Baby Doll(7)

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


Lily’s piercing scream startled Eve.

“Oh my God,” she said as she leaned down to retrieve the phone, her panicked plea to the 911 operator interrupted.

“Ma’am, what’s going on? Hello? Ma’am?”

Eve was cursing herself. How could she have been so stupid as to leave her child alone for even a second? She rushed back to the kitchen, still clutching the phone. She saw Lily standing in the center of the room beside the island, Eve’s giant boning knife in one hand, her other hand protectively shielding the little girl. Eve gazed up at the landing and saw the man she’d brought here last night. She’d completely forgotten about him. Eddie? Or maybe Ethan? She couldn’t remember. She stared at his fat gut sticking out, his eyes wide with surprise.

Eve was disgusted with herself. He’d told her she was pretty, plied her with Chardonnay, and listened patiently when she’d told him about her two daughters. All Eve’s friends had grown tired of her sad tale. She had grown tired of it too. It was easier to go out, to find strangers who’d listen to her. She’d create elaborate stories about her twin girls and how picture perfect their lives were. In the end, all she really wanted was someone to hold her, to ease the empty ache inside her. Instead they’d had clumsy sex that she instantly regretted.

“Who is that? Who is it?” Lily shouted.

“Get out,” Eve yelled at the man. “Get the hell out!”