I went over to the window and glanced out. I’d had plenty of experience climbing out of windows from growing up under my dad’s roof, and this one wouldn’t be too difficult. The window opened to a lower level roof, and a tree butted up to it that would help me the rest of the way down. I had already looked at it earlier, when I first saw the checks. The windows had bars on them, but they could be opened from the inside - and I’d already figured out how to do that.
“This is it,” I said to myself.
My eyes fell on the desk and I had one final thought - there was a plastic baggie on Graham’s desk with crumbs of what seemed to be a sandwich of some sort. I grabbed it and wrapped my phone in the plastic. Better to keep everything dry. I would eventually need to get a burner phone, but for now, I only had this one, and I needed to stay in contact with Liv.
Liv was waiting for me at the end of the road with a rental car in her name. She used her husband’s credit card so it would be harder to track, or so I hoped. I promised to pay her back one day once my life was back to normal - if it ever got back to normal.
I remember the phone call clearly. “Don’t worry about paying us back, Emmy. You’re family and your safety matters more than money. We’re not hurting financially.”
She was right. And at one time, neither was I. But the tables had turned.
“You are family, Liv, and that’s why I promise to make it up to you. You’re the only person I can count on right now.”
Tears had filled my eyes when I talked to her, but she comforted me. God, I had missed her all these years, and who knows when I’d see her again. If I stayed here and let Graham and the others catch Antonio like they promised... No, they would never be able to take down the Lombardos, I told myself. And who knows what kind of trouble I’d be dragged into in the meantime.
I wouldn’t be tied to another man I didn’t know, and since I couldn’t hide the pregnancy forever, I’d eventually be tied to Graham. And while at one time I’d relished the idea of that - I was scared now. What if he was like my dad? Or other men that had seemed so normal and nice at first?
I had taken a deep breath and opened the window. It took me a few minutes with the bars, and I made a lot of noise, but hopefully Sam was still downstairs with the laundry. I’d given them no reason to suspect I was leaving. They wouldn’t be looking for me, especially not leaving through this back window.
I climbed out of the window, and my foot slipped. The rain wasn’t as heavy as earlier, but the roof was slippery. I held onto the ledge as I got my footing. I slid down to my butt and pushed my way down the roof. I couldn’t risk falling.
It seemed to take forever to reach the edge of the roof, but once there, I let my legs hang off the ledge. I closed my eyes and thought about the layout of the house. I was right above the kitchen. Most likely, no one would be there. Mason would be in the office. Sam was either in the laundry room or by my door. Did he have to pass through the kitchen? I had no idea. I didn’t know where they did laundry. I didn’t know the house that well.
But I decided to take a chance anyway.
I grabbed onto the large branch that overhung the roof and swung myself onto it. From there it was a short, six-foot drop to the ground. I held my breath and let go, landing softly on the muddy ground below.
I sighed deeply, but it was too early to feel relieved. I had to keep going.
The front gate wasn’t only closed but being monitored. I also knew from conversations with the guys that the place was fenced in. I didn’t know how high that fence might be, but I prayed I could climb it. I ran to the woods, hiding amongst the trees and hoping Mason wouldn’t see me.
They were likely monitoring the entranceways mostly and areas closer to the house. That should buy me some time.
The rain had let up for a few minutes, but then the sky opened up and the downpour commenced. I pulled the hood of Graham’s sweatshirt over my head even though it did little to protect me from the rain.
The rain made it hard to see, which was also an advantage for me. The cameras were less likely to see me, hopefully. But I also couldn’t see very far in front of me. I had to be careful where I stepped, but I also had to hurry. I wasn’t sure when Graham would be back or how much time I had.
Graham… I had trusted him. I thought I knew him. But clearly, I knew nothing about him. And now wasn’t the time to let my guard down.
The truth was the only person I could count on was myself. That much was clear.
I saw the fence ahead and stopped in my tracks. The fence was likely very tall, but I couldn’t really tell because it was mostly underwater.
“Shit,” I cursed to myself, freezing in my spot mere feet away from the rushing flood waters.
I remembered the moment on the bridge. How close I had come to being swept away. If it hadn’t been for Graham…
I could hardly breathe as I was overcome with panic. I’d had only a few panic attacks in my life, but this was certainly going to be a doozy.
Breathe, Emilia. Just breathe. You’re safe.
I was far enough away to be out of danger for now. But I knew flash floods were unpredictable. I had to get to higher ground.
The road leading to the house was on higher ground, though I wouldn’t be able to walk along it in case Graham drove by. I’d get close and try to stay amongst the trees. I could hurry through near the front gate and then rush toward the end of the road where Liv was waiting for me with a car.
I can do this, I told myself. One foot in front of the other.
I walked toward the road and got close enough that I could see it but far enough away to hide amongst the trees.
Just ahead, I saw the gate. It opened and I ducked behind a tree. A pickup truck drove down the road. It wasn’t Graham’s truck - it had to be Eli. He had gone out with Graham earlier. I was concentrating so hard, I nearly screamed when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, keeping it in the plastic baggie I had grabbed from the house earlier.
It was Graham.
Dammit. He was probably home. He might be looking for me.
I had to hurry.
I ran back into the woods. There had to be another way across.
Graham
I stood out in the pouring rain. My truck was parked at the gate, and as far as Mason could tell from watching the video surveillance, she hadn’t left through the gate. If she went anywhere, it would have been over the fence.
But where?
The easiest path would be through the woods; it was a straight shot from my window to the front. I took off in that direction.
“Emmy!” I yelled, hoping she could hear me through the rainfall. “Emmy, it’s not safe out here!”
The river was flooding along the property line, and torrents of water rushed right beside me. I wouldn’t doubt that the small bridge at the gate would be washed out before long. The weather was worsening, the flooding get bad, and Emmy was out here somewhere. Without a car, which meant she was on foot in the pouring rain with the water rising around us.
The water was violent as it crashed into the earth beside me. The dirt crumbled under my feet. One wrong move and I might fall into the rapids, swept away without a hope of saving myself. What if that happened to her, I thought to myself. My heart ached, but I told myself to push on. I was terrified I wouldn’t find her and what that might mean for her.