Amy had moved in from behind. Her approach had been absolutely soundless. Before the woman could react, Amy grabbed her by the collar and flung her sideways; as the woman leapt to her feet and lunged forward with the knife, Amy slapped it away, darted behind her, and locked her in a half nelson, the other arm gripping her around the waist. Alicia’s only thought was: I’ll be goddamned.
“Stop it,” Amy said. “We want to talk, that’s all.”
The woman spoke through gritted teeth. “Go to hell.”
“Don’t you think I could break your neck if I wanted to?”
“Be my guest. Tell Guilder I said, Fuck you, too.”
Amy glanced at Alicia, who had collected the woman’s knife and was dusting snow from her pants. Greer was trotting toward them. “Does that name mean anything to you?” Amy asked.
Alicia shook her head.
“Who’s Guilder?” she asked the woman.
“What do you mean, who’s Guilder?”
“What’s your name?” Amy asked. “You might as well tell me.”
A moment’s hesitation, then: “Nina, okay? It’s Nina.”
“I’m going to let you go now, Nina,” Amy said. “Promise me you’ll listen to what we have to say. That’s all I’m asking.”
“Fuck off.”
Amy tightened her grip to make the point. “Do. You. Promise.”
Another burst of struggle; then the woman relented. “Okay, okay. I promise.”
Amy released her. The woman stumbled forward and spun around. A young face, not much older than twenty, but her eyes told a different tale—hard, almost ferocious.
“Who are you people?”
“That was a nice move,” Alicia said to Amy. She twirled the knife around her index finger and passed it to her. “Where’d you learn that?”
“Where do you think? By watching you.” She pointed her eyes at Greer. His long beard was clotted with snow, like the muzzle of a dog. “Lucius, could I ask you to stand lookout again? Let us know when the vehicle approaches.”
“That’s all? Just let you know?”
“It would be good if you could … delay them a little. Until we’re done talking.”
Greer jogged up the ridge. Amy addressed the woman again, making a small but meaningful gesture with the knife. “Take a seat.”
Nina glared with defiance. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you’ll be more comfortable. This is going to take some time.” Amy slid the knife into her belt. I’m done with this, if you behave. “We’re not at all who you think we are. Now sit.”
Reluctantly, Nina lowered herself to the snow. “I’m not going to tell you anything.”
“I very much doubt that,” said Amy. “I believe you’ll tell me everything I need to know, once I explain what’s about to happen here.”
“I want to play with Dani!”
“Eva, sweetheart—”
The little girl’s face was flushed with anger. She snatched one of the leather cups off the floor and hurled it at Lila, missing narrowly.
“You go to bed!” Lila shouted. “You go to bed this instant!”
The girl was immovable. Her face was bright with loathing. “You can’t make me!”
“I’m your mother! You do as I say!”
“I want Dani!”
She had filled a hand with dry beans. Before Lila could react, the little girl reared back and launched them with astonishing, hate-fueled force into Lila’s face. More beans spattered on the floor behind her, a clattering rain. She leapt to her feet and began to tear through the apartment—yanking books from the shelves, batting things off tables, hurling pillows into the air.
“Stop it this instant!”
The girl picked up a large ceramic vase.
“Eva, no—”
The little girl heaved it over her head and brought it down like somebody slamming the trunk of a car. Not a crack but a detonation: the vase exploded into a million ricocheting shards.
“I hate you!”
Something was happening, something final. Lila knew this, just as she sensed, in a deeper layer of her brain, that all of this had happened before. But the thought went no further; the hard edge of something hit her head. The girl was throwing books.
“Go away!” she screamed. “I hate-you-I-hate-you-I-hate-you!”
But as Lila watched her mouth forming these terrible words, they seemed to be coming from somewhere else. They were coming from inside her head. She lurched forward and grabbed the little girl around the waist and hoisted her off her feet. The girl kicked and screamed, wriggling in Lila’s grip. All Lila wanted was—what? To calm the girl down? To get ahold of the situation? To silence the screaming that was tearing through her brain? For every ounce of force Lila applied, the girl replied in kind,