In another scenario, I’d laugh at that. But I’m not capable of laughing right now. Because I know without a doubt that my best friend is in real trouble.
“Okay, forget the neighbors. I want you to go to the front door and lock it. The deadbolt, the lock at the top that you have to turn. Can you reach it?”
“If I stand on my tippy-toes.”
“Good. I want you to lock that door and stay inside until I get there. Don’t open it for anyone until you hear my voice. Do you understand?”
“Okay.” She sounds better now. “Auntie Leo?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Can I have a bowl of Froot Loops while I wait?”
I smile. “Of course, you can.”
Her question is a silver lining. Because it tells me she doesn’t realize the severity of what’s happening. She thinks her mom is running late and forgot to clean up before she left.
“I’m coming over right now,” I reassure her.
“Okay. Can we watch a movie when you get here?”
“Of course we can.”
While we talk, I scan the sunlit bedroom for my clothes. Silas is already out of bed and getting dressed. I pull on a pair of jeans and a shirt.
“I won’t be long. What phone are you on, baby? The phone on the wall?”
“No, I’m on Mommy’s cell phone.”
More dread churns in my gut. Nessa would never leave her phone. A small part of me hopes this is a misunderstanding somehow. That Nessa simply stepped out for a moment and will be back any second. But knowing that Konstantin is in town changes all of that.
I struggle to keep my voice even. In my mind I can see the overturned coffee table and the open door, and I know she fought whoever came for her, but she lost and they took her.
“Okay, I want you to stay on the line with me. Okay, baby?”
“Okay … but?—”
The call ends.
I look at my phone, then press it to my ear again.
“Larissa? Baby? Larissa, can you hear me?!” My voice ends in a shrill note, and I turn to Silas. “The phone went dead. Oh God, Silas, what if she’s been taken too?”
“The phone probably needs charging,” he says, his cold and calculating voice sinking me like an anchor.
“Do you think so?”
I redial Nessa’s number but can’t get through. Then I try the landline, but when I get no response, I remember Nessa had it disconnected a few months ago, saying they never use it and it’s just another bill.
I go through the motions, but I’m internally panicking as I follow Silas to his car. Everything just got so much more real. I was so focused on proving that I’m strong and can fight this that I never thought about the others who might get involved. Especially since I’d already put distance between us.
“She locked the door. She’ll be safe,” Silas says. He takes his eyes off the road to give me a reassuring look. “We’re only a few minutes away.”
The afternoon traffic is thick and slow. Sunlight glares off windshields and bumpers as Silas drives fast but controlled, weaving in and out of traffic with the expertise of a race car driver.
My mind is a storm, tearing through every possible explanation for Nessa’s disappearance at a speed that makes me dizzy.
Who would take Nessa?
