Page 13 of Trip
“Of course I can do that,” he says, his tone morphing into something protective. “What’s your address?”
I barely get our new street address out when the front door flies open. Instead of freezing like I thought I would in a situation like this, I drop my phone and surge forward. I don’t know what the hell is happening, but it’s my job to protect my sisters from whatever or whoever is trying to get in.
When I step into the living room, I see a man, muscular and nearly a foot taller than me, standing in the middle of the room. While the fear from earlier is still there, bouncing around my chest and threatening to make me break down, there’s anger too. There’s anger so strong that I didn’t know I was capable of possessing it.
“What are you doing?!” I scream, standing my ground even as the man smirks at me and takes another step into my home. “Get out of my house!”
“I won’t be doing that,” he says, giving me the ugliest, most unsettling smile I’ve ever seen.
“Get out!” I yell again, my voice getting louder. I pray that one of our neighbors is home, that someone hears what’s going on in here and calls the police.
“I already told you I’m not leaving,Julia,” he replies, taking another step toward me. He’s way too comfortable in my home. “I won’t leave until I have what I need to settle a score.”
“Wh–” I start, opening and closing my mouth. “How do you know my name? And what the hell do you mean you’re here to settle a score? I don’t know you!”
“Ah, honey,” he says, laughing with no warmth, the sound derisive. “I take it your father never told you and your sisters about what he got up to in the past.”
My blood runs cold.I think part of me hoped that my dad hadn’t actually done anything shady in the past, that it was a way of coping with the randomness of their death. Because I knew in the back of my mind that if it was true, my sisters and I were going to pay for what he’d done.
“My dad’s dead,” I say, as if reasoning with a man that broke into my home is possible. “And so is my mom. They were murdered. They aren’t here to pay up or settle any scores. You need to get the fuck out of my house.”
“Oh, so you’re a feisty little thing,” he says as he gets even closer to me. I stay firmly in place, refusing to give up any ground even if it means standing toe to toe with this guy. “But that’s not going to help you.”
“You’re not making any sense,” I say, the first tremor of fear slipping into my voice.
He sighs, finally coming to a stop in front of me. I have to tilt my head up to maintain eye contact. There’s a smirk on his face, but I don’t let my stone-faced facade crack.
“You really don’t know…” he says, clicking his tongue and reaching up to stroke my cheek. I go still, frozen, unable to doanything but stand there. “Your father owed my family a lot of money. And he tried to run.”
“Stop,” I whisper weakly, not ready to face reality.
My words don’t matter, though. The man in front of me tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, forcing me to look this situation in the eyes. It’s terrible, but there’s no running, there’s no ignoring it. I just have to stand here and endure it.
“But we always had eyes on him,” the man continues. His tone islaissez faire, almost like he’s talking about the weather. “Every house you ever lived in, we knew. We knew when your mother was pregnant with you. And with your two precious sisters. I wonder where they’re hiding.”
“Shut up,” I spit, flinching when he grabs onto my chin.
“Do you know how long it took for us to get an opportunity to take him and your mother out?” he asks. “Years, Julia. Years.”
“Whatever– whatever they owed, it couldn’t have been worth all of that effort,” I reply as I squeeze my eyes closed, my heart pounding in my ears.
“Oh, but it was,” he says. “You know a thing or two about loving your family, don’t you? I couldn’t just let his slight against us go unpunished. What kind of message would we be sending to everyone else? That they can just run from their debts and we’ll let them get away with it?”
He squeezes my chin hard. It’s so hard that I gasp and my eyes fly open. The man is so close that I can feel his humid breath on my face.
“So, I had to kill them, honey. I’m not the kind of man who lets things like this go,” he tells me, a wild, wicked look in his eyes. “But his debt still isn’t settled. You and your cute sistersweren’t there when I was finally able to make my move. That’s okay, though. You three aren’t nearly as careful about covering your tracks. It was much easier to find you and figure out when you’d be alone.”
My entire body quakes, my mind reeling from the declaration. I think my legs are going to give out. This can’t be happening. None of this can be real. It’s a bad dream, it has to be.
The last thing I remember before I collapse is the man growling, “Now, I’m going to take you and your sisters to settle that debt your father left.”
Chapter 8
Trip
I was already on my way out the door the second I heard Julia’s voice. It was obvious how scared she was, even if she thought that her reasons were silly.
But then she started yelling at someone, an intruder, telling him to get out of her house. I listened as long as I could to try and pick up on any clues, but ultimately had to put the phone down so I could speed to her place. I heard enough to know she’s in danger, that whoever’s there is no friend.
