Inside the dimly lit room, Angela could see the girl sitting on the edge of the bed, her small frame hunched over. Her stepfather, Daniel, stood nearby, gesturing with animated hands as he spoke to her. The scene might have looked like a regular conversation from afar, but Angela noticed something unsettling in the man’s demeanor.
The girl’s face was pale, and her eyes were wide with fear. As Angela squinted through the window, she noticed the girl flinch with every movement Daniel made. It wasn’t long before Angela realized that he wasn’t just talking—he was interrogating her, possibly even threatening her. The girl’s knuckles were white as she clutched her backpack tighter, almost as if she were holding onto it for safety.
Angela’s heart sank. Her instincts had been right. This wasn’t a father-daughter bonding trip or a casual stopover. Something more sinister was at play. She knew she had to act, but how? She didn’t want to alert Daniel and risk the girl’s safety. Her mind raced through possible options. Should she call the police? What if she was wrong? But then she remembered the fear in the girl’s eyes—a look she’d seen before in her own children when they were terrified.
