38. Lilly
Chapter 38
Lilly
T he house is quiet. Nellie and I are both in our own little worlds.
I'm working on a new project for a client while Nellie is finishing a book series she started.
We tackled our lessons earlier today with Noah, and when he went to the fire station, Nellie and I decided to do our own thing.
Now that the sling is off and his mobility is getting better, Noah has been itching to get back on shift.
Random days at the library aren’t cutting it anymore. He's trying to convince his dad to let him hang around the station and help out. So far, Tucker has been reluctant to let him come back, even voluntarily. He’s worried Noah is going to push himself too hard, which I secretly agree with, but Noah has been persistent. I can’t imagine Tucker will be able to hold out for too much longer.
The slam of a book closing pulls me out of my focus. Nellie stomps into the living room, her face a mask of thunder.
“I need to talk to Uncle Carson,” she says, anger lacing her voice.
“Okaaaaay,” I drag out. “What's going on?”
“The book is over,” she says as if I should know what that means.
“And you're mad about it?”
“Yes, I'm mad about it.” She huffs. “They didn't finish the story, and it's over.”
“Ah, so it ended on a cliffhanger.”
“Yes,” Nellie says with all the drama she can muster. She flops her body down on the couch next to me. “I’m mad at Uncle Carson. He didn't tell me that it ended in a cliffhanger.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at her because I know she's actually angry. “Well, let me text Gran, and I'll see what they're up to.”
I follow through, sending a message to Natalie about Nellie’s annoyance at Carter. She sends back three laughing emojis, followed quickly by an invite to come over.
“Looks like they're both home,” I tell Nellie.
She jumps up from the couch and races into her bedroom to grab her bag. At least I got most of my to-do list done for the day and this isn't a huge interruption.
I grab my tote bag and wait for Nellie to come to the front door.
We're on the road within minutes and then pulling into Natalie and Tucker's driveway soon after.
Nellie doesn't even wait for me to follow. She just races up to the front door and barges right in. I'm grateful Nellie feels this comfortable with them. She doesn't have to pretend to be someone she’s not when she’s with Noah’s family.
I walk into the house a few seconds after Nellie to find her and Carson looking at the book in the living room.
Smiling, I head back to the kitchen where Natalie's sitting at the peninsula, working on her computer. I sit next to her, and she smiles, wrapping me in a side hug.
“The first thing she said when she walked in was, ‘How could you?’” Natalie giggles.
I roll my eyes as I laugh. “She's a dramatic little thing, isn't she?”
“I just love her to pieces.” Natalie's features turn soft. She reaches out to grasp my hand. “While I hate the circumstances that brought you here, I am so glad to have you home. You have no idea how much joy you've brought into our lives just by bringing that little girl here. Thank you for giving us a chance.”
My chest warms through at her appreciation. “No, thank you for not hating me on sight, even though you would have every reason to. You guys made us feel welcome and, honestly, more at home than we've ever felt before.”
“Good. Now, let's talk about weddings.” Her grin is a mile wide, and it makes me laugh. We spend a couple of hours talking and chatting. No real wedding planning happens, even though Natalie is dying to get some details out of me.
The fact of the matter is Noah and I haven't really talked about it. It's only been a week since he asked, and we've both been settling into the idea of even being engaged.
I should probably bring it up soon. I don't want him to think I don't want to make plans with him.
The afternoon quickly turns into the evening, and Natalie offers to cook dinner for us. Then Nellie surprises me by asking if we can have a sleepover here.
I raise my eyebrows at Natalie in question, who squeals. “That would be amazing! We can set you guys up in Noah’s room again.”
“I’ll have to run home to pack some stuff. Will you be okay to stay here for a bit while I head home?”
“Yes. Uncle Carson has the last book in the series, and I want to start reading it right away.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Natalie says, answering the question I was about to ask.
“All right, then. I’ll go get our stuff and be back in a few minutes.”
Nellie's already got her book and has settled in on the couch, so I say a quick goodbye to Natalie and head out.
My keys jingle as I unlock the deadbolt. The security panel beeps at me, and I punch in the code before dropping my stuff on the floor. A noise makes me freeze in place. Papers shuffle, and my heart begins to accelerate.
“Noah?” I call out. I didn’t see his truck in the driveway, but maybe Tucker gave him a ride. I have no idea why he would do that, though.
A man comes striding around the corner, a gun pointed straight at me. “Well, isn’t this fortuitous timing?” His smile is evil incarnate.
“Tony?” My mind is struggling to keep up with what’s happening. The danger I’m in hits me like a ton of bricks, and I’m moving before my brain can catch up with the action.
My hand slams against the security panel, my fingers trying to press the panic button for the police. The panel beeps at the same time my body is slammed against the wall.
Tony presses the gun to my forehead. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
I stay silent. I’m not about to provoke him when all I have to do is buy time for the police to come. Or the fire department. There were buttons for both, and I have no idea which one I pressed.
Tony grips my arm in a bruising hold and pulls me away from the wall. “Since I’ve torn this house apart, I’ll just have to get the money some other way.” The words are murmured as if he’s talking to himself. He drags me to the dining room table and shoves me into a chair.
“If you move, I will hunt down your daughter and kill her in front of you.” Tony wiggles the gun in my face for good measure. I nod, fear clogging my throat to the point speaking is impossible.
He darts over to the curtains and yanks the sash off. Then he’s tying my wrists behind my back with jerky movements. My shoulders protest, but he doesn’t seem to care. The knot is tight when he steps away, and my fingers are already starting to go numb.
I watch Tony move into the kitchen. He opens the pantry and comes out seconds later. My eyes widen when I realize what he’s doing.
Lighter fluid for the grill splashes over the kitchen floor, then the curtains, and finally the dining room table. With the final dregs of the bottle, he squeezes a path to the back door.
He looks at me with a wildness in his eyes that scares me almost more than the gun. “When the insurance company pays you for the destruction, you’re going to give it to me. If you don’t, you’ll never see your daughter again.” With a flick of his wrist, he opens a lighter and drops it to the trail of fluid at his feet. It goes up with a whoosh, and Tony disappears out the back door.
I fight my restraints as the house goes up in flames. The smoke alarms begin to blare, and smoke fills the room.
I’m going to die. No matter how fast the police get here, it won’t be fast enough.
Coughs wrack my body as my breathing increases with fear. I keep trying to get out of my binds, but the effort is futile. I’m growing weaker by the second, smoke filling my lungs to the point it feels as if I’m burning from the inside out.
I love you, Nellie. I’m sorry Mommy couldn’t find a way out.