“Derek? What are you doing here?”

  “I’m getting what’s mine,” he says, lacing his fingers together and standing in front of me.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about getting my money. I know you know where your mother is, so you need to tell me, otherwise she’s not going to have a daughter for much longer.”

  Terror rips through my body like a jagged knife, and I bite back tears. “Please,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t know where she is. I’ve been trying to call her for months and I haven’t gotten a hold of her.”

  “Stop lying,” he scoffs, glaring at me.

  “I swear on everything I have, Derek, I don’t know where she is. I don’t know anything about her. I thought I did, but… But I don’t.”

  His resentment seems to falter and he looks at me like he might actually believe me. “So you mean to tell me that this bitch ran off with my money again?”

  “She didn’t give you the money Everett sent?”

  He laughs bitterly, without humor. “Fuck no, she didn’t. She told me he was jerking her around, taking his time, and then he outright refused to send it.”

  None of this makes sense. I know for a fact that Everett sent the money to Mom, because he told me on my very first night here when he explained why I was staying with him for a while. She’s had the money for weeks.

  “Derek, I think she ran off with it.” My voice comes out slow, like I’m trying to talk down a potential outburst. I know Derek’s temper, and I know that when he’s upset, he doesn’t hide it.

  “You what?”

  “I think she took the money she owed you and left town. Everett hasn’t talked to her in weeks, and I haven’t seen her since I came to stay with him.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “No bullshit,” I say, shaking my head. “I promise you, Derek, I don’t know where she is or what she did with your money. But if you untie me, I—”

  “I’m not untying you for shit,” he laughs incredulously. “You don’t think I heard about what you did to Leon and his boys? You’re a feisty little one, aren’t you?” Derek approaches me and brandishes his knife, dragging it across my cheek.

  “Please.”

  “No, no,” he says quietly. “No begging. I don’t have time for all those tears and all the pleading. I want my fucking money. I’m owed that goddamn money. And now I want a little more for what you did to Leon.”

  “He started it,” I say indignantly, filled with a sudden anger. “He’s the fucking creep that got mad when I turned him down. He was going to rape me in that alley. That asshole got exactly what he deserved.”

  Derek pulls his knife away and shrugs. “Fair enough,” he chuckles. “You did fuck his face up pretty good, girl. I got half a mind to make you my girl and keep you around. I like your style.”

  My skin crawls, but I keep my jaw set, staring up at him. The idea of being with Derek makes me want to vomit, but I have to remain cool and not let him intimidate me. I can’t let him know that at any moment, I could completely fall apart, the same as I did in the alley.

  “I’m surprised you even talk to him anymore,” I say, trying to stall. Everett should be home any time now, and I have to keep him distracted until Everett returns.

  “What?”

  “He told me you believed my mom over him, and that’s why you kicked him out.”

  Derek nods slowly. “That was before he came to me and told me where I could find you. Said you were hanging around with an older guy. All it took was a bit of asking around to find out who Everett was and where you were staying.”

  “And what exactly are you going to gain from this, Derek? Are you gonna rape me like Leon planned to? Are you gonna torture me until I tell you where Mom is, even though we both know I don’t have a clue where she’s at? What’s your goal here? You keep saying you want your money, but how are you going to get it?”

  I must’ve set him off, because he grabs me by the chin and brings his face close to mine. Close enough for our noses to touch. “Watch your mouth, little girl. I’m trying really hard to keep it together, but your attitude is gonna set me off.”

  Rather than fighting him like I so desperately want to do, I nod and say, “I’m sorry. I just want to help you get the money faster.” That’s when it comes to me. “Take what you want from this house.”

  “You serious?”

  “Yes,” I say, nodding faster. “Everett will still write you a check, but you can take whatever you want from here as…as interest. A fee for all the problems Mom’s caused.”

  Derek considers it for a few moments, then looks around. “He seems like he’s got quite the collection of artwork.”

  “’He has even more of it upstairs,” I say, glancing at the staircase. “It’s all in the last room on the left. That’s where he stores things before he takes them to the gallery. Sometimes he just keeps them up there and eventually hangs them all over the house.” The lies come so easily to me, I almost start to believe them. I just need to get away from him, that’s it.

  “Anything else valuable?”

  “There’s a lot of jewelry in my bedroom. That’s a bit deeper into the house, but my room is the one with the open door. Every other door should be closed.”

  “Alright,” he says, slowly making his way to the staircase. “If you hear him coming, call me. Don’t fucking try anything funny, either, Lane. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”

  “I won’t do anything if you won’t do anything,” I promise.

  Derek gives me a pointed look, then heads upstairs. I wait a few moments before I start to frantically twists at the rope around my hands. It burns against my skin, but I have to get it off of me. I have to get my phone and call the police. The burn almost becomes too much, but I grit my teeth and power through it, eventually feeling the rope slide off my wrists. I hold back a cry of pain when I touch the burns and stand, searching for my phone. I can’t find it.

  Rather than spending time looking for it, I run to the kitchen. I grab the knife lying on the counter next to my pizza and head as deep into the house as I can. When I see Everett’s office, I slip inside and lock the doors.

