Chapter Five
Five
Olivia
The ice in my veins turned fiery hot in an instant, slicing through them like poison-laced barbed wire.
No.
This could not be happening.
It did not compute.
“Are you sure? Do you hear them in the house?” I pushed back my chair as she began to openly cry on the other end, and I could hear Elizabeth’s soft whimpers.
“Someone was jiggling the front doorknob like they were trying to get in. I thought maybe it was you, and you’d come back early or something, but—” Her words choked off as if she’d heard something.
“But what?” I demanded.
After a moment she spoke again, painfully soft. “But when I looked out the peephole, I think it was a man in a hoodie. It was dark. I couldn’t see his face. I panicked and grabbed Lizzie and locked us in your closet, then called you. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.” She began to breathe fast as her tears came harder.
“Okay, okay,” I said to calm myself as much as her. There was no proof anyone had made it inside, but also no proof they hadn’t. I stood and grabbed my purse with shaking hands. “I want you to hang up and call the police, alright? I’m on my way.”
She said nothing but I could still hear my daughter’s little frightened cries, which nearly broke me because I wasn’t there.
“Sofia? Call the police. I’m coming.”
“Okay,” she finally agreed.
I hung up and all eyes at the table were on me. My entire body was shaking now as I gave a quick, stilted explanation, then bolted for the door before anyone could say a word. I wasn’t thinking, just moving on autopilot, desperate to get to my little girl. Nothing and no one else in the world mattered at that moment as my instincts took over. I had to get to her to make sure she was safe.
In the car, my hands were shaking so bad, I fumbled and dropped the keys before I could get them into the ignition. “Damn it!” I hit my head on the steering wheel when I bent to reach for them, making tears spring to my eyes.
From my purse my phone began to buzz. I fumbled, grabbing for it to check the screen.
Whitney:Do you want us to follow you home?
I ignored her and tossed the phone to my passenger seat to start the car and threw it into reverse. As I straightened and lurched forward out of the parking lot, my phone began to ring, but I recognized Whit’s ringtone, so I ignored it to focus on the road. A truck blared its horn at me as I zipped past it and through a red light. I didn’t care.
I made it to my neighborhood in record time, my heart about to beat itself out of my chest. A wave of nausea hit me at the sight of police lights illuminating the night in front of my home, and I tried to reassure myself that there were only two of them and no ambulances.
I skidded to a stop haphazardly at the curb, threw the car into park, and jumped out, leaving my door open as I sprinted toward the front door.
An officer halted me before I could enter. “Whoa, there!”
“This is my house!” I said, my voice screechy and desperate. “That’s my baby girl in there! Is she alright?”
Behind him, another police officer appeared with a timid and pale-faced Sofia, my daughter tucked into her arms.
“Elizabeth!”
Big hazel eyes lifted my way. “Mommy!” She wiggled to be let down, then ran to me.
I lifted her up and hugged her tight, inhaling her sweet scent as I ran my hand down her soft brown curls. “I’m here, sweetie. Mommy’s here.” I drew back to study her face. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Me ’n Miss Sofa hided in your closet.”
“You did?” I glanced over at Sofia, who was busy speaking in quiet tones with the officer who’d walked her out.
The second one who’d stopped me met my gaze with compassion. “We had a good look around, ma’am. It’s all clear.”
I nodded my thanks.
“We’re sorry for the scare.” He handed me his card. “Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any more issues.”
“Thank you.”
He waited for his partner to finish up with Sofia, then they took their leave.
Sofia turned to me once we were alone. “Olivia, I’m so sorry...”
“Sorry? For what?”
Tears began to fall down her cheeks and she glanced away as if embarrassed. “They said they didn’t find anything... like it’s my imagination or something.” She looked back at me, her eyes shimmering with tears. “But I swear I’m not stupid.”
“Nobody’s saying you’re stupid or imagining anything.” I glanced around at the dark street that was suddenly eerie now that the police officers had driven away. “We need to go in.” I shifted Elizabeth and handed her over, indicating for them to wait while I jogged out to the desolate street to move my car into the driveway and lock it up, then led them inside the house where I put my purse and keys in their usual spot on the hall table.
