25. Lila

25

LILA

Every second that went by without a word from Mike, the more freaked out I became. How long would it have taken to question Ted? He wasn't good at hiding anything. With a little prodding, they would have made him angry enough to spill it all.

If it was really him doing all of this.

More than anything, I wanted to believe it was and that Mike would call to tell me it was over. We could just be together and enjoy it.

I wanted romantic vacations, sweet dinner dates, and nights of falling asleep on Mike's chest, content with each other and the world around us.

I prayed for a chance to embrace a wonderfully simple life in the little town I'd come to think of as home.

Fear had ruled me for so long, and I was very much over it.

I nursed a cup of tea and tried reading one of Peyton's books, but after I couldn't focus past the first page, I put it down. I eyed it for a moment, thinking of the bookcase Mike had offered to build for me and all the other ways he'd made my life beautiful since I'd arrived.

Like Ally had said, someone wanted my life because it was that good.

So I couldn't let them have it.

A soft knock on the door made me jump. It wasn't Mike's usual knock, but maybe he was being quiet? Maybe he'd tell me that Ted was in custody, the threats were over, and we could spend the rest of the day in bed, celebrating.

Even though I'd known that wasn't it, I was disappointed to find Amber instead of Mike when I looked through the peephole.

"Hey, Amber," I said, trying and most likely failing to sound chipper. Not knowing when and where the next letter of hate would come from had zapped my motivation to pretend to be cheery for anyone.

"Mike asked me to check on you while he sorted out some stuff at the station. Can I come in?"

"Um, sure," I said, moving aside.

I watched her stroll in, confused as to when Mike could have had the chance to ask her to stop by when he'd left in a rush before eight this morning.

"When did you speak to Mike?" I asked as Amber settled on my couch.

"I ran into him on his way to work. We usually hang out on his days off, but I guess they brought him in for overtime or something." She stretched her arm across the back of the couch. "This is a cute place. The side table is adorable."

"Thanks," I said, pulling out one of the dining room chairs to take a seat. I could have sat at the end of the couch, but for some reason, I wanted to keep Amber at a distance.

She surveyed the living room as if she were taking inventory.

"Mike put that together for you, right?" She pointed to my side table. "He used to do that for me in my dorm room. I'd gotten the stuff from IKEA," she said, laughing to herself. "You're supposed to be able to put anything together, but I could never figure it out."

"I'm the same. I could never follow the instructions."

"Mike would always have time to put all of that together for me. He was always there. He came to my wedding and was the first person to call me after my divorce was final. He'd even take me to this cool donut place outside of town to cheer me up."

She leaned forward, an eerie smile drifting over her lips as she rested her elbows on her knees.

"Has he taken you there yet?"

"No," I said as Amber chuckled to herself.

"Well, I guess it's nice that some places are sacred. That he doesn't share them with everyone ."

She stood from the couch, examining the photos on the wall.

"Are these your friends from Philly?"

"Yes. That was the last Phillies game I went to. Mike said to keep that quiet here." I forced a smile. "Can I get you anything?"

"Some water would be great. Thank you."

I went to my refrigerator, bending to grab one of the bottles on the bottom shelf. While I appreciated Mike asking her to stop by to check on me, I didn't feel the least bit at ease in her presence.

Maybe Mike thought of her as a close friend, but there were more-than-friendly feelings on Amber's side. That slight vibe of resentment I'd picked up on had been correct, and I didn't have the energy for it.

"Here you go?—"

I crashed into the refrigerator, my forehead colliding with the handle as I tumbled to the floor. Pain seared across my temple as I clutched my head, feeling for a bump from whatever had just fallen on me. I ran my finger along a wet cut on the back of my head, stumbling as I tried to push myself up. I clenched my eyes shut as the room spun, making the throbbing on both sides of my head even worse.

I found Amber standing over me as my eyes fluttered open, holding a large knife to my throat. My vision was hazy as my sore head slowly caught up to what was happening. My eyes strained to focus, but the hate burning in Amber's gaze was impossible to miss.

Terry and Kathy had just given me a brand-new knife set that had fit perfectly on my kitchen counter next to my refrigerator. From what I could make out through my blurry vision, Amber had grabbed the biggest one. It dwarfed her tiny hand as she clutched the handle.

"This is adorable. A Russo's Contracting mug." She eyed the jagged piece of the ceramic mug in her hand before she threw it in the sink. "Does Mr. Russo give these out to all his employees or just the ones who fuck his son?"

My heart hammered in my ears, the adrenaline now pumping through me muting the pain enough to feel the panic. I'd wanted to be relieved when Mike said they'd picked up Ted, but even though I'd been waiting for him to find me here, something had told me all of this wasn't him. I never would have expected tiny Amber to be the one stalking us this entire time.

"Do you know what it's like to be invisible, Lila?"

She tilted her head, bringing the tip of the knife to my neck. Her eyes were dark and vacant as she narrowed them at me.

"For my entire life, I've loved Mike Russo. Even when we were little."

She knelt over me, pressing the blade deep enough into my skin to feel the hard, sharp edge of the tip. My pulse beat against the cool metal, as one slight move left or right would probably leave a deep gash.

"When he moved back to town in high school, I knew we were meant to be. Girls fell at his feet, as you can imagine. But he was more into his video games and building stuff than dating anyone."

Her smile was almost wistful as she continued.

