Tiffany POVKnock. Knock. I bolt off the couch and scurry towards the front door. My heartbeat quickens. Jane said she has gotten some new information but wanted to talk to us face to face and not over the phone. I couldn’t tell from her voice, though, if it is good news or something bad. Silently, I pray it is good news and something we can work with, like the stupid event that was scheduled again is now off. That would make my day. Unfortunately, Trevor and I have had to put our plans to go on a little vacation on hold. Maybe this is going to be good news, and the vacation is back on with only a slight delay. That would make my day.I slide to a stop in front of the door and whip it open. “Hi, Jane.” She gives me a curt nod and walks past me like she is on a mission. A dark cloud follows her into the apartment and hovers over all of us. I don’t like this. Timidly, I make my way back to the couch and sit beside Trevor while Jane sits in the nearby chair. I nervously w
Tiffany’s Father POV“Did you think you could hide from us? You still haven’t paid us, and you know we don’t like people running from their debts.” Spit flies into my face as I look up at the thug. His face contorts as rage burns bright in his eyes. Three more thugs stand behind him a short distance in the warehouse waiting to take their turn at me. The stench of smoke and alcohol fills my nose as the thug leans in closer and growls, “But running makes it fun.” A spark shimmers in his eyes, while a cold shiver runs down my back. I frantically shake my head. “I wasn’t running. I was trying to find my daughter. She will pay my debts. She always does.” His eyes narrow and the muscle along his jaw twitches. “The same daughter who you said had valuable things in her apartment to apply against the debt?”I frantically nod again. “Yes. You can take it all and apply it against my outstanding balance. I’m sure there is enough to cut my balance in half. She has a good-paying jo
Trevor POVRing…ring…ring…Tiffany’s sweet voice asks, “Do you want me to get it for you? Or do you want me to let go of you so you can get it?”The warmth inside her embrace is the best medicine for my frazzled nerves, but I can’t make her stay with me all the time. A soft chuckle rumbles around in her chest while I tighten my arms around her. She pats my back. “I’ll grab it. Hold on.”Together, we lean towards the end table next to the couch. As soon as she picks up the phone and looks at it, her eyebrows furrow. “Your phone says black sheep. Who is black sheep?”I take a deep breath. I need to take this call. It is the one I’ve been waiting for. He had called me back several days ago, but something came up as soon as we started to talk, and he had to go. So, I never got to ask him any questions about Tiffany’s father. I turn around but stay within my girlfriend’s comforting arms and take my phone. “Hey, cous. We finally get to talk, or do you have to rush off again?”
Tiffany POVWith a wide grin, I scan the living room. The private hut looks more like a luxurious penthouse instead of some bungalow at a resort.I’m so glad we listened to Kyle and got away for a night. He had promised he could get us the one unit farthest away from the others, which would give us more privacy. I tighten my grip on my bag and spin around. “This is amazing! I want to come back again some other time when we can spend more time here.”A hearty chuckle fills the room. Trevor walks in behind me and chimes, “We haven’t been here long enough to know whether we will like it or not. But I must admit it looks amazing so far. I’ll put it on the list of potential places where we can go on vacation together in the future. We probably won’t have enough time this time to see much of it, though. We need to leave tomorrow.”I sigh and pout. “I wish we had more time. You deserve it.”He deserves so much more than a night away, but I’ll take whatever we can get. With a slig
Trevor POVMy stomach churns as I stare out the van window. The buildings buzz by in a blur, while the cars on either side of us stay right beside us. The noise from the busy world outside doesn’t register with me and sounds only like a slight buzz in the back of my head.All my thoughts are still stuck on the event and what will happen now. I don’t want to see the crazy witch ever again. There is no way I could be in the same room as her. A cold shiver runs down my back as I remember her wild look in her eyes. This morning, I had tried to tell Jane I can’t do this, but she keeps saying she has had it all work out and it will be fine. My foot bounces as a thin layer of sweat coats my palms and my body. No matter what I do, I feel like I’m dangling from a high bridge by a rope and, any minute, someone will come along and cut it. It isn’t a question of if they will do it, but when. Why won’t anyone listen to me? Tiffany cups my hand and intertwines our fingers. “Honey
Rhonda POV Trevor’s deep voice seeps into the changing room and ignites the butterflies in my stomach. “Don’t worry. I’m coming.” I bite my lower lip. It is time. I’ll finally have him all to myself. Looking around the small room, I make sure everything is set. Wine. Check. Comfortable chairs. Check. My fun bag. Check. My body nearly vibrates with excitement. I quickly grab my purse and take out the last item. A little white pill. I drop it into the wineglass and stare at the stream of bubbles. Will one pill be enough? My smile fades, and I quickly put another pill in the glass. That should be enough. He won’t be able to last long after he drinks it. I need to have him drink it right away. Then I can sit back and wait until the drug kicks in. Nothing is going to stop me from having what is mine. Heavy footsteps outside draw near and get louder. I silently pray this will work, and I’ll get what I desperately want. The footsteps stop in front of the door
Trevor POVMy body trembles as I look back over my shoulder at the mall behind us. The van heads off down the road and back to the agency, but I don’t want to be around anyone associated with them right now. The agency’s driver is as close to the company as I want to be right now. My voice cracks as I softly ask, “Can we go somewhere else? I don’t want to go back to the agency.” In a whisper, I add, “I hate them right now.”Tiffany wraps her slender arm around me and gently pats my shoulder. “Okay. If you don’t want to go there, we won’t. Would you prefer to be dropped off at Dr. Heartland’s office, and then I can pick you up from there after I get the car?”I turn back towards her. Her caring eyes put my frayed nerves at ease while her familiar floral perfume swirls around me. The doctor’s office isn’t quite the place I want to go to, but I can’t think of anywhere else right now. His office will be safe, too. Reluctantly, I nod. “Okay. You will come for me right away?”