I locked up, then leaned against the door and took a deep breath. It would be fine. It had to be fine. There were no other options.
I found the girls waiting for me in the living room. “Did you guys eat dinner?”
“Yeah. We heated up a frozen pizza.”
“Nice. And did she get her bath?”
“Not yet.”
I nodded. “Okay. I can...” That’s when I really took in Sofia for the first time since I came home. Her drawn, frightened features. The dark circles under her eyes. She looked like a scared little girl, and I didn’t have the heart to send her out into the night after what she’d been through. “Would you like to stay the night with us tonight?”
She blinked at me with her big eyes, relief softening her shoulders. “I don’t have to.”
“I know. I want you to.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“You can take a shower in my room while I give Little Miss a bath, then I’ll make up the guest bed for you.”
“That’s too much trouble. I’m happy to sleep on the couch.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Thanks, Olivia.”
I got her settled with an extra towel, toothbrush, and one of my old nightgowns before setting up the couch as a makeshift bed. Elizabeth tried to help me, but her version of helping was throwing pillows around and shoving the blanket into the couch cushions, but it kept her busy, and she didn’t seem any worse for wear after the evening’s commotion.
While the bath water ran, I shot Whitney a text back, letting her know everything was good and everybody was safe and that I’d call her in the morning with details. I knew I had to; otherwise, I was liable to have my bestie beating down my door in the middle of the night, worried about me.
She replied immediately.
Whitney:You better call. Love you.
Me:Love you too.
I got Elizabeth bathed and to bed quickly, then found Sofia sitting quietly on her sofa bed with wet hair and a clean face, playing on her phone.
She glanced up when I walked in the room. “Thanks for letting me stay. I think I might’ve been too nervous to go back to my place tonight.”
She looked like such a little girl in that moment, something in me softened even more and I felt more maternal toward her than I ever had. I sat next to her and put a gentle hand on her knee. “Of course. I totally understand.”
“Is Lizzie okay?”
“Out like a light.”
She nodded and set her phone aside.
“Have you heard anything else about your brother?”
“No.” Wide, pain-filled eyes met mine. “I’m afraid he might’ve done something to himself. He’s got some... issues.”
I sucked in a surprised breath. “Oh, Sofia. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah.” Her gaze dropped to her lap where she was picking at her thumbnail again. “It’s been really rough on him since our parents split up.”
I let her fall into my embrace with her head on my shoulder as I rubbed her arm. It was really the only comfort I had to offer since I had no words. My parents were together and happy, and my brothers were healthy, so I knew anything I said would probably sound like an empty platitude.
“It sounds like you’re close,” I ventured.
“Not as close as we used to be when I still lived at home, but yeah, I think so. I love my brother more than anybody else in this world.”
Tears burned behind my eyelids at the pain in her voice. “He’s lucky to have you.”
“We’re lucky to have each other.”
I nodded as I held her, understanding the feeling. I wasn’t sure what I’d do without my own brothers, and I couldn’t imagine her sorrow not knowing where he was or if he was safe.
After a few minutes she yawned and pulled away. “I guess we should go to sleep. I’ve got early classes tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I stood and stepped back. “You need anything else?”
She shook her head as she settled under the blanket. “Thanks.”
I flipped off the lamp, making one last check of the front door locks before checking on Elizabeth again and heading to bed myself.
There were a couple more texts from Vanessa and Harper, checking in as well, so I sent a group message to everyone, letting them know the police had been there and everything was good.
As I brushed my teeth, I studied myself in the mirror and realized how exhausted I looked too. Dark circles under my eyes made my pale skin even more ghostlike, my makeup long gone. I spit and rinsed, then brushed my hair out, my mind wandering to earlier.
Had Sofia really seen a man trying to get inside? If so, who was it? The same person from the park? Her shithead ex? And, if not, was there something more going on with her that I needed to know about? After all, she worked for me... babysat my little girl.
