Page 16 of Before the Night Falls
She paused and looked over her shoulder. “Yes?”
“You know I’m just giving you a hard time, right?”
“I do.” Olivia tilted her head at her friend, thankful for the levity he brought to her life. “Goodnight, Wes.”
She started back to her room.
Nighttime was what she dreaded the most.
The darkness reminded her too much of her time in captivity.
But she was a big girl and could handle this.
That didn’t stop the shiver from raking through her body, however.
When she walked into her room, she froze.
It was dark. Strangely dark.
Her nightlights were gone, she realized as dread pooled in her stomach.
Her heart pounded in her ears, hard and rapid.
What could have happened to them?
* * *
Tyson heard the gasp in the distance. It sounded sharp, panicked.
He was in the kitchen grabbing a late-night protein shake when the sound made him pause mid-pour.
That had come from Olivia, hadn’t it?
Setting down his glass, he moved quickly up the stairs and down the hallway. Three long strides, and he was at her door.
He knocked once, gently. “Olivia? Everything okay in there?”
Silence.
“Olivia?”
“I’m—” Her voice caught. “I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine.
Tyson had been watching her carefully since she’d arrived. He’d watched the way her eyes constantly scanned rooms. The way she startled at sudden movements.
And then there were those nightlights she’d plugged in everywhere. Two in her bedroom. One in the bathroom. Another in the hallway.
That wasn’t normal.
“May I come in?” he asked.
More silence. Then: “Yes.”
Tyson slowly pushed her door open.
Olivia stood in the center of the room, the lights on overhead and her arms wrapped around herself. “They’re gone.”