Tiffany POVMy heart races, and my hands tremble as I zoom through the city streets. Like a professional race car driver, I zigzag back and forth and speed around traffic as if my life depends on it. The only thing I can think of right now is getting back to our apartment and being with Trevor. I need him as much as he needs me. He is the only thing that will calm me down right now. I glance in the rearview mirror and make sure no one is following me. If I wasn’t panicking, I would enjoy acting like a spy trying to escape from the bad guy. But there isn’t currently anything to enjoy. Sweat builds up on my palms while I tighten my grip around the steering wheel. I take a deep breath and check all the mirrors again to verify no one is following me. Just to be on the safe side, I go the long way back to the apartment. I breathe a sigh of relief when the luxury apartment building comes into view. Before I turn into the gated parking area, I check one last time to make sure no
Trevor POVRing…ring…ring…Ugh. I should have turned my phone off, too. I glance over my shoulder at the annoying device on the nightstand, but my annoyance disappears when I spot Black Sheep flashing on the screen and realize I haven’t talked to my cousin or anyone except for Dr. Heartland since the mall event. Jane had sent a message last night saying my cousin had helped with the crazy stalker lady, but she didn’t provide any details. I don’t know if she thought we weren’t in the mood to hear it or we didn’t want to know. I didn’t push it, either. To be honest, I really don’t want to know, but I’m curious. And my curiosity wins.I roll across the bed to the nightstand and snatch my phone off it. “Hey, what’s up?” A hearty chuckle flows from the phone while I wipe the grogginess from my eyes. “You sound much better than I had expected. From what you and Tiffany had told me beforehand, I thought you would have sunken into yourself and wouldn’t have talked to me. Are you ge
Tiffany POVStanding almost frozen in the middle of the waiting room at Dr. Heartland’s office, I slide my trembling hand into my pocket, but I don’t want to pull my phone out. What am I going to do if I don’t want this phone call? Can I unsee who it is once I look? A sense of dread washes over me.My heart hammers against my chest as my phone stops ringing for only a few seconds before it resumes. “Tiffany? Is something wrong? You look pale.”I look towards the door, which leads back to the session rooms. Trevor is standing there with a concerned look, but if I look closely, I can still spot a trace of his scared expression from earlier. I open my mouth and go to say something, but nothing comes out. Ring…ring…ring…I flinch a little and rub my finger along the side of my phone, still in my pocket.Trevor catapults forward and engulfs me in his arms. “What happened? You were just going to the agency to get our car and then come here. Did something happen along the way to
Tiffany POVMy heart races, and my hands tremble as I zoom through the city streets. Like a professional race car driver, I zigzag back and forth and speed around traffic as if my life depends on it. The only thing I can think of right now is getting back to our apartment and being with Trevor. I need him as much as he needs me. He is the only thing that will calm me down right now. I glance in the rearview mirror and make sure no one is following me. If I wasn’t panicking, I would enjoy acting like a spy trying to escape from the bad guy. But there isn’t currently anything to enjoy. Sweat builds up on my palms while I tighten my grip around the steering wheel. I take a deep breath and check all the mirrors again to verify no one is following me. Just to be on the safe side, I go the long way back to the apartment. I breathe a sigh of relief when the luxury apartment building comes into view. Before I turn into the gated parking area, I check one last time to make sure no
Trevor POVMy body trembles as I look back over my shoulder at the mall behind us. The van heads off down the road and back to the agency, but I don’t want to be around anyone associated with them right now. The agency’s driver is as close to the company as I want to be right now. My voice cracks as I softly ask, “Can we go somewhere else? I don’t want to go back to the agency.” In a whisper, I add, “I hate them right now.”Tiffany wraps her slender arm around me and gently pats my shoulder. “Okay. If you don’t want to go there, we won’t. Would you prefer to be dropped off at Dr. Heartland’s office, and then I can pick you up from there after I get the car?”I turn back towards her. Her caring eyes put my frayed nerves at ease while her familiar floral perfume swirls around me. The doctor’s office isn’t quite the place I want to go to, but I can’t think of anywhere else right now. His office will be safe, too. Reluctantly, I nod. “Okay. You will come for me right away?”
