Maybe. I’m having a hard time thinking past my fear. My father’s loose and I’m afraid. It’s filling every corner of me and I am so ready to be done with being scared.
Beyond our windows, pink and gray light leaks past the neighboring building. It’s almost seven thirty and my thoughts leap—and cling—to Lily. I have the cell. I could call. No one would know . . . unless Lily’s phone is tapped too. But if it’s not . . . if I had a shot at talking to her . . .
Hope tiptoes along my spine on spider legs. I’m not supposed to contact them. Those are the rules. Bren even told Norcut she didn’t want me to, but surely—surely—Lily doesn’t agree. I just need to know they’re okay. I just need . . . my sister. She’s worth the risk.
I stand, stretch. There’s still no reaction from Kent so I wander to the door, down the hall.
The girls’ bathroom is to my left and I never once look at the security camera. I am my father’s daughter right now. I’m pretending everything is fine. Inside, I turn on all the faucets, sit in the first stall, and stare at the phone.
Problem is, if the house really is wired, there are probably bugs as well. Hart and Norcut will hear everything. Which means my best shot at reaching Lily is right now—before school, but after she’s left the house.
They haven’t wanted to talk to me. What if she hangs up? I’m not sure I could handle that.
Then again, I definitely can’t handle not knowing. I want to hear her voice. I want someone I can trust telling me they’re okay.
Even so, my fingers are slick on the keypad. I hold the phone to my ear, listen to it ring. Ring again. What if it goes to voice mail?
I switch ears. I can’t decide whether to leave a message. Leaving one would be as bad as having a conversation around the bugs and cameras. It would leave a trace and totally compromise this phone. And if Lily really doesn’t want to talk to me and she shows the message to Bren, I’m beyond hosed.
On the other hand, I may have to leave a voice mail. Lily might not pick up if she doesn’t recognize the number. Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrap—
“Hello?”
I sit straight. I want to yell and I’m having to whisper. “Lily!”
“Wick! Oh my God, Wick!” There’s a bubble in my sister’s voice. It’s either tears or laughter and I can’t decide which, but I feel the same way. “Are you okay? Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine! I’m fine!” I pause, jerking her words around until they make sense. “Why wouldn’t everything be okay?”
“Because Mom’s been trying to reach you!” Lily holds the mouthpiece so close I can hear each breath. “They keep saying you’re not taking our calls.”
22
“Are you there?” Lily asks. “Wick? Mom feels really bad about what happened. Please don’t shut us out anymore.”
Shut them out? My brain is tingly, fuzzy, and I sound so very far away when I answer, “Lil, I haven’t refused your calls. I was told I wasn’t allowed to call.”
She hiccups. “Mom would never do that!”
I take a deep breath and then another. Either Bren’s lying about the phone situation . . . or Norcut is.
“Mom wants to talk to you, Wick.” Again, the mouthpiece is tucked close. Her breathing’s ragged and shallow as mine now. “I miss you. I miss you so much. It’s not the same without you. We’re not the same family. Please come home.”
Now I am crying.
“I’m scared, Wick.”
I grip the phone tighter. “Why?”
“There are men watching the house. I’ve seen them. Mom—Bren won’t admit it, but I know she sees them too.”
I rub one fist against my breastbone, but the knot in my chest refuses to loosen. “She probably thinks it would scare you worse to know the truth. The house is being watched for your protection. Michael escaped and those men are there to make sure he doesn’t bother you.”
“Why would he?” Lily’s words skew up an octave. “Why would he even stay around here? Isn’t he worried about being caught again?”
“I don’t know.” I waver. My gut’s telling me not to say anything further, but I kept Lily in the dark for so long. Maybe it’s time I trust her? She’s not the girl she used to be. Honestly, neither am I.
I pinch the skin between my eyes and force the words. “They think . . . they think there’s something around here he wants.” I pause, listening to her breathing. It hitched once, but she’s still there.
“You need to come home, Wick. We need to fix this. Promise?”
“I promise.” It escapes before I realize I even said it, before I realize I even thought it. That’s the thing with Lily and me, she asks and I answer. Always. And for several seconds, all I can think about is how Hart and Norcut took this away from us. If they lied about the phone stuff, it’s very possible they lied about the security too, and in my head, Alex’s smile slithers wider and wider.