Chapter Six #2
Out of habit, Avery checked the doors to make sure they were secure so the wind wouldn’t blow them in, then let herself out.
She’d leave the Mendozas a note that she’d fed the sheep, in case they had gone into town for supplies.
Even though they had a four-wheel drive, the roads were deeply rutted and troublesome.
The county said they’d be out next week to fix Orchard Lane, the road they lived off of, but Avery had no idea about others in the area.
Maybe Gianna was here alone; Avery would have come over earlier to keep her company.
She glanced into the garage, and while it was dark inside, it looked like there were two trucks. Odd. Maybe they had family visiting.
She grabbed the casseroles, crossed the side yard, and walked up the ramp that had been built over the stairs for Gianna’s wheelchair. She knocked on the kitchen door. All the drapes were still drawn, which suggested the family was away, but then why was their truck here?
“Mrs. Mendoza? It’s Avery.”
She listened and heard movement and voices inside, then suddenly the door opened and a man she’d never seen before stood there. He was tall with a thick beard and short dark hair.
She stepped back and held out the casseroles. “I brought these for the Mendozas.” She smiled but it felt weird, like a grimace.
“That’s nice of you,” he said. “Come on in.” He glanced down the driveway, as if looking for anyone she had come with, then he looked at her and smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’ll just leave them; I have to get back and help my mom with storm prep.”
Avery didn’t know why she was so intimidated. Except … she’d never seen this man before, and why was he answering the door at the Mendozas’ house? She tried to look behind him, but he was so big he filled the doorframe.
“I’m sure my aunt and uncle would love to chat.” He stepped aside and motioned for her to enter. Now she could see Carl and Rose sitting at the kitchen table, coffee mugs in front of them.
Relieved, she said, “Oh, hi, Mrs. Mendoza. Mr. Mendoza.”
Carl lifted his mug toward her and sipped. His hand was shaking.
Avery stepped in and said, “Grandma Penny made these casseroles since you might not be able to get out for a few days, you know how she loves to cook.”
“Thank you, Avery dear,” Carl said. “You can put them on the counter. Give Penny our best.”
Rose didn’t meet her eye. Something weird was going on. Gianna would know.
“I was also going to give Gianna this book,” Avery said, pulling the paperback out of her jacket.
They didn’t introduce her to their nephew. That was very rude—and the Mendozas weren’t rude. Definite weirdness. Suddenly Avery just wanted to get out and tell her mom. But Bobby … he was going to meet her here soon.
She could find him before he got here, she reasoned. There were only two ways to get to the old equipment shed, through the field or by the road Bobby had taken.
“I’ll just leave it here for Gianna,” she said and dropped it on the table. It fell to the floor. She stared at it, then quickly picked it up and put it back on the table. “Have her call me, okay? I’ll just get going.”
Avery turned. The man blocked the door. She tried to smile and completely failed.
“I think Gianna would like some company,” he said.
Rose shook her head. “Just let her go, please.”
Rose was scared. Her voice quivered and Avery knew then that something bad was happening.
The man sighed, picked up the book from the table.
“Holly Jackson … I don’t think I’ve read anything by her. Is it good?”
“Y-yes,” Avery said. “It’s a mystery?” Why was she speaking like a question? She needed to get out of here, now.
He handed it back to her. “Take it in to her. She’s in her room.”
Maybe Avery was reading way too much into the situation. Families could be weird, with a lot of drama. Even the McKennas argued, especially now that Mom and Jake were arguing about whether Jake should go to college.
Gianna would tell her what was going on.
She nodded slowly, left the kitchen, and walked down the hall to Gianna’s room in the back of the house. The door was closed. She knocked.
“Go away!”
“G, it’s Avery.”
“Oh my God, come in!”
Avery entered. Gianna was in bed, and her wheelchair wasn’t in the room. It was after nine, and Gianna hated lying in bed, especially after the accident. She said it made her feel like an invalid.
