42 pages • 1 hour read
H. D. CarltonWhere's Molly
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary: “Molly, Nine Years Ago, 2013”
A young man leers at Molly at a mechanic’s shop, asking for Molly’s boss, Brent. Molly asks Brent to come out, but Brent insists on knowing the man’s name. Molly reflects on how Brent constantly threatens her, since he knows that she is running from something. The young man refuses to give his name, yelling for Brent to come out, then the two men turn on Molly, implying that she is doing something wrong. Molly leaves, going straight to a bus station and taking a bus to the women’s shelter where she lives. At her apartment, Molly cries, feeling tired of her different illegal jobs and horrible bosses. She finds a business card on her door marked “Legion,” and she calls the number on the back. Legion answers and offers to help Molly, but she assumes that he wants to pay her for sex and hangs up the phone. Legion calls back, and he explains that he wants to provide a way for Molly to escape and start a new life. Molly agrees, noting that she will leave if she feels threatened. Legion is glad, and he tells her that he will plant a car with keys for her, and the GPS will take her to a friend.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Molly, Present, 2022”
Molly watches Layla’s soccer game, though Layla still uses the name Emma, which Molly notes would be her own daughter’s name if she had children. Molly regularly watches Layla’s games, and she is happy to see how much Layla’s adoptive family loves her, though she is sad to live separately from that love. At the grocery store, Cage introduces Molly to his mother, Winifred, while Molly is buying condoms to use with Cage. Winifred is excited to meet Cage’s girlfriend, and she comments that Molly is pretty, even with the bitemark scar on her eye. Molly is uncomfortable, and she feels that both Cage and Winifred enjoy seeing her anxiety. Winifred invites Molly to her home for dinner, and Molly nervously agrees.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Cage, Nine Years Ago, 2013”
Cage helps Silas handle a difficult customer trying to return a TV at Black Portal. Cage and Silas remark that criminals are easier to deal with than regular customers, and Cage recalls how he developed his skill for helping people disappear. When Cage was 12 years old, his 16-year-old sister, Olivia, bought a poorly-made fake ID to get into bars. When Olivia and her friend tried to use their IDs, the bouncer called the police. The police officer, James Gill, then kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered Olivia and her friend. A year later, Gill kidnapped another girl, who escaped, and Olivia’s body was found buried on his property. At 14 years old, Cage decided to start making better fake IDs to help young women, but he quickly realized that young women were as likely to be assaulted in bars as by police officers. Later, a young man, David, asked Cage to help him escape a dangerous situation with his father, and Cage realized that he could use his skills in falsifying documentation to save people from bad situations. At 18 years old, Cage opened Black Portal as a front for his services, and he soon became affiliated with Legion.
Molly enters Black Portal, and both Cage and Silas recognize her. Cage flirts with Molly, assuring her that he can help her escape and make a new life. Molly wants to go to Alaska, which Cage finds strange. Cage knows that Legion will pay for Molly’s expenses, and he calls all the hotels in a 30-mile radius to book every room they have.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Molly, Nine Years Ago, 2013”
Cage offers to order pizza while Silas checks for hotel rooms in the area. Molly admits she has never had pizza, but Cage restrains his incredulity. Silas reports that the hotels in the area are fully booked, and Cage encourages him to keep trying while continuing to press Molly for pizza preferences. When Silas confirms that there are no vacancies in the area, Molly thinks that she can sleep in Legion’s car, but Cage insists on bringing her to his home, where he has multiple guest bedrooms. Molly reluctantly agrees.
Silas, Cage, and Molly eat pizza, of which Cage ordered many with different toppings. Cage and Molly retreat to Cage’s home, and Molly is shocked that 27-year-old Cage has a massive house. Cage shows her to a guest bedroom with a large bed, and Molly is excited to relax and shower. She wants to have sex with Cage, but she notes that she has never had consensual sex before. When she gets in the shower, she looks forward to having sex with Cage after.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Cage, Present, 2022”
Molly and Cage have dinner with Winifred, who jokingly criticizes Cage. Cage appreciates his mother’s humor, even though Winifred scared off previous girlfriends. Molly and Winifred joke with each other and about Cage, and Cage can tell that Winifred likes Molly. After dinner, Molly tells Cage that they do not know each other, and she insists that they are not dating, noting how Cage might be disturbed by her nightmares. Cage says that he has his own nightmares, and he shows Molly Olivia’s room, explaining what happened to Olivia and how it sparked his interest in falsifying documents. Describing Olivia’s life, Cage notes how she loved 1980s music, specifically “Sunglasses at Night” by Corey Hart, and how she spent her 16th birthday comforting terminally ill children at a local hospital. Molly leads Cage to Olivia’s bed and puts on “Sunglasses at Night,” noting that Olivia might be listening, too. Cage thinks about how much he loves Molly, and he tells her that he will frighten away her nightmares.
