by Box Set
“Idiot,” I whispered. Then I crossed the room and shut off the light, plunging the room into darkness, before going back to the window.
He’s out there. Right now. I know it. He’s waiting to see if the police show up. But I won’t call them. I won’t. He has to know I won’t tell them anything. I won’t tell them about Dylan. I won’t say a word.
Breathing heavily, my heart racing, I moved the slat back into place, made my way across the room and switched on the light.
Maybe I should cancel my date. I don’t really feel like going anywhere.
Then I looked around the room and knew home was actually the least safe place to be. At least when I was by myself.
I can’t let Shelby know about this. She’ll pressure me to call the police, and I don’t need that right now.
Then I thought about Mom. Is she okay? Did they do anything to her? I dialed her cell phone, but she didn’t answer. I’m sure she’s just working and can’t answer her phone. I left a message, then looked at my room.
On impulse, I used my phone to take a couple of pictures of the mess, then as quickly as I could, I cleaned it up. When I was done it was hardly evident that my room had been ransacked.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I checked the time. Tyler would be there in twenty minutes, so I closed and locked the bedroom door, shoved the dresser in front of it for good measure, then took a quick shower and began getting ready.
When I was nearly ready, my phone rang. Worried it was Baldy, Dylan, or someone else calling to threaten me, I lifted my phone with trepidation. But when I saw Mom’s name on the Caller ID, I swiped the phone to answer.
“Hey, sweetie,” she said, a smile in her voice. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer before. I was working. What’s up?”
Tears of relief filled my eyes, taking me by surprise. “Not much. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
She told me about her day—we’d spoken several times since she’d moved, so it didn’t take long to fill me in on the latest. I told her how things were progressing with Tyler.
“Sounds like he could be a keeper,” she said.
I laughed. “He’ll be here soon, so I’d better go.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
We hung up a moment later, my mind at ease that Mom hadn’t been harmed. Though rattled, I focused on getting ready for my date. I paired a flattering black dress that hit my leg mid-thigh with spiky black heels, then swept my hair into a style that had always made me feel pretty. At eight-thirty the doorbell rang. Though an image of Baldy went through my head, eight-thirty was the time Tyler and I had agreed on, so I forced aside my worries and went downstairs to answer the door. Just to be safe, I peered through the peephole and saw Tyler standing on the porch.
“Hello,” I said after I’d opened the door.
His gaze swept over me, then he met my eyes. “You look very nice.”
Flattered, I smiled. “Thanks.” I thought he looked pretty hot himself in a pair of dark grey trousers and a dark blue button up shirt.
“We should probably get going,” he said.
“Okay.” I was happy to get out of my house, but then I thought about Shelby and worried that something could happen to her when she got home. What if Baldy shows up and she’s home alone? Should I warn her? But then she’ll want to call the police and that’s not an option.
Tyler helped me into his car, and as he walked around to his side, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Shelby asking her when she was off work. She texted back that she was off at eleven.
I’ll just make sure I’m home when she gets home. I only hoped Tyler wouldn’t question such an early end to our date.
When we arrived at the dance club and hit the dance floor, I tried to relax and focus on having a good time, but in the back of my mind—well, closer to the front—my thoughts centered on the danger I believed I was in. Evidently Tyler noticed.
A slow song began and he drew me into his arms, but after only a few moments he ran his hand up and down my back and murmured, “You’re so tense, Courtney.”
Pushing out a breath of air, I relaxed my body and snuggled against him, resting my head against his shoulder.
“That’s better,” he said against my ear.
Closing my eyes, I let the music infuse me with its slow and steady beat while Tyler led me around the dance floor.
“Mmmm,” he murmured. “This feels nice.”
In complete agreement, I opened my eyes and tilted my head so that our mouths were only a few inches apart. He took the hint and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, sending a burst of energy through me. His hands tightened around my waist, and I reveled in the strength and security of being in his arms. Right at that moment I felt safe, a feeling I hadn’t experienced overly much lately.
As eleven o’clock approached, I became more and more worried. What will Tyler say when I tell him I need to go home? What will I find when I get there? Will the rest of the house be ransacked? What will Shelby say? Should I tell her what happened?
“I’m not feeling well,” I said at a quarter to eleven, and it was true. The stress was making my stomach churn.
Tyler’s eyebrows pulled together. “Do you want me to take you home?”
Relieved he was making the offer, I eagerly agreed. “Please.”
He seemed to be trying to hide his disappointment, which made me feel guilty and pleased at the same time. Taking my hand in his, he led me out to his car, then helped me into the passenger seat.
“I had a really fun time,” I said as we drove, wanting to make sure he knew I liked spending time with him.
He glanced at me. “I did too.”
We chatted about school and how glad we were that finals would be over after the next week, and when we pulled up to my house I didn’t see Shelby’s car.
Good. I made it home before she did.
Tyler opened my door for me and we walked to the porch together, stopping beside the front door. Suddenly I didn’t want to go inside alone.
