“Ainsley?”
“Who else would it be?”
“I didn’t think you’d answer.”
“At least one of us can answer the phone. We should meet.”
Now I was convinced I was dreaming. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“When?”
“Now. I’ll come to you. Where are you?”
“That doesn’t work for me.”
There was the woman I knew. “Well, gosh, when can you pencil me in?”
“Tomorrow. Ten a.m.”
“Where?”
“The house.”
“Fine.” I fought against the urge to mention that I knew she’d stolen our money. I needed her to show up, after all. I had to be civilized. “You good?”
She was quiet for a moment, so quiet I thought she was going to hang up, but then she said, “Did you just ask if I’m good?”
“Yeah, I just… I miss you. I miss the kids. Are you all okay?”
“Don’t make this something it isn’t, Peter. I’m meeting you because there are things we need to discuss, that’s it.”
“How am I making this anything? I’m just checking on you.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Fine. I won’t.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, casting a line of hope. “Bring the kids. Please.”
“I won’t be doing that.”
I hadn’t expected any different, but I had to ask. “Fine. Just…tell them I miss them, okay?”
“Goodbye, Peter.”
“Hey, Ains, wait!”
She paused for a beat. “Yeah?”
“Um, thanks for…for answering.”
“You’re welcome.” With that, the line beeped, alerting me that the call had ended and she was gone. My heart raced as if I’d run a marathon; a thin sheen of sweat soaked my skin.
It was happening.
I was finally going to see her.
I was finally going to take care of everything, once and for all.
The next morning, I was standing outside the house, pacing and listening intently for any sign of her. When I finally heard her car pulling down the driveway five minutes after ten, I got into position, hiding in the shadows just inside the frame of the garage’s side door.
My breathing was shallow as the car door slammed shut. Her shoes crunched against the gravel drive. Would she have worn heels that could pierce my skin with a swift kick? Or sensible shoes for running away?
I imagined she’d brought a weapon of some sort. A knife, most likely. Definitely not a gun. Maybe the old bat she’d been hiding—I wasn’t entirely convinced she’d disposed of it like she promised.
Crunch.
Breathe.
Crunch.
Breathe.
Crunch.
Breathe.
The crunching steps were silenced when she stepped onto the concrete walkway that led to the porch. She was going to walk right past me. I held my breath, focusing intently on the silence.
Where are you, Ains?
She stepped into my view, stopping just a few feet from the porch, and scanned the yard, searching for me. She had no idea how close I was. Hidden in the shadows. Lurking. Looming.
I waited as she took another step.
Then another.
Then another.
She was past me, heading for the porch.
Now.
“Hey—” I stepped forward. She spun around, obviously expecting me. Her arm shot out, wielding a weapon I couldn’t see. My body jolted as white-hot lightning shot through my core. My vision blurred, black splotches painting through a sea of white. I doubled over, the pain so intense I was sure I was going to vomit. The sound came again—like packaging tape being ripped from the roll…only more electric, more intense. I couldn’t open my jaw. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.
“Step back,” Ainsley said, shoving the weapon into my stomach harder. The sound stopped in an instant, the bright light in her hand dimming.
I fumbled backward into the garage, reaching for the wall to steady myself. She followed close behind. “What the…” I panted, touching the place where I’d been convinced only moments ago that she’d stabbed me. “You…tased me?”
She eyed the pink contraption in her hand with an unimpressed expression. “It’s a stun gun. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Is there a difference?” I put my hands up to stop her from moving near me, trying to catch my breath. We were repelling magnets. For every step she took toward me, I took a step away.