Chapter 6 - The Safe Haven
Two hours later, a battered vintage pickup truck pulled up outside a modest, brightly lit bungalow in East Los Angeles.
A retired estate gardener named Mateo, who had worked for Maria’s family decades ago, opened the front door with wide, shocked eyes.
“Maria? My God, what happened to you both?” Mateo gasped, ushering them quickly inside away from the streetlights.
Maya collapsed into a soft armchair, her energy completely depleted, while Mateo rushed to fetch clean towels and warm water.
“We were pushed off the roof by Victoria and Daniel Calloway,” Maria explained fiercely, her voice shaking with righteous anger.
Mateo listened in stunned disbelief, locking his front door and drawing the heavy window curtains tight against the outside world.
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“You are safe here for tonight,” Mateo promised, pulling up a chair beside Maya. “No one will ever look for you in this neighborhood.”
Maya placed a trembling hand over her stomach, feeling the faint, reassuring kick of her baby reminding her to stay strong.