“Do you want to come in?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
I unlocked the door and we walked inside. When I’d left earlier I’d left several lights on downstairs and now was glad I did. The idea of walking into a dark house would have only added to my fears.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked before walking into the kitchen.
Tyler followed me. “Yeah. I’d love some soda if you have any.”
Buying soda was out of my budget, so we ended up drinking ice water, but Tyler didn’t complain. “Let’s sit in the living room,” I said, then led the way to the one couch in the cozy room where we sat side by side.
“Have you and Shelby decided where you’re going to live?”
“Not yet.”
“Like I told you before, my complex is pretty nice.”
I smiled, pleased he still liked the idea of me moving near him. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
He set his glass on the small side table and put his arm around me. “Can I be honest with you, Courtney?”
At the look on his face—soft and dreamy—I knew he was going to say something I would probably like to hear. “Of course.”
He tightened his arm around my shoulders as he gazed at me. “The more time I spend with you, the more I like you.”
“Really?”
He laughed. “Yes, really. Why do you sound so surprised?”
I snuggled closer to him. “I don’t know.” I glanced at him shyly. “I really like you too.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Then he lifted my chin with his fingers and pressed a kiss to my lips. My arms went around his neck as our kiss deepened.
The front door opened.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sure it would be Baldy come to finish me off, I sprang back from Tyler as my gaze snapped to the door. “Shelby,” I said on an exhale of relief.
She was all
smiles. “Hey, you two.”
“Hi, Shelby,” Tyler said with a friendly smile. I was glad he didn’t seem annoyed that she’d interrupted our moment.
“How was work?” I asked.
“Busy, but good.” Her smile grew. “Good news. One of the cashiers quit, and when I told my boss what a hard worker you are and how you’re looking for a new job, he said to have you apply and he’d have you come in for an interview.”
I hadn’t actually begun looking for a new job, but the pay would be a lot better—and Baldy wouldn’t be able to sit and stare at me if I was a cashier at a grocery store. “That’s awesome, Shelby. Thanks.”
“You’re my bestie, Court. And I would love it if you worked there with me.” She looked between Tyler and me, then said, “I’m going to bed.”
“Good-night,” Tyler said.
Watching her head up the stairs, I knew I had to tell her what had happened, that someone had been in our house. She had a right to know.
“I’m kind of tired too,” I said.
“I can take a hint,” Tyler said with a small chuckle, then he stood and pulled me to my feet. “Maybe we can get together tomorrow.”
A regretful smile turned up the corners of my mouth. “As fun as that sounds, I really need to study for finals.”
He laughed. “Yeah, me too.”
We walked to the front door, where he kissed me again, and after he left I locked the door and headed upstairs where I found Shelby in her room.
“Looks like the two of you are pretty cozy,” she said with a grin as she moved a textbook from her bed to her desk.
I thought about what Tyler had said earlier—the more time he spent with me, the more he liked me—and a smile of happiness curved my mouth. “It’s getting that way.” Then I thought about Baldy and my room being ransacked. My smile vanished. “Shelby, I need to tell you something.”
Her forehead wrinkled at my solemn tone. “What is it?”
I sat on her bed and she pulled out her desk chair, turned it to face me, and sat as well. “It’s about those men we saw at the park.”
The change in her expression was instantaneous. From curious to anxious in a split second. “What happened?”
I told her how Baldy had come to my work and how scared I’d been when I’d had to take his order. “He said something really creepy.” I described the way he’d leaned towards me across the counter, and how he’d whispered his weird warning.
She shifted in her seat. “‘Silence saves lives’? What a psycho.”
I didn’t disagree, but I knew it was more than that. Much more. “There’s something else.”
“What?”
The memory of finding my room ransacked only hours earlier filled my mind, bringing on a spasm of fear. “Someone came into the house today.”
Her eyes widened. “What? When?”
“While we were at work.”
“How do you know?”
I took out my phone and pulled up the pictures I’d taken, then handed it to her.
She stared at the screen, then looked at me. “Oh my gosh, Courtney.”
I nodded.
Her gaze went back to the screen. “Did you call the police?”
“Of course not.”
She lifted her gaze and stared at me. “Why not? Someone broke in to our house.”
The feel of Baldy’s hand gripping my arm and the ferocity of his voice as he’d warned me to keep quiet crashed over me. “You weren’t there.” My voice was low and intense. “You’re not the one he warned. You’re not the one he threatened.”
Her hands fell to her lap, my phone cradled in her fingers. “So what you’re saying is, you’re going to do whatever they tell you to.” Her tone conveyed her disapproval.
I scraped my hands through my hair. “These guys are scary, Shelby.” I jumped up, paced the room twice, then faced her. “I saw a murder, okay? I watched a guy stab someone. That man died.” Adrenaline flooded my veins at the memory of Dylan plunging the knife into Jeremy Owens’s body. “These people—these gang members—they don’t want me to tell the police what I know. And I don’t want to give them a reason to think I will.” I drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. “If I call the police about the break-in . . .” I shook my head, my lips pressed tightly together. “If I don’t call the police about the break-in, Baldy will know I won’t talk to the police about the murder.”
