“Hey, what happened?” Stella squatted next to me, doing an informal medical exam. Holding a finger in front of my face. She lifted my hair and checked my head.
All the movement kicked up the dust or whatever else skittered around forgotten on the floor. Hanna plunked herself right down in it. She had me propped up, practically in her lap. I didn’t hate the sensation of having someone care about my well-being. It had been so long. Cam once assumed the role, but his protection had turned into begrudging responsibility. Now he took verbal shots whenever he could to remind me of how much I’d cost him.
“Someone hit me.” I reached for the back of my head and winced when my fingers brushed over the sore spot.
Hanna took over the task of checking for a potential wound. “Who?”
“You said no one is here.” Stella leaned back on her haunches.
Aubrey snorted. “It’s not as if I have an alarm system.”
“She doesn’t know how to tell the truth.” Just being near Aubrey flipped my life upside down. I’d been questioned. Secrets begged for escape. Now a physical attack. It was sick and wrong, and I should be ashamed, but all I wanted was for her to leave town and take her traveling nightmare of a life with her.
“I’d like to remind you all that I was upstairs when this happened.” Aubrey walked around us in a circle like a predator stalking its prey. “And, not to sound ungrateful for the company, but the three of you broke into my house.”
Stella slowly rose to her feet. “We were outside. You invited us in. We wouldn’t have had to come here at all if you’d stopped all the nonsense and told the truth.”
Aubrey shook her head. “You should ask your ex if blaming the victim is a good legal strategy.”
“Okay, enough.” Hanna stood up and pulled me with her. “We need to get Marni to the hospital.”
“I’m fine.” I was not fine, but Aubrey had enough leverage without knowing her little game here tonight had worked. My mood shifted from worried and restless to downright terrified. She wanted me out of the picture and in either a jail cell or a body bag.
Breathe in for four. Hold for seven. Exhale for eight.
I stumbled and balanced my weight against Hanna. She was much smaller than me but didn’t falter or complain. I’d underestimated her resolve. Her strength. Her decency.
Aubrey performed a slow clap and managed to make it sound snide. “Good for you, Marni. You’re the one I thought would fold at the first sign of trouble.”
Hanna let out a frustrated sigh. “You need to learn about boundaries.”
“That was Stella’s job.” Aubrey turned her full attention to Stella. “Not a job, exactly. Being my official therapist would have been unethical. Right, Stella?”
My already frayed nerves snapped. “What are you yapping about?”
“She’s begging for attention. Ignore her.” Stella’s voice made it clear she was taking control of the chaos raging around her. “Let’s go before Marni chokes on whatever is living on this floor.”
Hanna and Stella stood on either side of me, holding me up. The majority of my weight fell against them as I struggled to listen and stay focused over the thumping pain in the back of my head.
“We still don’t have any answers. Someone else is in this house, and you know it.” Hanna stood right in front of Aubrey and unloaded. “Your time for lying is over.”
“It’s spectacular the way the three of you talk about lies without an ounce of self-awareness.” Aubrey looked at me. “Your affair with my dad. The one that made my mother apoplectic.” She turned to Hanna. “You out there slinking around the Tanner family tree, trying to jump on. Sleeping with Gramps and then hiding a kid who grew up and took everything.”
“That’s not—”
“And you.” Aubrey smiled at Stella. “What did you lie about? What juicy morsel are you keeping all to yourself... for now?”
“Nothing.”
Aubrey laughed. “Right. Good night, ladies. Next time call first.”
“We’re going to figure out what’s happening,” Stella said.
“You’ve had fifteen years. Now it’s my turn.” Aubrey walked around us to the front door and opened it. “I suggest you don’t get in my way.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Aubrey
