he grabbed his dad’s arm, tears streaming down his face. “Why?” he asked again, but his voice was broken.

“Come on,” Keith said, holding his arms open. “One last hug.”

Oliver hesitated for the briefest of seconds, then threw his arms around his dad. They were both crying together, and Keith rested his hand on the back of Oliver’s head and held him tight. “I’m so sorry,” I heard Keith whisper. “I love you.”

Oliver couldn’t talk, but I saw him nod.

Keith broke the hug when the first officer stepped into the restaurant, one hand on his gun. “Keith Sawyer?” he said. “Put your hands where I can see them.”

Keith did just that, lacing his fingers behind his head as Oliver reluctantly let go of his dad. “It’s okay,” Keith said to him, but then the officers descended and got him on the ground. I don’t know why, but I was standing on the booth’s plastic-lined seat by that point, and I put my arms around Oliver’s shoulders and hung on to him. He cupped his hands around my wrists in response, as we watched his father be arrested for kidnapping.

“Son?” one of the officers said, and both Oliver and I looked at him. “You all right?”

“Fine,” Oliver said, wiping at his eyes. “I’m fine. Is he—you’re not going to hurt him, right?”

“No, son,” the officer said. “Why don’t you both come outside with me?”

They took Keith out first, handcuffed with his head down, his thin jacket flapping in the wind. Oliver and I and the officer followed, and that’s when I saw Maureen jumping out of another police car.

I waited to see if she would throw herself at Keith, tear him apart for putting her through ten years of torturous days and nights, but she never even glanced in his direction. She was only looking for one person.

“Oliver!” she cried, and when he heard his mom’s voice, Oliver looked up at her.

“Mom!” he said, and then she was grabbing him in her arms, holding on tight and not letting go. He was taller than her by at least a few inches, but it didn’t matter. Right then, she was the strong one, and he sagged against her and buried his face against her shoulder.

“Emmy!” someone else called, and when I turned around, I saw my own mom coming toward me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she just pulled me into a hug and held on, and that’s when I finally started to cry.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

After.

After Keith was booked at the local police station and taken into custody. After Oliver threw up in the bushes outside the restaurant, then rode with his mom to the police station to give a statement on what had happened. After my mom drove me home and we sat in the kitchen with my dad and I told them everything that had happened. After they didn’t yell or get upset, after they just listened to me.

After all of that, it was just me in my bed at night, watching for Oliver’s light.

“Emmy?” There was a knock at my door, then my mom’s head poking through. “You asleep, sweetie?”

“No,” I said. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, it’s all right. Just wanted to talk for a minute.” She slipped into the room,