29. Liana
LIANA
Beth manages to get me into the playhouse but she takes Sonny away. He screams out “Mama!” and my chest aches as my arms reach out uselessly.
She slams the door. I head to the window but it’s the window of a child’s playhouse. It doesn’t really open, and even if it did, it’d be too small.
There’s no air conditioning and it’s stuffy in here.
I’m really in the playhouse that we played in as children. I can’t stand all the way up straight. Where has she taken Sonny? Please, let it be somewhere safe.
My breath starts to come shorter as I sit down on the floor, crosslegged. I feel like I might be having a panic attack.
I put my head between my knees, wrapping my arms around them and breathing in slowly, calmly.
“Beth, I need water,” I plead, hoping she can hear me. In a few moments, she walks into the room, ducking down just the way I am.
She brings me a bottle of water and I chug it almost all the way down before I speak.
“We can’t stay here forever, Beth.”
“Of course not, not forever,” she says easily. “We’re just going to hide out here until Dario stops looking for you. I think he had a tracker in your car, on your phone. I ditched them. He won’t be able to find us now.”
My phone? I go stiff. Did she see the message I sent to Dario? Is she angry with me?
But her hand falls on my shoulder.
“I know it’s uncomfortable here. It’s too small. We’re just not kids anymore!” She laughs, too loudly.
“Beth...” I start, taking her hand and pressing it to my cheek. “Why don’t we talk this out?”
She looks down at me, something hesitant in her gaze.
“We are talking.”
“But you’re not listening,” I tell her firmly, squeezing her hand. “We need to get out of here. Call Dario and—”
“Dario? Why would we call Dario?” She wrenches away from me. “Don’t tell me you still have a thing for him.”
“Of course not!” I say, my voice so high-pitched it’s almost a screech. “But he can help us. He can help us get to—”
“We don’t need him,” she says firmly. “We don’t need anything from him, Liana, don’t you get that? He’ll only make things worse.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, realizing that Dario is a subject she won’t entertain. “Then maybe you can bring Sonny to me?”
“But why? You need your rest. That stuff I gave you, it’s heavy. It needs to wear off.” She says it matter-of-factly.
“What did you give me, Beth?”
“Just some stuff I had from my last vet tech job. Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s dangerous.”
"Don’t leave me,” I say quickly, taking hold of her wrist. “You’ve always wanted... more from me, haven’t you?”
Beth looks at me, her green eyes curious. “What do you mean, more from you?”
“I mean, friendship... it was never enough for you, right?”
I slowly place her hand high up on my thigh but she pulls it away.
“Don’t act like that, Liana.” Her voice sounds slightly scared. “This is his influence, isn’t it? Him making you think I want something dirty from you. It’s not about that, Liana. I just want us to be friends, like we always were. Like we have been our whole lives.”
“Who’s influence?”
“Dario, of course!” She scoffs. “It’s always him, isn’t it? Has been since you first met him. It’s like he took over everything, right away.”
“He didn’t—”
“No, because I won’t let him. He’s not taking you from me again. Not ever again, Liana.”
Beth stands up and I scream. I can’t think of any other way out. Maybe some of the neighbors are close enough to hear me.
“Don’t! If you keep screaming, I’ll hurt Sonny.”
The words fall on my head like a hammer.
“You... you wouldn’t.”
“You don’t think I would? I could start by breaking his fingers. My father taught me how to do that, you know.”
My blood runs cold. “No. Not Sonny. You wouldn’t hurt him.”
“I don’t want to,” she says in a sing-song voice. “But I will if you make me.”
“I won’t,” I whisper, hearing in her voice that she means it. She really would hurt Sonny. She’s not at all the person I thought she was.
Does this mean Dario was right all along? Just trying to protect me?
Fuck. I should have listened to him.
Beth stands up and leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.
Dario. Please come for me.