My mind was spinning with a million thoughts as I tugged on my pajamas and sank into bed, only slightly comforted by the thought that my father had insisted I take his old shotgun for protection, and it was tucked away in my closet should I need it. I hadn’t told Sofia that when she mentioned she was hiding in there, but I guess I could have...
I closed my eyes, ready for a long, restless night, but I was out within seconds.
My eyes shotopen from a deep, dreamless sleep and I took a moment to reorient myself as I stared up at my ceiling, trying to figure out what had woken me up.
The house was silent and only the faintest gray light was peeking in from under my blinds so it couldn’t be much past dawn. As the events of the previous night settled back in, I reached for my phone and checked the time. Just after six a.m. I probably had a little while until Elizabeth woke up and I was tempted to try and go back to sleep, but I was suddenly restless, so I shoved off my covers and got up.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, I threw on my robe and slippers, slid my phone in my pocket, then cracked open my door to peek down the hall. I decided to chance it and made a silent dash toward the kitchen for the coffeemaker.
Sofia was curled up on the sofa in a fetal position with the blanket nearly covering her head. She didn’t move a muscle, so I figured she was sleeping soundly like I had at her age.
I breathed a sigh of relief and got the dark roast brewing as quietly as I could, then leaned against the counter to scroll through the texts and listen to the voicemails I’d missed from last night.
Harper:Hope all is well. Call me or Levi if you need anything at all!
Genevieve:We can come over if you need us...
Silas:Eden told me about some shit going down at your place. You need me to come kick somebody’s ass?
And last, a voicemail from Whitney: Hey, girl. I know you texted that all was good and the cops were there or whatever, but I’m still worried about you. Are you sure you don’t want me to come over? I don’t mind. But I’m sure you won’t call me because you’re too strong and independent and shit. Just don’t forget to call me when you’re up tomorrow so I can hear your voice. Love you!
I was smiling at Silas’s message, but full-on grinning with Whitney’s message. These people. I was lucky I was so loved and cared for... even if it wasn’t exactly the kind of love I’d envisioned for myself when I came home alone with just my daughter most nights.
The coffee finished brewing, and I poured myself a big mug, doctoring it up with a touch of sweet cream before moving to the front window to peek out at the sleepy world outside. I was greeted by a downcast day, the gray light from my bedroom softened by the thick clouds that promised rain and the hovering fog that coated the grass and trees like fine cobwebs. Even my car seemed like a ghost in the driveway, swallowed up in the ethereal mist.
I sipped and studied how it sat, seeming almost smaller and lower to the ground in the fog—
I squinted as a flash of white on the windshield caught my attention. Something suddenly felt off and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as my heart began to thud against my ribs. I peeked over at Sofia, who was still out like a light on the sofa, so I padded quietly toward the front door, not sure what I was hoping to do or find.
I moved to the front table, the coffee I’d drunk suddenly sour on my tongue. I set my mug down next to my purse, my hands trembling as I unlocked the door, its metallic click loud in my ears.
Had I locked the car last night? Had I...?
I slowly slid open the front door to peer outside. The morning air was still. Not even the birds were chirping. No cars were driving by. It was eerily silent.
I took a step onto the front porch and shut the door behind me, wondering if I was totally overreacting.
I sucked in a deep breath, tucked my robe tighter around my chest, and took a tentative step toward my car, ignoring every instinct in my body that told me to wait and call for someone to come over.
No.
I was a grown woman who could check things out for herself.
Another step. Another.
I was within five feet of my car now, the fog encasing me like a cloak as my eyes searched out the flash of white.
There it was. A piece of paper tucked under the drivers’ side windshield wiper. Definitely hadn’t been there last night.
“Jesus.” The whisper came from my lips at the same time my gaze fell to my tires. Flat. All of them. That explained why my car looked like it was sitting oddly low in the fog. It was resting on four slashed tires.
Adrenaline spiked through my system, and I whipped my head around, searching for someone—anyone. Who the hell would’ve done this? Were they still there? Were they hiding, watching for my reaction? Waiting to do more?
I spun back to my car and snatched the note from my windshield, pure fear and unadulterated anger equally fueling me in that moment.
You can’t hide from me.
SHE IS MINE . . .