Page 9

The ice in my veins turned fiery hot in an instant, slicing through them like poison-laced barbed wire.
No.
This could not be happening.
It did not compute.
“Are you sure? Do you hear them in the house?” I pushed back my chair as she began to openly cry on the other end, and I could hear Elizabeth’s soft whimpers.
“Someone was jiggling the front doorknob like they were trying to get in. I thought maybe it was you, and you’d come back early or something, but—” Her words choked off as if she’d heard something.
“But what?” I demanded.
After a moment she spoke again, painfully soft. “But when I looked out the peephole, I think it was a man in a hoodie. It was dark. I couldn’t see his face. I panicked and grabbed Lizzie and locked us in your closet, then called you. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.” She began to breathe fast as her tears came harder.
“Okay, okay,” I said to calm myself as much as her. There was no proof anyone had made it inside, but also no proof they hadn’t. I stood and grabbed my purse with shaking hands. “I want you to hang up and call the police, alright? I’m on my way.”
She said nothing but I could still hear my daughter’s little frightened cries, which nearly broke me because I wasn’t there.
“Sofia? Call the police. I’m coming.”
“Okay,” she finally agreed.
I hung up and all eyes at the table were on me. My entire body was shaking now as I gave a quick, stilted explanation, then bolted for the door before anyone could say a word. I wasn’t thinking, just moving on autopilot, desperate to get to my little girl. Nothing and no one else in the world mattered at that moment as my instincts took over. I had to get to her to make sure she was safe.
In the car, my hands were shaking so bad, I fumbled and dropped the keys before I could get them into the ignition. “Damn it!” I hit my head on the steering wheel when I bent to reach for them, making tears spring to my eyes.
From my purse my phone began to buzz. I fumbled, grabbing for it to check the screen.
Whitney: Do you want us to follow you home?
I ignored her and tossed the phone to my passenger seat to start the car and threw it into reverse. As I straightened and lurched forward out of the parking lot, my phone began to ring, but I recognized Whit’s ringtone, so I ignored it to focus on the road. A truck blared its horn at me as I zipped past it and through a red light. I didn’t care.
I made it to my neighborhood in record time, my heart about to beat itself out of my chest. A wave of nausea hit me at the sight of police lights illuminating the night in front of my home, and I tried to reassure myself that there were only two of them and no ambulances.
I skidded to a stop haphazardly at the curb, threw the car into park, and jumped out, leaving my door open as I sprinted toward the front door.
An officer halted me before I could enter. “Whoa, there!”
“This is my house!” I said, my voice screechy and desperate. “That’s my baby girl in there! Is she alright?”
Behind him, another police officer appeared with a timid and pale-faced Sofia, my daughter tucked into her arms.
“Elizabeth!”
Big hazel eyes lifted my way. “Mommy!” She wiggled to be let down, then ran to me.
I lifted her up and hugged her tight, inhaling her sweet scent as I ran my hand down her soft brown curls. “I’m here, sweetie. Mommy’s here.” I drew back to study her face. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Me ’n Miss Sofa hided in your closet.”
“You did?” I glanced over at Sofia, who was busy speaking in quiet tones with the officer who’d walked her out.
The second one who’d stopped me met my gaze with compassion. “We had a good look around, ma’am. It’s all clear.”
I nodded my thanks.
“We’re sorry for the scare.” He handed me his card. “Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any more issues.”