Page 130 of Finders Keepers

“Nobody,” I say quickly, shooting Gavin a pleading look. “It’s just-”

“Don’t lie to me!” He roars, and I jump, nearly dropping the phone. “You’ve got some man there, don’t you? Is that why you left? You fucking–”

“I said that’s enough.” Gavin steps forward, his eyes blazing. “You don’t get to talk to her like that.”

“Gavin, please,” I whisper, but it’s too late.

“Oh, Gavin, is it?” Matt’s voice turns mockingly sweet. “Well, Gavin, let me tell you something aboutmywife-”

“Ex-wife,” Gavin corrects, and I want to scream.

The silence that follows is deafening. I can practically hear Matt’s rage building through the phone.

“You think you know her?” Matt’s voice is deadly quiet now. “You think you know what kind of woman she is? The kind that abandons her family? The kind that-”

“The kind that had to run because you beat her?” Gavin’s words hit like physical blows, and it’s as I start to shake my head in denial, that I feel the tears start falling. “The kind that was protecting her daughter from-”

“Gavin, stop!” I cry out, but it’s too late.

“You listen to me, you mother fucker,” Matt snarls. “You don’t know anything about my family. And Bailey? You’ll never see Sophie again. Never. How’s that for protection?”

The line goes dead.

My legs give out, and I sink to the floor, the phone clattering beside me. Ms. Lucy kneels next to me, pulling me into her arms as I start to sob.

“What have you done?” I look up at Gavin through my tears. “Why couldn’t you just stay quiet?”

“Bailey, I couldn’t just stand there while he–”

“You don’t understand!” I push away from Ms. Lucy, stumbling to my feet. “You don’t know him like I do. When he gets like that… when someone challenges him…” The words catch in my throat. “He’ll hurt her. He’ll hurt Sophie just to punish me.”

“He won’t,” Gavin steps toward me, but I back away. “We won’t let him-”

“You just made everything worse!” My voice breaks. “I could have talked him down. I could have… I always could before. If I just said the right things, agreed with him, took the blame… But now?” Fresh tears spill down my cheeks. “Now he knows about you, and he’ll never… he’ll never…”

The panic attack hits me full force. My chest constricts, and I can’t breathe. The room starts spinning, and black spots dance in my vision. I hear voices—Ms. Lucy calling my name, Gavin trying to apologize—but they sound far away, underwater.

“Bailey, honey, breathe with me.” Ms. Lucy’s voice breaks through the fog. She takes my hand and places it on her chest. “Feel my breathing. In and out. That’s it.”

I try to focus on her steady heartbeat under my palm, on the rise and fall of her chest. Slowly, painfully, my breathing starts to normalize.

“I’m sorry,” Gavin says softly from somewhere behind me. “I was just trying to help. I couldn’t stand hearing him talk to you like that.”

“I know,” I whisper, still not looking at him. “I know you were trying to help. But you don’t understand what he’s capable of. When someone stands up to him, when someone threatens his control…” I wrap my arms around myself, trying to stop shaking. “He doesn’t just get angry. He gets even. And he always makes sure it hurts in the worst possible way.”

“We need to call the police,” Ms. Lucy says firmly.

I look at Gavin then, see the pain and regret in his eyes, and I start to feel guilty for lashing out at him. He was only trying to protect me, to stand up for me in a way no one else ever has. But that’s not what I needed. What I needed was to play my part, to be small and sorry and submissive, to say whatever Matt wanted to hear until Sophie was safe.

I’m sitting beside Gavin, my head resting against his shoulder as he strokes my hair with gentle, reassuring motions. Nugget is curled up next to me with his head in my lap and I gently pet his head with long soothing strokes. Animals can sense when something is wrong, and Nugget is no exception. My eyes are puffy and aching and my throat feels raw and scratchy from all the crying I’ve done. Officer Lyons and his partner, Officer Guerero who was with him at the ice cream shop, just left after taking detailed notes about Matt’s call and messages.

“We’ll check traffic cameras and coordinate with nearby jurisdictions. Every detail helps.” Office Lyons had said, his notepad filled with hurried scribbles and arrows.

Now, Ms. Lucy is bustling around Gavin’s kitchen, the sounds of pots and pans creating a white noise that almost drowns out my racing thoughts. I know she’s trying to keep herself busy, to feel useful in some way, it’s just how she copes. The rich, homey smell of her chicken and dumplings would normally make my mouth water, but right now, my stomach is twisted in so many knots I can’t even think about eating.

My phone suddenly lights up, the same number flashing across the screen as earlier. My heart leaps into my throat, pounding so hard I can feel it in my ears.

“It’s him,” I announce, sitting up on the couch and put it on speaker.

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