Page 107 of Derecho

“I’d love that.”

We made our way to the garage, Danny heading toward the pile of tools over in the far corner while Reid yawned in the carrier on my chest. He was going to wake up soon, and I was really hoping to get to speak with the potential donor before he did.

“Oh, Lain, slide that box in front of the door, would you? So it doesn’t close?”

I nodded, kicking the cardboard box over to the door frame before I walked over to Birdie, who was already elbows deep in the box of small tiles.

“Oh, I love this pattern. I think it’ll be perfect for⁠—”

“Hello?” A calm voice called out from inside the house.

“Oh shoot!” Birdie’s eyes went wide as she looked at me. “She’s here!”

“Hi! We’re in here! The garage!” I called out, hustling to put the tiles back in the box as Birdie handed hers to me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure fill the door. “I know I’m a few minutes early, but waiting was never my strong suit.”

No.

No. That voice couldn’t be familiar to me. It shouldn’t be familiar to me. I didn’t know anyone with the last name Delong. My stomach bottomed out as I turned to face the woman in the doorway.

The last tile slipped out of my hand, shattering against the concrete into a million little pieces.

“Lainey?”

“Don’t move,” Danny ordered. “There’s a broom right over here. I don’t want either of you cutting up your feet.”

Birdie looked over at me, but I couldn’t breathe. What the hell was she doing here?!

“Hi, I’m so sorry about that. We were just coming⁠—”

“Get out,” I whispered, my hands shaking as I covered Reid’s back.

“Lainey?” Birdie whipped her head towards me, but I refused to take my eyes off of Jasmine.

“She’s right.” Jasmine laughed. “I shouldn’t be here. But I just couldn’t help myself.”

Jasmine kicked the box that was holding the door open out of her way, stepping further in the garage.

“No! Oh catch—” Birdie’s words didn’t matter, because Jasmine didn’t move, and the door clicked closed behind her.

“Don’t panic.” Birdie laid her arm on mine, but sweat was already starting to prick at the back of my neck. It was hot in the garage, but knowing we were trapped…and she was here…I wanted to throw up.

“You two know each other?” Danny walked over from the corner of the garage, stepping in front of me.

“This is Jasmine. Greg’s wife.”

“What?!” Birdie gasped as she walked past Jasmine, trying to get the door open. “Shoot. Nate was right. It’s really stuck.”

“Okay, no one panic.” Danny swept the last of the ceramic shards over to the corner. But that’s exactly what I was doing. I bounced on my feet, trying to keep Reid asleep.

“I don’t understand,” Birdie said as she walked back over to me, looking at Jasmine. “Why are you here? Why would you want to donate to my charity?”

Jasmine placed her hand on her belly. “Oh, I don’t. My private investigator told me about this place and its mission, and well, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see what Lainey’s lies had inspired. That’s right, by the way. I know all about how you lied to get a restraining order against Greg. How you used your connections to a deputy in your family to submit a false report. It’s absolutely disgusting. You’re trying to ruin my family, after everything you’ve already done.”

“I wasn’t lying, Jasmine. And if Greg’s uncle wasn’t a sitting judge in this county that did a favor for him, I think that the protective order would have been issued a lot sooner. We shouldn’t even be having this conversation right now. And if you were smart, if you cared about your family like you say you do, you’d run from him, too. Just like I did. I just hope he at least lets you leave with your shoes. Because he didn’t even have the decency to let me do that.”

Birdie’s eyebrow pulled together. “And not that it matters, but I didn’t start this charity for Lainey. I started it in honor of a patient of mine who lost her life to her abusive partner. The fact that my sister suffered at the hands of your husband should make you sick.”