Page 156 of It Runs in the Family

When I finally forced my eyes open a crack, I realized I was in a dark room. After my eyes adjusted, I could make out empty metal shelves against one wall, and a door directly across from me, light streaming from the crack beneath it.

So far, this looked nothing like my original vision, but the fact I’d had the hazy one meant anything was possible.

I felt dizzy, probably from whatever they’d used to make me pass out, so I crawled across the floor to the door and pressed my cheek on the floor to peer underneath. It looked like the door opened onto a hallway. There were two doors on the opposite wall. One of them stood open, and a light was on inside, but it was too far down the hall for me to see anything.

No one seemed to be around, so if I could get out of this room, there was a chance I could escape.

I pushed up onto my hands and knees, then reached for the doorknob to pull myself up to my feet. Once I was standing, I tried to turn the doorknob, not surprised when it didn’t open.

So, I was locked in. Surely there was another way out.

But there weren’t any cinematically convenient air vents near the ceiling for me to crawl through—not that I’d likely fit anyway. I needed to figure out a way to get the door open.

I started feeling around on the knob, looking for a screw. I didn’t have a screwdriver, but I’d used a butter knife as a screwdriver before. I doubted one of those would be here either, but I might be able to make something else work.

But just as I found a screw, the doorknob turned, and the door was pushed inward.

I backed out of the way, pissed at myself for not coming up with a better escape plan.

It was a man I didn’t recognize, and he didn’t look friendly.

“Come with me,” he grunted.

“Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer. He just reached for me.

I backed up until my spine hit the shelving. “Where’s Selena?”

But he wasn’t feeling chatty. He snagged my forearm, his meaty hand clamping tight as he pulled me toward the door.

He led me down the hall, then around a corner I hadn’t seen from the crack in the storage room. He stopped outside a closed wooden door and pushed it open.

I gasped when I saw Selena sitting on a loveseat in what looked like an employee lounge. There was a counter along one wall with a coffee maker and a fridge, plus a small round table with four chairs. The loveseat, an end table, and a lamp were on the other side.

Selena’s gaze landed on me. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying.

As the door shut behind me, she rushed forward and pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. It’s okay didn’t feel appropriate.

She pulled back and looked me over. “Did they hurt you?”

I hadn’t stopped to evaluate if I had any injuries, but surely I would have noticed by now. “I don’t think so.”

She tugged me over to sit on the loveseat and dropped down beside me.

“What’s goin’ on, Selena? Who ambushed me at the park? Did you set that up?”

“No,” she said in a rush, then hugged me again. “I’d never do that to you, Eye. You have to believe me.”

I wanted to, but at this point I wasn’t sure.

“What happened to Rebecca?”

Fresh tears filled her eyes. “Dario thought she had something he lost.”

“So he killed her,” I said flatly.