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But as I lie in my bed alone and play with the bracelet Helen gave me, I keep asking myself over and over again. Why does she care about my safety if she hates me? What is her game? Why is Darren working with Lester if he knows the truth? Or does he? I’ve never taken Darren for a fool or even a narcissistic man. He’s too family-driven for that. Something doesn’t add up here.
Watching the ceiling dance with shadows, I struggle to silence my mind enough to sleep. It streams with fractured memories, mixing with the information I learned. I wrack my brain for missing links to connect the facts.
My attention snaps to the sound of the monitor beeping on my nightstand. I crane my neck to look at it, and my body chills as the Beast lets out a bark and starts to scratch the door.
Someone just disabled my house alarm system. Strange. My security knows the code. They would have set it back up. For some reason, my chest becomes tight with trepidation, beating like a tribal drum. Maybe because of what was happening lately, my instincts tell me to be cautious.
“Stay here,” I bark at my dog. “Silent,” I order, and for once, he flops on his belly and does precisely that.
Opening the door, I slip out, leaving the Beast inside my bedroom. I tiptoe down the corridor to the stairs to have a peek. The house is so quiet, but yet alarmingly unsettling too. I plaster my back to the wall, hiding in the shadows, and wait.
Every hair on my nape stands on end like needles and fear grips my throat as I catch three black figures moving in the dark. But I force myself to stay still and listen to their almost inaudible exchange. Once they retreat farther into the dining room, I dash to my kids’ bedroom, shaking them awake.
Shuddering from adrenaline, I clasp my hand over Liane’s mouth first. “Don’t make a sound.” I turn my hard gaze on Leon as I speak.
The more they fear, the less they’ll fight me.
“Put on your slippers. Now.” My voice sounds like razor steel, and perhaps that’s why they comply.
“Mommy, what is it?” Liane’s soft voice is so innocent and warmth snakes into my overwhelmed mind. My nostrils flare, and I press my lips tight, needing to keep my nerves under control.
“What’s going on?” Leon asks, and I dash toward him to cover his mouth.
“Shh!” I shake them and thrust their jackets in their arms. “You must listen to me. No talking.” Their mouths gape open, but they stay silent. “Someone just broke into our house. We need to get out.”
Liane lets out a little whimper, and I smother it with my hand.
“Be quiet and do as I say. Liane, do you understand me, baby?” My hard gaze holds my daughter’s green eyes until she yields.
Liane grabs her twin brother’s hand, affected by the urgency in my tone. Leon’s features turn to sharp determination, and I exhale in relief. My pulse quickens, chasing my heart into a frenzy as I haul them both from the bed.
Instead of leaving through the hallway, I lead them toward the shared bathroom connecting this and the next room. It’s supposed to be one of the twin’s bedrooms when they grow old enough.
I crack open the door to see if anyone is in our way. But I hear no one, just more silence. Move! Every second I waste is treacherous.
Liane clutches onto my pajama bottoms, pressing her frame against my side. My heart vibrates as I see the fear in Leon’s gaze, but I breathe through it.
As soon as we slip into the next room, I bolt both doors and unlatch the window lock. It’s only one floor. I could try to get them down. Leif and Aisha live just a few houses away and they know the way. I grab the sheets and the scissors I used to cut the flowers from the drawer. I cut it into long strips to make a rope strong enough to do the job.
“Come here, look at me,” I stare at them, smiling as I work. “I’m so proud of you, you know? You’re so brave, and I love you very much. We’re going to play a game. I’ll get you down with this rope.” I shake the sheet in my hand, and they gape at me, confused. “Like in that ninja movie.”
Since I left my phone to charge downstairs, I have no way to call for help. This is my only chance to save them. Whatever these people want, they’ll get.
“Go to Uncle Leif and Aunt Aisha and shout for help, okay? Their garden door should be unlocked.”
A foul taste of fear in my mouth tastes bitter from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. My instincts are screaming at me, but I put them in the saddle I made from the sheets. It should hold their weight.
I check the knots once more before ordering. “Climb on the chair.” And then I haul them over the window. My shoulder screams in pain from the weight, but when I hear noise, the fear ripples through me with a new wave of urgency.
“It’s okay. I got you,” I reassure them. “You can do this.” We had camping trips together, and they know how to handle climbi
ng and knots.
While they hover, I lock my determined gaze on my son. “Be brave and get to safety. Don’t leave your sister, don’t stop, don’t look back, just go and hide.” My words sound like a command, but my heart’s breaking.
The sheet glides through my fingers, leaving the burning trail as I lower them down to the ground, inch by inch.
My heart lurches in my chest as I hear a noise in the hallway, creeping closer and closer. The Beast is no longer silent. He barks until I hear a painful whine and then it stops. Just before the twins reach the ground, someone starts kicking the door. The bathroom handle rattles.
