39. Some Nights

CHAPTER 39

SOME NIGHTS

FUN.

Mills had cameras installed in my house not long after I did the disappearing act. At first, the cameras were to keep Mama and Dani safe. When neither of them came back to the house, it became a way to know when I could go home and pick up some essentials. I’ve been back twice, and it’s like a time capsule. But now that Mama’s moved back in, I keep the feed up all day and watch her move around the house. Sometimes she’s dancing around the house making dinner, other times she’s crying on the couch.

The other day, I cried as I watched Chase and Devin come over and have dinner with her, and I wanted to hug the shit out of both of them for it. I love those boys.

Today, I flip on the feed expecting to see my mother, but there’s a box sitting on the kitchen table. Right off the bat, I determine it can’t be a head, since the box isn’t big enough for one. So, that’s a bonus. I switch over to the front porch and scrub the feed backward to get a timestamp for the delivery. I scrub it back to yesterday, and forward again, slower this time..

That’s when I find it. One second, there’s nothing on the porch but the welcome mat. The next, there’s a box.

She’s hacked my fucking feed.

I search the house looking for my mother, but I can’t find her. I can’t find when she left, either. It’s the opposite of the box. One second she’s in the kitchen, the next, she’s gone. I call Mills, but he doesn’t answer, so I leave him a voicemail and grab the keys.

* * *

When I get to the house, I park down the block in an alleyway and go in through Dani’s entrance. I poke my head into Dani’s empty room first. I’m a little jealous of her, but I’m also hopeful about her big move. She’s the only one of us kids who didn’t move out right after high school. Her decision made sense, though, because now she has money in savings, even after dropping out of fashion school and starting a band. Good for her. I just hope this new girlfriend of hers works out, or at least that Xander sticks around for good this time. I don’t think she could stand living alone.

The delicious scent of food leads me to the kitchen. My mouth waters, but my heart has lodged in my throat as I sneak through the house. I can’t let Mama see me. Not yet.

I find an empty kitchen, with food in the oven that’s minutes away from burning. Mama has always been terrified of kitchen fires. As a child, she lost an aunt to one, and she’s been vigilant to the point of obsession over not leaving food unattended since that happened.

She didn’t plan to leave.

I pull the food out and set it on the stovetop before I turn the oven off. If she comes back, she’ll be confused, but the house will still be in one piece.

I peek down the hall, but nothing appears out of place. I’m at a loss, so I sit at the table and stare at the package. It’s addressed to me, but that’s all it says, my name. There’s no actual address on it. I’m about to open it when my phone buzzes.

New Message from M.O.T.H.E.R.

I unlock the phone and a flood of ice water runs through my veins. I put the phone down on the table and feel the hand on my shoulder.

M.O.T.H.E.R.

Leave the box and get out, now!

“You should have taken the money, Renate.”