“Close the door.”
Avery did so, put the book on her nightstand.
“Are they gone?”
“Your cousin?”
“I’m so sorry!”
Avery glanced at the door, then whispered, “What’s going on?”
“Those people came in the middle of the night and they won’t leave. One of them is hurt, he was shot! With a gun! And I don’t know what’s going on. The big asshole said they’d be out of here tonight, but he’s probably lying. I’m scared, and they took my chair and my phone. Do you have your phone?”
Avery shook her head, feeling stupid that she’d left her radio with the ATV. But maybe … maybe she could get to it? Reach out to her mom, she would get help. “Who are they?” she asked.
“I don’t know! They said if anyone talked, they’d hurt me. My mom is so scared, and Dad feels helpless, and I can’t do anything to help because of these stupid legs!” She slapped at them under the comforter. “Go out the window and get help.”
“But they might hurt you.” Or worse, Avery thought.
“I don’t care!”
“You don’t mean that.”
Then Gianna started crying and Avery sat on the edge of her bed and held her.
Avery swallowed her own panic. She’d seen that man’s face. Bad guys didn’t want to be identified. Would they leave them unharmed tonight as he’d told Gianna?
“And you don’t know what they want?” she asked.
Gianna wiped her face with the back of her hand and shook her head.
“They came in the middle of the night, during the storm. A man and woman carrying another man. They put him in the guest room and the woman has been with him most of the time. They forced Mom to help them. Mom thinks there’s still a bullet inside and that’s why he’s not going to get better, at least not until they get it out.
But this morning I overheard them all talking about how after tonight, they would disappear, but that Sam—that’s the guy who was shot—needed a doctor.
So, I don’t know what they’re going to do. ”
Avery didn’t know what to do, either. If she was discovered crawling out the window, they might hurt her or Gianna’s family. And if she got away, they still might hurt them.
“Bobby,” Avery whispered. For the first time she felt truly terrified.
“Your brother?”
“He’s searching for that stray cat who’s been in our barn. She disappeared during the hailstorm and he went to the old equipment shed, but he’s going to meet me here.”
She bit her lip. Maybe she could get out the window and use the radio, then return before they figured it out?
“I’m going to get my radio, tell Bobby to go home and get help. I’ll be back in less than five minutes. They won’t even know I left.”
Gianna bit her lip. “Be careful.”
Avery slowly, carefully, slid open the window next to Gianna’s bed. It was in the back of the house and couldn’t be seen from the kitchen window, but she’d have to run around the backside of the garage to reach her ATV, otherwise they might see her if they were still in the kitchen.
The drop wasn’t too far, and she slipped out the window and landed in the mud, barely noticing the sharp leaves of the holly bush scratching her arms as she brushed past them.
She ran around the back of the garage and considered just for a minute that maybe she should leave and get help. She didn’t want to go back into the house. She didn’t want to see that man ever again.
But what if they killed everyone before Ryan’s dad, the sheriff, arrived? Avery would never be able to live with herself if her fear resulted in people she cared about dying.
Just make sure Bobby doesn’t come here, Avery told herself. Tell him to go get help. That was the smart thing to do.
She rounded the garage to the narrow spot where she’d parked her ATV and ran right into the man who answered the door.
He seemed just as surprised to see her, but then he narrowed his eyes and grabbed her arm.
“I came out to make sure you came alone, and good thing.” He held her radio in his other hand.
“Don’t be stupid, Avery, and this will all be over tomorrow. ”
Tomorrow? If she didn’t come home, her mom would send Jake for her or come herself. She couldn’t bear for anyone in her family to be hurt.
As if he could read her mind, he said as he half dragged her to the house, “You’ll let your parents know that you’re spending the night with your good friend Gianna, and then no one will bother us. Understood?”
She nodded, because she didn’t know what else to say or do.
She was stuck. How was she going to warn Bobby?