Rhonda POV Trevor’s deep voice seeps into the changing room and ignites the butterflies in my stomach. “Don’t worry. I’m coming.” I bite my lower lip. It is time. I’ll finally have him all to myself. Looking around the small room, I make sure everything is set. Wine. Check. Comfortable chairs. Check. My fun bag. Check. My body nearly vibrates with excitement. I quickly grab my purse and take out the last item. A little white pill. I drop it into the wineglass and stare at the stream of bubbles. Will one pill be enough? My smile fades, and I quickly put another pill in the glass. That should be enough. He won’t be able to last long after he drinks it. I need to have him drink it right away. Then I can sit back and wait until the drug kicks in. Nothing is going to stop me from having what is mine. Heavy footsteps outside draw near and get louder. I silently pray this will work, and I’ll get what I desperately want. The footsteps stop in front of the door
Trevor POVMy stomach churns as I stare out the van window. The buildings buzz by in a blur, while the cars on either side of us stay right beside us. The noise from the busy world outside doesn’t register with me and sounds only like a slight buzz in the back of my head.All my thoughts are still stuck on the event and what will happen now. I don’t want to see the crazy witch ever again. There is no way I could be in the same room as her. A cold shiver runs down my back as I remember her wild look in her eyes. This morning, I had tried to tell Jane I can’t do this, but she keeps saying she has had it all work out and it will be fine. My foot bounces as a thin layer of sweat coats my palms and my body. No matter what I do, I feel like I’m dangling from a high bridge by a rope and, any minute, someone will come along and cut it. It isn’t a question of if they will do it, but when. Why won’t anyone listen to me? Tiffany cups my hand and intertwines our fingers. “Honey
Tiffany POVWith a wide grin, I scan the living room. The private hut looks more like a luxurious penthouse instead of some bungalow at a resort.I’m so glad we listened to Kyle and got away for a night. He had promised he could get us the one unit farthest away from the others, which would give us more privacy. I tighten my grip on my bag and spin around. “This is amazing! I want to come back again some other time when we can spend more time here.”A hearty chuckle fills the room. Trevor walks in behind me and chimes, “We haven’t been here long enough to know whether we will like it or not. But I must admit it looks amazing so far. I’ll put it on the list of potential places where we can go on vacation together in the future. We probably won’t have enough time this time to see much of it, though. We need to leave tomorrow.”I sigh and pout. “I wish we had more time. You deserve it.”He deserves so much more than a night away, but I’ll take whatever we can get. With a slig
Trevor POVRing…ring…ring…Tiffany’s sweet voice asks, “Do you want me to get it for you? Or do you want me to let go of you so you can get it?”The warmth inside her embrace is the best medicine for my frazzled nerves, but I can’t make her stay with me all the time. A soft chuckle rumbles around in her chest while I tighten my arms around her. She pats my back. “I’ll grab it. Hold on.”Together, we lean towards the end table next to the couch. As soon as she picks up the phone and looks at it, her eyebrows furrow. “Your phone says black sheep. Who is black sheep?”I take a deep breath. I need to take this call. It is the one I’ve been waiting for. He had called me back several days ago, but something came up as soon as we started to talk, and he had to go. So, I never got to ask him any questions about Tiffany’s father. I turn around but stay within my girlfriend’s comforting arms and take my phone. “Hey, cous. We finally get to talk, or do you have to rush off again?”
Tiffany’s Father POV“Did you think you could hide from us? You still haven’t paid us, and you know we don’t like people running from their debts.” Spit flies into my face as I look up at the thug. His face contorts as rage burns bright in his eyes. Three more thugs stand behind him a short distance in the warehouse waiting to take their turn at me. The stench of smoke and alcohol fills my nose as the thug leans in closer and growls, “But running makes it fun.” A spark shimmers in his eyes, while a cold shiver runs down my back. I frantically shake my head. “I wasn’t running. I was trying to find my daughter. She will pay my debts. She always does.” His eyes narrow and the muscle along his jaw twitches. “The same daughter who you said had valuable things in her apartment to apply against the debt?”I frantically nod again. “Yes. You can take it all and apply it against my outstanding balance. I’m sure there is enough to cut my balance in half. She has a good-paying jo