Shame coursed through Eve as she realized how cold it was and what little clothing they were both wearing. What was wrong with her? She ushered them inside. As Eve closed the door, she whirled around. She had squandered that first hug but she wouldn’t waste this one. She pulled Lily to her, holding on tightly.
In her dreams, when Lily returned, Eve was unbreakable. She said and did all the right things. But this was not a dream. Lily was alive. No, it was safe to say that Eve didn’t keep it together. She didn’t keep it together at all.
CHAPTER FIVE
LILY
Lily had expected that her mother would know what to do. Cool, calm, and collected, Lily’s mother was the one everyone turned to in a crisis. “Even-keeled Eve,” her father called her. Dad used to tell the story about Mom working her entire shift at the hospital, a full eleven hours, before telling anyone she was in labor. No matter what happened, Mom had always been unshakable. But that person wasn’t standing in front of Lily. She didn’t know who this was. Her mother was weeping, her body practically disappearing into her old blue robe. Her thin, veined hands kept pushing up dishwater-blond hair, as if by pushing up her hair she could make sense of the senseless. This was unacceptable. They needed help, but her mother was acting helpless.
She glanced out the large bay windows. It would be daylight soon. Rick would realize what he’d done. He’d discover they’d escaped and he’d come looking for them. Lily grabbed Sky’s hand. “Follow me, okay?”
Sky obeyed, keeping pace with Lily as she moved through the house. Lily could hear Mom trailing her but she didn’t look back. She flipped on the light switch and brightness flooded the living room. Lily took in the pretty pastel decor, the colorful throw pillows, the cozy sofa she’d spent hours curled up on, reading or watching TV with Abby. For a moment Lily tried to convince herself that she was safe. But then she remembered his warning, his constant warning. I will never let you go.
Lily turned back to Mom.
“Are the other doors locked? The windows? Are they all locked?” Lily asked.
“Yes, they’re locked. We always keep them locked.”
Lily didn’t believe her. Mom’s lack of awareness when it came to home security had always driven Dad crazy.
“Bad things happen when you least expect them,” he used to say. The irony wasn’t lost on Lily. She would never make that mistake again. Never trust anyone again. She had to test them herself. Once Lily finished securing the downstairs, she stopped and looked around.
She was home. Lily was finally home.
The familiarity assaulted her. Lining the walls were dozens of photos of her and Abby, gap-toothed and grinning up at the camera, awkward phases, bad perms and baby fat on display. Lily searched the walls for new photos, hoping to catch a glimpse of her father and Abby—a glimpse of the future she’d been denied—but time had apparently stopped at Crested Glen. She wanted to see the rest of her family. Needed to see them. She knew that her father was probably at the hospital, but her sister, she had to see her sister.
“Where’s Abby? Where is she?”
“She’s at her place. Her house… it isn’t far, maybe twenty minutes.”
“Call the police. Make sure she’s safe. Make sure she’s safe, and tell them to come here.”
Mom hesitated, staring at Lily as if she were speaking a foreign language.
“Goddamn it, Mom, call the cops. Do it now!”
Standing at Lily’s side, Sky gasped and backed away. Shame coursed through Lily. She never raised her voice. She never used that kind of language. That was his way. She knelt down and wrapped her baby in her arms. Lily needed to remember who she was, not what he’d tried to make her. She stared up at Mom, her voice low and measured.
“Please, Mom. We need the police!”
Her words seemed to trigger something in her mother, who sprang into action. Mom disappeared into the dining room and a moment later, Lily heard her on the phone, speaking in a hushed but frenzied whisper to the 911 operator. Lily held Sky close, trying to keep her calm.
“It’s okay, Chicken. We’re good. We’re safe now. We’ll get warm and dry. We’ll get some food. We’re safe here. Nothing bad is going to happen. Not anymore.”
Lily almost believed those words until she glanced up and saw the strange man standing on the landing that led to the upstairs. Tall, with salt-and-pepper hair and a matching beard, he was clad in only a pair of too-tight plaid boxers, his middle-aged spread on full display.
Lily opened her mouth and screamed, letting loose all the terror and desperation she’d kept bottled up. The man took a startled step back. Before he could gather his wits and come after them, Lily jumped to her feet. Dragging a wailing Sky behind her, she ran into the kitchen. She headed straight to the counter and opened all the drawers, tossing out spatulas and rolling pins, until she located the biggest, sharpest knife she could find. She turned toward the landing, pointing it at the man, mentally daring him to come toward her. This was her house. Her home.
I’m in control now, Lily thought. I’m in control.
CHAPTER SIX
EVE