  I snatch the phone from his desk and dial 911 as fast as I can, but my hands shake hard and I nearly drop the phone. Finally I’m able to connect with the operator and I explain my situation, stumbling over my words as I try to get out the address. I end the call before the woman can ask me to stay on, then dial Everett.

  “Lanie,” he says when he answers. “Missing me already?”

  “Where are you? Please tell me you’re on your way home.”

  “Woah, slow down. What’s wrong?”

  “Derek is here, Everett. He’s in the house. He tied me up but I got out. I’m in your office right now, and I have a knife. Please, please come home.”

  “Fuck,” he says, deep and low. “Did you lock the door?”

  “Yes. I’m under your desk. I’m scared he’s gonna hurt me.”

  “I’m on my way right now,” he says, and I hear his tires screech in the background. “Don’t open that door for anyone but me, do you understand me? I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay,” I say, trying to sound braver than I feel. I can hide out for fifteen minutes. This place is huge, and Derek could look all night and still never find me.

  “I’m on my—”

  There’s a sudden crack of lightning, and at the same time, the lights flick off and the line goes dead.

  13

  Everett

  L ane? Lane! Goddamn it!” I bang my fist on the steering wheel and try to keep it together. Everything in me is on high alert, and I press down harder on the acceleration, flying down the street. I don’t have time to waste, not with that psychopath at the house with Lane.

  I know about him and all the things he’s done. He’s not one to be rationalized with, and if Justine’s stories are even half true, he’s willing to go to extremes to get what he wants. I can’t let him do anything to her. Not my Lanie.

  The ride would normally take me fifteen minutes, but speeding, I make it there in only ten. I don’t even bother turning the car off before I jump out and take off for the front door. It’s not locked, and I burst through it, calling out to him.

  “Derek? Derek, where the fuck are you?”

  The only sound is the heavy rain on the roof and my wet, squeaking shoes as I step further into the house. The flash of lightning startles me, but I continue searching for Derek. I have to get to him before he can get to Lane. That’s the only thing on my mind. As I pass the kitchen, I grab a knife from the block, hoping I don’t have to use it but fully prepared to.

  When I can’t seem to locate him, I head toward the office. Lane is there, and I can get her out of the house if we hurry. But when I turn the corner and I see both doors to my office busted open, panic starts to settle into my stomach. This isn’t right.

  As I approach the open room, I hear a shuffle behind me, and I spin around.

  “No,” I say.

  Derek has Lane in his arms, holding her close. Resting against her neck is a switchblade. Lane’s eyes are full of terror, tears streaming down her cheek, and it takes everything I have not to reach forward and try to take her into my arms.

  “Derek, what are you doing?” I ask, using my calmest voice. “Tell me what you want and I can give it to you.”

  “I want these Westwood bitches to stop running off, that’s what I want,” he growls. “I told you to stay put, Lane. I told you to keep your ass seated and we wouldn’t have any problems. But you just couldn’t follow orders, could you?”

  I can see this man growing more and more upset by the second, and all it would take is a simple swipe of his hand to take Lane away from me. Thinking on my feet, I say, “Derek, look at me. Look at me.”

  His gaze turns to me and I can see the fire in them. “What?”

  “Tell me what’s going on and I’ll make it better. Did you come here for money? Is that it? Because I can write you a check for however much you want right now. No bullshit, just name your price and I’ll take care of it.”

  He thinks it over, suspicious. Eventually, he says, “One million.”

  “Done,” I shrug. “Come with me and I’ll write the check right now. Just let Lane go.”

  Derek laughs cruelly. “Fuck no. She’s my leverage. I know how you rich people are. You love to scam people and keep all the money to yourself. I’m not letting Lane go until I have that money in my hands. Then we’ll see about giving Lane back to you.”

  “Fair enough,” I nod. “I’m not going to scam you, but if that makes you feel better, we can do that. All I ask is that you put the knife down. You’ve made your point, but now you’re really scaring her. She has nothing to do with this. Your problem is with me and her mother. So just put the knife down, okay?”

  A breath of relief washes over the room when Derek slowly puts down his knife. He still maintains his tight grip on Lane, but the fear in her eyes lessens just a bit. She can breathe again.

  I walk into my office and sit down at the desk, trying to flick on the light. “Damn it,” I mutter. The power’s been knocked out. Rather than doing this online, I pull out my checkbook and grab a pen. Across the room, Derek steps inside with Lane, looking around at everything in my office.

  “What I wouldn’t kill to have a place this fancy,” he mutters.

  More like who you wouldn’t kill, I think bitterly. I keep my lips pressed tight together and continue writing the check, scribbling down his name and the dollar amount that I want to give him.

  “And this check won’t bounce, will it? You actually have a million in your account?”

  “I do,” I say simply, keeping my voice neutral. “You take this check and you cash it in the morning. It won’t bounce, and I won’t report an issue when my bank calls me to ask what this sudden withdrawal is about.”

  “Good,” Derek nods. “You almost done? I’m losing my patience.”

  I sign the bottom of the paper and tear it from the stack, folding it in half and handing it to Derek. He reaches forward and snatches it from me, reading everything over. I’m assuming he’s checking to see if I’ve done something to make the check invalid, but I did everything right. I don’t care how much money he wants, I have enough to give him, especially if it concerns Lane.

