Page 23 of Tangled in His Game

Everything goes quiet, but I don’t move.

I don’t know how much time passes. As I hesitantly get to my feet, I listen carefully. I should’ve brought my phone to the bathroom too. What if the intruder is waiting outside to jump me the moment I come out?

I pad over to the door and press my ear to it.

Nothing.

Is the intruder really gone?

I put on my underwear and shrug on the bathrobe. Everything is still silent outside, but I need a weapon or something because I won’t dare to go out otherwise. Maybe I should just wait in here until my mom and dad come back, but I don’t want anything to happen to them. I need to know what’s going on.

The metal nail file! My mom has one in the cabinet. I quickly find it and grab it. Then I unlock the door. I slowly take a peek into the hallway.

No one’s in sight, and the house is as silent as it can be. I make my way toward the front door. It’s wide open and the handle is broken.

I take a look into the kitchen. No one’s there.

My parents’ bedroom. Empty and everything seems in its place.

Living room, okay.

My room... I hold my breath.

A gasp slips past my lips. My room has been ransacked. Someone has turned everything upside down. My clothes are on the floor. My closet wide open. My drawers pulled out and tossed around.

I search for my phone, but I can’t find it anywhere. My laptop is gone too, along with a few flash drives I kept in my desk drawer.

Oh shit.

Victor. He came for the videos that I said I would leak. I groan in frustration. Of course he’d get the idea to do something like this. I don’t know if he did it himself or he sent someone else, but it was him.

“Honey!” My mom’s panicked voice reaches me.

“I’m okay!” I yell and then rush to meet my parents at the door.

“What happened?” my mom asks, looking me up and down, while my dad inspects the broken front door.

“Someone broke in while I was showering. They took my phone and my laptop!”

“Oh, honey.” She pulls me into a tight hug. “You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

“But my phone and my laptop... I had everything on there!”

It’s not just about everything for college and some private things, but replacing my phone and laptop is expensive. I could ask Victor to return them to me, but I’m sure he would deny everything.

“Don’t touch anything,” my dad says. “I’m calling the cops.”

“You should get dressed,” my mom says.

“Yeah.” I head back to my room.

Should I mention Victor and his threat? Or would it only get me in trouble? I don’t know how dumb he was about this, so if I accuse him, and there’s zero proof against him, there could be drama.

How do I explain a rich guy from my college stole my phone and my laptop? Everyone would think I was lying and was after Victor’s money, especially if they believed Victor’s made-up story about me. If there’s proof it was him, the cops will find it on their own and I won’t have to say anything.

It won’t be my fault if they find Victor’s prints all over the place. And if nothing happens and the cops never figure out who did this, I’ll just have to assume that Victor’s family is untouchable.

I should’ve made more copies of my drive and been smarter about the whole thing. My plan epically backfired.

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