Chapter 5

Eric's flight home was scheduled to touch down at ten the next morning.

Between baggage claim and rush hour traffic, it'd take them at least an hour to get back to the house.

Which meant they'd be rolling up to the driveway just before noon.

I was up at seven, same as always.

Made myself a quick breakfast.

Then I got dressed and headed straight to the office.

It was Christmas Day, so the office was officially closed.

But I'd already cleared it with my director to put in some overtime.

I needed some peace and quiet to get my head straight.

And honestly? I needed the perfect alibi.

I sat there in the middle of a ghost-town office and fired up my laptop.

I started grinding through the backlog of work I'd ignored for the past few days.

The minutes ticked by.

9:00 AM.

10:00 AM.

11:00 AM.

My phone was dead silent.

Surprisingly quiet, actually.

Maybe their flight was delayed.

Or maybe they were just too busy wrestling with their luggage to check in with me.

I didn't let my mind wander.

I just kept working.

11:30 AM.

Then, the phone finally started buzzing.

First call: Eric.

I watched his name flash on the screen and didn't even move a finger.

I just let it ring out until it hit voicemail.

Then came the second call. Then the third.

He was persistent, I'll give him that.

The fourth call didn't happen; instead, the texts started flooding in.

Eric: Evelyn, why the hell aren't you picking up?

Eric: We're home. We're literally standing in the driveway.

Eric: Did you deadbolt the door from the inside? My key won't even turn in the lock!

I read the messages.

I could see him standing there, shoving that useless piece of metal into the new high-security lock over and over again.

Total waste of time.

I didn't text back.

Now my phone was vibrating like a jackhammer.

It wasn't just Eric anymore.

Candace started calling.

Then Brittany joined the party.

They were blowing up my phone like it was a coordinated attack!

I flipped the phone face-down on the desk.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But the desktop notifications on my computer were still chiming away.

One after another, they popped up in the corner of my screen.

Candace: Evelyn! Where the hell are you?! Get your ass down here and open this door RIGHT NOW!

Brittany: Evelyn! What is your problem?! Are you seriously locking us out in the cold?

Eric: Evelyn! What the hell are you playing at?! ANSWER ME!

Their patience was officially gone.

They went from "confused" to "completely ballistic" in record time.

I logged out of the messaging app on my computer.

I got up and walked to the breakroom to brew myself a fresh cup of coffee.

The aroma was amazing.

I stood by the window, sipping the hot coffee.

The streets below were empty and peaceful.

This was exactly how I wanted my Christmas to start.

My Christmas. My rules.

Noon.

The calls stopped for a minute.

I figured they'd finally called a locksmith.

Or maybe they were bothering the neighbors, asking where I went.

Sure enough, my phone started screaming again.

This time, Eric sent a photo.

It was a picture of a guy in a locksmith uniform standing at the front door, shaking his head.

Eric's text was practically a scream: The locksmith says this is some top-tier security deadbolt and he can't pick it! Evelyn, what the FUCK are you trying to do here?!

A few minutes later.

A voice memo came through.

I hit play.

It was chaos in the background—Candace was shrieking profanities and Brittany was whining at the top of her lungs.

Eric's voice was trembling with pure, unadulterated rage.

"Evelyn, I am giving you one last chance. Get your ass over here and open this door right now! If you don't, you're gonna regret it. Big time."

"Regret it"?

I actually laughed out loud.

Like I haven't been living in a hell of "regret" for the last three years because of him?

I didn't bother replying.

I just finished the last sip of my coffee in peace.

Then, I finally picked up my phone.

Unlocked it.

And found the contact I needed.

Hayes.

The tatted-up guy with the buzz cut who bought my house.

I texted: Mr. Hayes, Merry Christmas. Hey, quick question—did you head over to the house today?

Hayes replied instantly: Evelyn! Merry Christmas! Nah, not me. I've got two of my guys staying there to look after the place. Why? Something going down?

I wrote: There are some people at the door—it's my ex and his family. They're trying to break in. Could you have your guys handle it? If they don't leave, tell them to call the cops.

Hayes: Are you kidding me?! Hell no. Don't worry, Evelyn. I'll take care of these losers. I'm on it!

I replied: Thanks. Appreciate it.

I put the phone down.

I knew the real show was about to start.

They weren't dealing with "Sweet Little Evelyn" anymore.

They were about to run into someone they really, really didn't want to mess with.