  “Thank you,” he says, smirking. “I should’ve come to you for all that money in the first place.”

  “I suppose technically you did. Justine gave you my money.”

  “She was supposed to, sure. Either way, now I just need to clean up all the loose ends.”

  “Loose ends?”

  Derek slides the check into his back pocket, and when he pulls his hand back out, there’s a gun. Lane reacts instantly, screaming. But Derek doesn’t point it at her. He points the barrel directly at me.

  “Derek,” I say, shouting over Lane’s screaming. “Derek, I gave you your money! You don’t have to do this.”

  “Actually, I do. I can’t have you going to the cops tomorrow morning. I can’t have either of you doing that. I wish it was different, and it could’ve been, if Justine hadn’t ran. So, thanks for the money. Pleasure doing business with you.”

  Everything happens too fast to process. Just as he pulls the trigger, Lane throws herself to one side, knocking Derek off balance. The bullet pierces the glass window beside me in an explosion of shards. The gun slips from his hand and clatters out into the hallway. Stumbling, Lane slips out of Derek’s grip and takes off. Derek starts to run after her, but before he can get too far, I rush towards him, tackling him.

  I don’t see anything but Derek in my tunnel vision. The only thing on my mind is keeping him pinned to the ground and away from Lane. He rolls onto his back and slams a fist into the side of my head, which leaves my ear ringing. I can see it in his eyes. He’s not going to stop until he kills us.

  That’s all the permission I need.

  Something inside me snaps, and all of my rational thoughts fade away. The only thing left to do is protect myself and Lane, by any means necessary. I bring a fist down into his face, pounding every inch I can get my hands on. My knuckles ache and my arms scream for a break, but I can’t. Not with this man in my house. Not with our lives on the line. I bring up both fists, prepared to swing them down, when I feel a sudden, sharp pain in my side. I turn to see Derek’s hand around the handle of a knife dripping with blood.

  When he brings it up and into my side a second time, I feel it rip through my skin. I cry out and try to climb off of him, but Derek pulls me closer, stabbing me a third time. I collapse onto my back, and Derek straddles my chest, grinning down at me with a battered, bloody face.

  He’s something out of a horror movie, with his shattered nose and his blood-stained teeth. Derek presses the knife to my throat and pierces the skin. It’s not enough to kill me, but I feel more blood roll down my neck.

  “I’m gonna make your little girlfriend mine,” he says, sneering. He brings the knife up high, prepared to swing down when there’s a sudden pop that deafens me. Derek shudders, and we both turn our heads to see Lane at the end of the hallway, shaky hands holding his gun.

  “Get off of him,” she yells, firing again. Derek cries out this time, stumbling off of me. He gets to his feet, but he’s unstable.

  “Lane,” he coughs, blood spilling from his mouth. “Wait—”

  The third shot goes through his head.

  Derek collapses to the floor in a heap, and I see the sudden shift in Lane’s demeanor. That determined edge is gone as the weight of what she’s done sets in. She drops the gun and panics for a moment before she meets my eyes.

  Lane rushes to my side and drops to her knees. “I-I-I tried to come sooner, but I had to find my cellphone to call the police. Are you okay?” She looks down at the growing stains on my shirt and she flinches. “Oh fuck, Everett. Oh my god…”

  “Towels,” I say, my voice raspy. “Stop the bleeding. And call Davis. He’ll know what to do.”

  Lane runs off to do as I said, and I stare at the ceiling, trying not to slide out of consciousness. I can’t go out like this. I can’t go out this way after everything that I’ve done to keep us both safe. Not when I’ve finally learned what it feels like to be cared about by someone as good as Lane.

  She returns quickly and begins trying her best to doctor me up until the ambulance arrives. She applies pressure and looks down at me, her eyes welling with tears. “You can’t die on me, Everett. Do you hear me? You can’t fucking die, okay?”

  I smile weakly and try to nod. “Okay.”

  “You promise me?” Her voice is frail, and it cracks as she speaks. “Promise me you’re not gonna die.”

  “I won’t die,” I say, coughing hard. “Not tonight. I promise.”

  She presses her forehead to my chest. “I love you, Everett. I love you so much.”

  I ignore the strained ache that I feel in my side as I lift my arm to hold her. Nothing could ever hurt more than seeing her this upset.

  “I love you too, Lanie.”

  14

  Lane

  Five months later…

  T here’s a slight chill to the morning air when I step outside, but thankfully the cup of coffee in my hands is impossibly hot. It keeps my fingers warm as I lean against the balcony of the porch, looking out at the acres of trees behind the house. I’m still not used to this beautiful new place.

  After everything that happened with Derek at the house, he decided it would be better to get us out of that place and living somewhere nicer. I wanted to argue, because I know how hard it is to sell a house, but he assured me he wouldn’t be selling the old one. His family owned that property, and it was part of his bloodline. Instead, he’d simply use that as an oversized office, of sorts. He’d still do work there, but he wanted us to live somewhere else entirely. Somewhere nobody else knew about.

 

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