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“Shit!” Heidi exclaimed. “When is this happening?”
“Not for at least another month. Probably July.”
“July,” Heidi repeated.
“It’ll just be for a couple of weeks.”
“Renovations always take longer than they say they will. She’s liable to be here all summer.”
“What do you want me to do?” Aiden asked, helplessly. “She’s my mother and she paid for this place. The house is in her name. You want me to tell her she’s not welcome?”
That’s exactly what I want you to tell her,Heidi thought, knowing her husband could never do this. “Okay,” she said. “Well find a way to make it work.”
“You’re the best,” Aiden said, snuggling up against her in bed.
Heidi immediately flipped over to face him, her hand reaching out to stroke him. There was no reason for the night to be a total waste. And the marijuana had made her horny.
“I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” he said, stilling her hand.
“Why not?”
“You know…” Again he looked toward the hall. “She could hear….”
Heidi flipped back onto her other side.“I might as well get used to it,”she thought, Lisa’s words echoing in her ears as she drifted off to sleep.
No wonder I had a nightmare,Heidi thinks now, glancing at her bedside clock and noting that another half hour has passed and Aiden still isn’t beside her. She gets out of bed, throws a short robe over her naked body, and pads down the hall, stopping at the top of the staircase, listening for the muted sounds of the TV. But she hears nothing. “Aiden?” she whispers as she reaches the bottom of the steps and proceeds into the living room.
But the room is dark and the television is off. “Aiden?” she calls again, approaching the kitchen. But he’s not there either. Is it possible he went outside?
She opens the front door and looks around, the warm night air wrapping around her shoulders like a shawl. The moon is a gorgeous yellow crescent in the sky, shining a spotlight on the quiet neighborhood.Of course it’s quiet,she thinks.It’s four-thirty in the morning. Everyone is asleep.
Except Aiden.
Where the hell is he?
Lisa’s car is in the driveway, which means that their Hyundai is still in the garage. Which means that unless Aiden is out somewhere prowling the streets in his underwear, he’s somewhere in the house.
Maybe even back in bed, she decides, ascending the stairs. But a quick peek into their bedroom reveals he isn’t there. She moves to the smaller of the two other bedrooms, but the double bed in the center of the room is untouched and empty except for a dozen decorative throw pillows atop its billowy white comforter.
She proceeds slowly to the last bedroom, reluctant to open the door, lest she rouse her mother-in-law. Lisa will no doubt blame her for Aiden’s disappearance. Still, what choice does she have?
Slowly, quietly, Heidi opens the bedroom door.
She sees him immediately.
He is standing at the foot of the queen-size bed, staring at the woman sleeping on her side under the covers, unaware of his presence.
“Aiden?” Heidi whispers, tiptoeing toward him.
He doesn’t move, his gaze locked on his mother’s face.
“Aiden, honey. What are you doing?” She moves to his side, recognizing from the blank look in his eyes that he is in some sort of trance, that he likely has no idea where he is or what is taking place. Probably back in Afghanistan or some other godforsaken place. “Let’s get you back to bed,” she says, stepping behind him, trying to guide him from the room. Her fingers reach for his.
Which is when she feels the gun in his hand.
Oh God. What’s happening?
What the hell is he doing? More important, what the hell isshesupposed to do now?
