When I wake up, he is gone. I’m not where I am supposed to be either. I’m sitting in my minivan, slumped over the steering wheel. My head is pounding, and I can barely lift it. I sit back, trying to remember what happened. I then open my eyes and touch my face. I look at myself in the rearview mirror and see my bloody face. The blood has been smeared all across the steering wheel as well. It looks like it has come from my nose. It is swollen and painful. I have a cracked lip as well, and my head feels heavy but other than that, I seem fine. I suddenly remember what happened and turn to look at the house across the street. There are police officers there and ambulances. The black truck is gone.
Duke!
I see him as he is being rolled out on a stretcher and into the ambulance. My heart drops at the sight.
I messed it all up. Instead of saving him, I messed it up.
I stare at the two-story house, wondering if I should go over there and tell them I was there, that I saw someone in there. But then my phone makes a sound in my purse, and I pick it up.
I WOULDN’T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU
A frown grows between my eyes as I read the text. The sender is not a number I know. I write back: WHO IS THIS?
THEY’LL FIND YOUR BLOOD IN THERE AND YOUR FINGERPRINTS ON THE DOOR.
I read the text over and over again, wondering if this is the killer…if this is the guy who knocked me down. It has to be, right? How else would he know these details?
WHO ARE YOU?
He doesn’t answer me, and I can’t seem to make up my mind. Should I go over there and tell the police what I saw, what I know? Will they believe me? Or will it look like I am the guilty one? Is this person right? I grab the phone, then call the number, but he doesn’t answer. My hands are shaking in frustration and confusion as I try again. No answer. No voicemail. Nothing.
I text him again.
IS IT YOU, RYAN? IS IT? ANSWER ME! I AM GONNA TELL THEM EVERYTHING!
I sit still, my heart beating fast, waiting for him to answer. An officer has had his eye on me for a little while, and now he starts to move toward me. I’m freaking out. I’m terrified he’s gonna ask me questions, so I start up the engine, then wait.
Another sound comes from my phone. It’s him again.
IF YOU TALK TO THE POLICE, I’LL COME FOR YOU AND THE KIDS!
I look at the words, my hands shaking. The officer is close now, and I can tell he wants to talk to me. I don’t even think about it. I push the accelerator down and roar past him, praying it’s too dark for him to see my plates.
Chapter 33
I sneak back into the condo. My mom is sleeping on the couch, snoring lightly. I am relieved to find that everything seems calm. I hurry to the bathroom, then wash off all the blood, my heart still racing in my chest. On my way back, I circled the neighborhood a few times, just to make sure no one followed me. I have seen it in movies and thought it was a good idea.
The blood comes off, but my nose is still big and swollen, and my lip is double its normal size. I don’t know how I am going to explain this to my mother when I wake her up and tell her to go home, but then I realize it’s past midnight, and it’s too late for her to walk home anyway. I decide to let her sleep and put a blanket on top of her, then walk to the front door and check the locks are properly locked a second and a third time. I go to the kitchen and find the ibuprofen and take two to get rid of the excruciating pain in my head. I then go to the kids’ room and check on them both. The condo is only two bedrooms, so they have to share, which they are not all too happy about, especially not Isabella. Her crutches are leaning on her bed, ready for when she needs them. Soon, she won’t need them as much anymore, I hope, as she is making great progress—at least physically. Mentally, I fear it’s an entirely different story.
I sigh and go back to my own room, where I turn out the lights and go to sleep. I get at least two or maybe three hours before I wake up bathed in sweat. I am certain I heard a sound and jump out of bed, heart knocking against my ribcage. I don’t have my gun anymore since Ryan took it when he attacked me in Duke’s bathroom. I have no way of protecting us if he is coming for us now.
I stand next to the bed, listening, but the noise is gone now. I calm myself by trying to breathe properly. I sit on the bed, my legs shaking, and then I bend my head and hide my face between my hands while I cry.
I call Frank the next day, and he comes over on his lunch break. When I open the door, he gasps.
“What on Earth happened to your face?”
“I’ll tell you everything. Come in.”
He is still staring at me like he isn’t even quite sure it is me. My face does look awful. My nose is so swollen, it fills half my face, and it makes my eyes look narrow, not to mention my lip. On top of it all, I am in deep pain. My head is pounding despite the pills I have taken, and the light from outside bothers me, so I keep the curtains closed.
“How did the kids react when seeing you like this?” he asks.
“I had my mom take care of them and drive Damian to school and take Isabella to her physical therapy. My mom has begged me to take her for days because she wants to be there for her and see how well she is doing. I didn’t tell her what happened. I don’t want her to be sad or worried about me. I told her I had too much to drink and that I couldn’t get out of bed, speaking through the door, so she wouldn’t see me. I’ll have to deal with the kids later since they will see this at some point. I just couldn’t deal with it all this morning. I needed time to figure out what to tell them.”
“Can I get you some water? Or coffee?” he asks.
I nod. Frank is always so nice to me. “Coffee would be great, thanks.”
He pours me a cup and one for himself, and we sit down. I swallow another pill to subdue the pain, then sip my coffee.
Frank sighs. I can tell he is upset. Seeing me like this makes him concerned; of course, it does.
“I take it Ryan did this to you?” he asks. His nostrils are flaring lightly, and I can tell he is getting himself worked up.
I nod and look into my cup. “I mean, I didn’t see his face. It all happened too fast, but I am pretty sure it was him. He knocked my face into the tiles when I tried to stop him from killing another guy from his unit.”
Frank almost choked on his coffee. “There was another one?”
I nod. “This time, I actually saw it happen. I saw him drag the guy up the stairs and prepare him in the tub. I even saw the knife being placed on his wrist. There’s no doubt anymore. He’s killing his way through the unit, getting rid of these people for some reason.”
“I take it you told everything to the police?” Frank asks.
I try to avoid his eyes.
“You didn’t talk to the police?” he asks. “Why the heck not?”
“I was knocked out, and I woke up in my car, blood smeared everywhere. The police will find my blood and fingerprints all over the place. I didn’t wear gloves, but he did. I can still feel them from when he touched me. And then…well, there was this.”
I pick up my phone and show him the texts.
“He threatened the kids. I couldn’t risk it, Frank; you have to understand. I simply couldn’t.”
“Hey. Hey, take it easy,” Frank says and grabs my hand in his. “No one is blaming you for anything, okay? You want to protect your kids, of course, you do. It’s just that…well, if you don’t speak up soon, then he’ll get away with this. And since he knows that you know what he is up to, he might come after you anyway. He knows that you have identified him. I say you need to get the police all over him right now.”