Is he really offering me a beer right now?I don’t speak. I just shake my head.
He starts tapping on my phone one-handed with his thumb, gun in the other. After a few taps, he drops it onto the end table and flops down in the chair next to it. “Brandi,” he booms, tossing his head toward the doorway where the woman,Brandi,disappeared.
She rushes out, beer in hand, and shoves it at him.
The way he swigs it, wipes the back of his hand across his lips, the house, the woman,Julian’s mom,strung out and clearly scared of this guy.His dad?It’s all so ugly. Is this where he grew up, with these people? How could someone so beautiful come from something so ugly? Were they always this way? Pressure builds behind my eyes at the image of little Julian,or Jayce, growing up here—with them. It’s usurping my fear. I can tell the woman was probably pretty once, like if she were well nourished and groomed she might be again. The guy, Todd, might’ve been attractive too, but his eyes look hard, mean. They scare me. I don’t want him to be Julian’s dad, for him to have come from someone so vile. A tear slips down my cheek and I hastily swipe the back of my hand across my face to hide it.
If his snicker isn’t proof I didn’t succeed, his words are. “Don’t worry. He’ll be along any minute now.”He texted Julian from my phone. Fuck, why did I say Julian’s name? He would’ve never found ‘Jayce’ in my phone. Because you’re not Olivia Benson and this isn’t SVU. You don’t know how to get kidnapped, or whatever the fuck this is.He clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing either. If he really did summon him, Julian will track me if I don’t respond. That much I know. As if on cue, my phone vibrates on the glass surface next to him.
He clanks his beer down next to the coaster (not on it) and reaches for the phone. Rotating it, he reads then sneers, “Like I said.”
My heart drops and I swallow the golf ball in my throat.Think, Everly. How do I get out of here before Julian gets here? I slowly swivel my head around the tiny room and lock eyes with Brandi. She knows what I’m doing and, just as slowly, shakes her head at me, then side-eyes Todd.
“Stop hovering. Go get a beer and chill the fuck out. I got this. Get her one, too.” To me he adds, “I know you like beer. Saw you downing them at the carnival, so don’t act too prissy to have one now.”
My only answer is to swallow another golf ball, then a swig of beer when Brandi returns with one and Todd insists. I barely get it down without gagging. I may have just lost my taste for beer permanently. I’m not sure how much time has passed while I pretend to drink every time heinsists.
Brandi sits on the arm of Todd’s chair to drink hers. The only other seat would’ve been next to me on the couch. Todd finishes his beer first, then Brandi. She takes both empty bottles to the kitchen and brings Todd another without being asked. “You gonna finish that sometime today?” He motions his bottle to the beer growing warm in my hand. Right after he asks, the unmistakable sound of tires on gravel pierces the air. “Guess not.” He grins, stands and sets his half-empty beer down and picks up my phone and hands it to me. “You can have this back now.”
Yep, not very smart.
Brandi is standing in the doorway again, and before I can take it, the front door barges open.
Surging to my feet, I swipe my phone off the coffee table where it dropped and shove it into my back pocket. I turn toward the door and hopefully into Julian’s arms.
He grabs me and yanks me to him. “Get the fuck out of here, Everly. You don’t belong here.” His grip on my biceps cuts off circulation. His face is so close I can see the dark indigo ring around his irises. With a slight shake, he turns, shoves me backwards and releases me.
I stumble back to get my footing and try to reconcile the person before me with the one I think I know. I don’t know him. Every line of his face is as familiar as my own, but I don’t recognize the man in front of me or the rage pouring off him.
Before I can utter a word, he growls, “Leave. Before I throw you out.” Fury oozes from every pore and scorches like standing too close to a fire.
I take an involuntary step backwards, the door handle pressing into my spine.
“Don’t make me, Everly. I swear I will.”
I reach for the handle and unlatch the door without turning around. I track him as I ease it open enough to slip through, my eyes bouncing between his. If I turn my back, I fear he’ll pounce—like a wild animal stalking its prey.
As soon as I’m through the door, he slams it shut, rattling it on its hinges.
I stare at the woodgrain patterns for a beat, maybe two, willing my brain to kick in, to think, to figure out how to stop him before it’s too late.
A shot, then a crash from the other side of the door pierces the momentary quiet.
Think, Everly.I can’t think.Julian!My knees threaten to buckle.
I reach into my back pocket for my phone and pull up the number I’ve hadjust in case. I’ve never used it and wasn’t sure I’d ever want to. I tap call. It rings once, twice. On the third ring I hear the voice I remember so well—too well now.
“Hey, Everly.”
“I didn’t know who else to call.”
“What happened?”
“They . . . He . . . I can’t stop him.”
“Send me your location. I’m on my way.”
I spin toward the sound of tires crunching gravel.