Chapter 16 Summary: “Molly, Nine Years Ago, 2013”
Molly gets out of the shower, but Cage is not in the room. Cage comes in, and Molly accidentally drops the towel covering her body for a moment. Cage sees the bitemark scars all over Molly’s body, and they upset him. Cage asks if Molly wants him to stay, and Molly confirms. Cage caresses Molly, kissing her, and she is excited. Cage bites one of Molly’s scars, remarking that he intends to reclaim her body. Cage performs oral sex on Molly, and she enjoys a sexual experience for the first time.
Chapters 11-16 Analysis
This chapter section continues to develop Carlton’s worldbuilding, describing a society in which vulnerable people are consistently bullied and assaulted, necessitating the existence of organizations like Legion. While working at Brent’s mechanic shop, Molly highlights how she is “in near-constant danger” (120), noting how she is “assaulted by the memories of Rocco charging at me with the same heavy steps” as Brent charges from his office (118). Molly’s experiences convey the kind of world in which Molly, Rocco, Brent, and Legion live, in which vulnerable people, especially women, are often the victims of violent men.
When Molly hears Legion’s voice on the phone, she describes it as “sinfully delicious” (122), tying in the theme of The Coexistence of Beauty and Horror, as Legion acts as a savior in an uncaring, even malicious world. Most characters accept that Molly’s experiences justify Legion’s actions, as Molly and Cage note how Legion’s work is essentially hunting and killing violent men like Rocco and Brent. This is juxtaposed against the charity work that Legion accomplishes, such as paying Molly’s expenses and ensuring her safe escape.
The traditional romance elements of The Narrow Line Between Obsession and Love develop rapidly in this chapter section, with normative milestones of meeting a partner’s parents and Cage wooing Molly on their first date. When Winifred asks Molly to come to dinner, Molly thinks that Cage is “obviously not feeling inclined to give me an out, and I’m unsure if it’s because he’s enjoying watching me struggle or because he actually wants me to come” (133). This reflects Molly’s doubts about the romance while emphasizing Cage’s determination. Cage wants Molly to meet his mother because he intends to enter a long-term, monogamous relationship with Molly, but his periodic violence and possessive nature create a sense of caution in Molly, who questions Cage’s feelings and desires. Cage reveals that past girlfriends “were hopeless attempts at trying to make myself feel what I felt with you” (155), restating his affection for Molly while recalling their first meeting. Silas emphasizes this point, as well, telling Molly that she and Cage are soulmates, all which ties into a more traditional romance narrative.
A critical trope of the romance genre is the “meet cute,” or the initial meeting between romantic interests in the romance genre. For Cage and Molly, the circumstances of their meeting emphasize the dark romance genre in which Carlton operates, as Molly is seeking Cage’s help to disappear. However, Cage’s efforts to book all hotel rooms in the area and get Molly her first pizza form a meet cute akin to the romance genre. By buying all the hotel rooms, Cage ensures that the initial meeting lasts as long as possible, then the pizza allows Molly to experience something new that foreshadows her first consensual sexual experience. Their flirtation in the Black Portal emphasizes this point and add a layer of humor to the text, suggesting that, despite the horrors of the novel, Molly and Cage are finding a true romance together.
Cage’s trauma is unveiled in this chapter section, adding a new dimension to Transformation Through and in Spite of Trauma. Cage explains to Molly how his sister, Olivia, inspired his career path. Cage remarks that “making people disappear would be how I’d save them” (138), showing that Cage overcomes his trauma through action. This choice reflects Molly’s life, as well, recalling how Molly gave Layla a new name, Emma, and gave her away to give her a better life. Molly and Cage serve as aides to each other’s process of healing their traumas: Cage assures Molly that giving Layla away was the correct choice and assuages Molly’s survivor’s guilt, saying, “while I will always be devastated that my sister didn’t survive, I’m so fucking happy that you did” (158). Molly returns this effort by putting on Olivia’s favorite song while laying in bed with Cage, telling Cage that Olivia might be listening with them. As Molly and Cage’s romance develops, scenes such as this one emphasize the power of love to help people heal from trauma and move forward.
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