"Miss Fischer, you should realize I've got a thousand different ways to take Annick. But I don't want to mess with her head, so I'm giving you the courtesy of choosing. Hand Annick over, or let her decide if she wants to go with her real mother."
Leonardo's voice cut through the air like ice as he faced them down.
Mindy's eyes, wet with tears, dropped to Annick, who stared back with desperate hope.
"Aunt, I want to see my mommy!"
"No! You don't have a mother! You're just some abandoned kid! No mother at all!"
Panic made Mindy's voice harsh, and Annick flinched at the words.
She'd never heard her aunt say she was abandoned before.
But it wasn't true.
She had a mommy.
They'd told her that her mother was somewhere far away, but now she knew her mother had come back.
"I'm not abandoned! I have a mommy!"
Annick fought against Mindy's grip. "I want my mommy!"
"No! Absolutely not! Annick, you're coming home with me!"