I sat on the bed, my shoulders slumping. Baldy and his gang had complete control over me, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Shelby set my phone on the desk, then stared at me. “Okay. I get what you’re saying.” Her eyebrows bunched. “This just makes me so mad. These guys are getting away with murder. Literally. It’s just not right. Not when you could help the police catch them.”
Intellectually, I knew she was one hundred percent right. But deep in my gut—which churned painfully at the stress—I was terrified. Then I thought about something else Baldy had said. “The police already suspect them.”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“While Baldy was sitting in a booth eating his food, my boss made me go out and wipe tables. Baldy told me his table was dirty so I came over to wipe it down.”
Shelby grimaced.
Then I told her how Baldy had grabbed my wrist and told me that the police were sniffing around his gang. I didn’t mention Dylan specifically—that would be like saying right out loud that he was the one I’d seen stab Jeremy. To emphasize my worries over Baldy suspecting me, I added, “He accused me of talking to the police. He said it was my fault the police were investigating his gang.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I know that, and you know that. And I swore to him that I hadn’t. But Shelby, he doesn’t trust me.” I shook my head. “That’s not the point. The point is that without my help the police are already looking into a possible connection between them and the murder.” A tentative smile turned up the corners of my mouth. “So you see? There’s no reason for me to get involved after all.”
Shelby frowned. “Let me see if I’ve got this right. The police might suspect the right people, and Baldy and his friends might believe you have nothing to do with that, which means you and I might be safe in this house.” Her nostrils flared. “Then again, we might not be.” She jumped up and jammed her hands against her hips. “This is ridiculous, Courtney. I can’t live here wondering if I might wake up with Baldy or one of his buddies standing over me with a knife in their fist, ready to kill me.” She stared at me. “This isn’t fair. I have nothing to do with this.” She dropped into her seat and rubbed her hands over her face before looking at me again. “Maybe I should go to the police.”
My response was immediate. “What? No, Shelby. You can’t do that.”
“I’m not just going to sit here and wait for something to happen.”
Which is exactly what I’ve been doing. Her words cut deep, but not deep enough to make me change my mind about staying far, far away from Detective Turner. Which meant getting Shelby to stay just as far from the police. Which meant convincing her to keep quiet.
I’m glad I never told her the most important piece of information—that Dylan is the murderer.
“What would you tell them?” I asked.
Her jaw tightened, and I read defiance in her eyes. “That you know who did it.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Betrayal, sharp and bitter, washed over me, and my voice rose in volume. “You’d do that to me? You’d put my life—the life of my mother—in jeopardy?”
Shelby shrank back under the vehemence in my tone. “It was just a thought.”
“I can’t believe you’d even think that.” I turned my face away from her and stared at the wall, my mind careening from one horrible thought to another, all centered around the monstrous consequences of Baldy discovering that I’d told the police the truth.
“I can’t believe you’re being so selfish,” she murmured.
Bl
ood rushed to my head as I swiveled to face her. “Selfish? I’m being selfish? How do you figure?”
The skin around her eyes tightened. “As long as those guys are out there, other people could get hurt. We could get hurt.”
A bark of laughter burst from my mouth, then I did air quotes. “Could get hurt.” I dropped my hands to my lap. “As opposed to definitely getting hurt if I tell the police what I know? Great plan, Shelby.”
Hurt and upset shone from her eyes. “How would Baldy even know you told? Have you thought about that?”
“Of course I have.” In reality, I hadn’t thought too much about that angle. Why would I when my main line of thinking had been how to play it safe and avoid telling the police anything?
“And?”
Compelled to come up with an answer, I said, “If the police arrest the murderer, who do you think Baldy will think of first when it comes time to cast blame?”
“Uh, I don’t know. The murderer?”
The logic of her answer, contrasted with reality, made me laugh, lightening my grim mood. “Yeah, I don’t think they’re all that much into accountability.”
She smiled. “No. Probably not.”
I stared at her as I remembered what a good friend she’d always been. Guilt, worry, and understanding engulfed me. “I’m sorry, Shelby. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. None of this is your fault.”
She stood, then sat beside me and drew me into her arms. “It’s okay. I know you’re scared. I’m scared too.”
Knowing she was on my side and my most loyal ally gave me fresh strength and renewed hope. “Thank you.”
She pulled away and looked at me as a half-smile formed on her mouth. “For what? Threatening to put you into an impossible position?”
I shook my head. “No. For being here. For listening. For supporting me.”
She gazed at me a moment. “I’m still not happy about keeping this to ourselves, but for now I won’t say anything.”
Anxiety at this being further out of my control climbed my throat. “For now?”
“Look. I’m not going to sit idly by if those thugs try to hurt one of us, okay?”