"I went to visit him at college with Aaron and met the girl he was dating at the time." Her jaw shook as it clenched. "I was so fucking mad. All those years, I was right there, throwing myself at him, and then he dates the first whore he meets in college? He told us that weekend he never wanted a girlfriend because women were an itch to scratch, nothing more. But I knew it was because his mother fucked him up."

She lifted a shoulder, still holding the knife to my throat.

"So I didn't care so much. Because while all those women drifted in and out of his life, I stayed."

"Why…why did you get married, then?" I stammered as I tried to both stop the damn room from spinning and figure out how to push her away without slitting my own throat.

"Mike said he never wanted to get married or commit to anyone like that. And I liked Darryl well enough. It stung when he cheated on me, though."

She clicked her tongue against her teeth.

"But I guess he knew that he was my placeholder. Coming back to town was a good thing because I got to see Mike all the time again, until this lost little bitch from Philly showed up."

Her throat worked as she peered down at me.

"The tragic damsel in distress who can't even walk to her own car at night."

She jutted her lip out.

"Now, he wants a relationship . You must have some kind of golden pussy to make him call you his girlfriend and sweetheart . Makes me sick."

"Why did you do that to Keely? You hate me, fine. But she's only a kid."

"Oh, that little brat." She rolled her eyes. "I've never seen a kid so damn fixated on her brother. But it came in handy this time. Or I thought it did. I expected you to leave right after that when you saw everyone freak out, not wanting to endanger a poor, sweet child ."

I took in a shaky breath as I prayed for footsteps at my door. The only sound filling my silent apartment was the thud of my heart against my rib cage.

Amber was little but surprisingly strong, and quick enough that I'd never seen her coming.

Which was how she'd managed to spy on us all this time.

"But instead of doing the respectable thing and leaving, you fucked Mike against the wall outside of his apartment. I was right under the stoop. The window was cracked just enough to hear you moan like the trash you are."

A wave of nausea rolled over me. She'd seen everything. All this time, I'd thought the eyes I'd always felt on me were Ted. It sickened me to think how much she could have witnessed between us.

"Maybe that's why he loves your pussy so much. It's always so readily available."

Her laugh made my skin crawl.

"So, what are you planning to do? Slit my throat so Mike will find me?"

Her lips curled up. "He'll be sad for a while, but he'll have me, just like always. He'd never suspect me, just your stalker ex coming to finish the job. Works out perfectly," she said, throwing me a wink.

"No matter what you do to me, you know you'll never have him, right? Not the way you want."

"Shut up," she yelled, the knife at my throat shaking with rage.

I'd hit a nerve, and at this point, I had nothing to lose.

Mike would be here soon. I just needed to keep her talking until then.

"You said it yourself. You've known him all your life, and he never made one move. He even told me he thought of you like his sister."

Her eyes bulged as her nostrils flared.

"All this trouble for a man who will never, ever love you."

"I said shut up ."

Amber wrapped her other hand over my throat so tightly, I sputtered a cough trying to get air.

"Lila, it's me. Open up."

Amber's eyes went wide as her head snapped to Mike's voice on the other side of my door.

"Don't say a fucking word, or I'll cut your throat open."

Mike knocked harder, rattling the doorknob before he stopped.

We both jumped at the crash of shattering glass. I lifted my head and found Mike over Amber's shoulder as he climbed through my living room window.

"I know, Amber. It's all on video. Get away from Lila."

"No, you get away from Lila," she spat out, glaring at Mike while keeping the knife to my throat.

Mike took slow steps toward us, both hands on his gun as he pointed it at Amber.

"Don't make me do this, Amber."

"You would shoot me for her? Really? Your oldest friend?"

"A friend wouldn't do this. To me, to my sister, to the woman I love. I don't know who you really are, but right now, I can't care. It's over. There are two police cars outside. If you walk out with me, you have options. But if you hurt Lila, you have nothing."

I squinted at the figure climbing through my window and realized it was Jude, but Amber didn't seem to notice as she kept her focus on Mike.

"I already have nothing. How long was I supposed to wait for you, Mike?" Her jaw trembled as she pushed the knife into my neck. "It's not fair."

Mike's gaze didn't waver as he focused on Amber. I'd seen him in uniform plenty of times, but this was the first time I'd seen him in true cop mode.

I knew how afraid he was for me and most likely devastated over what Amber had done to him and all of us, but he was a stoic wall of blue as he approached.

He really was meant to be a cop.

"Amber, I'm giving you one last chance. Let her go. Now."

Her chin quivered in my periphery as she focused on Mike. I kicked her in the stomach, taking advantage of her distraction. She stumbled and landed on the kitchen floor next to me as the knife in her hand skidded across the tiles.

Mike kicked the knife to the side when Amber tried to grab it back and held her down as Jude cuffed her wrists.

She didn't resist but gave me one last hateful scowl before Jude got her outside.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I've got you. It's all over." Mike rushed over to me, pressing a kiss to my lips.

"She broke a mug over my head. I think it's bleeding."

Mike gingerly grazed his hand over the back of my head.

"You have a bump too. I'll get you to the hospital so they can check you out. I always knew my girl was a badass."

A sob escaped me at the curve of his lips.

"I was hoping you'd come."

He smiled down at me, his eyes wet as he swiped my cheek with his thumb. "I told you. No one is taking this." He lifted me onto his lap. "Not now. Not ever."