time since we’ve had that kind of privacy.
“But,” Jordan adds, “we also still have that jump into the pool and I doubt anyone will be around this late on a Sunday so we can hit that up first if you want?”
This girl really knows me well. I’ve got a need for an adrenaline rush whenever I get uptight or upset about something, and I’d rather get it out of my system on a skateboard first before the other kind of rush I’m looking forward to.
When we pull into the condo parking lot, Jordan runs inside to change into a suit. I’ve already got board shorts on and I pull out the cornhole boards from under the bed in the back that I haven’t gotten around to painting yet. After dropping those at the pool deck, I head to the area where we stored the boards for the rest of the jump last time. They’re tucked behind the recycling and trash dumpster, but no one’s hauled them away yet. I carry the ramps with me, eyeing the pool shed and wondering if we could store them there next time. It’s then my eyes catch on a car parked in the farthest spot in the lot, on the other side of the condo complex. A silver Audi TT.
My heart kickstarts and I drop the boards along the pool fence before walking over to the car. There’s no one inside though, and I find myself jogging toward the condo.
Jordan left the door unlocked, which is no surprise. I hesitate a moment at the bottom of the stairs up to her room, listening. There’s nothing. Not even movement. Wouldn’t she have come out if she heard me open the door? I debate calling out to her but I’ve got a weird feeling Sydney is here right now, and instinct tells me to stay silent. The only light is coming from Jordan’s room, and I take my first step before she comes out, still fully dressed.
“Oh, hey Beck. Uh, my parents just called, sorry. Am I taking too long? I’ll be right out. Just need to change.” Her eyes are huge, her voice high-pitched. Fuck. Fuck.
“Okay. We can skip the pool if you want.” Something isn’t right, that much is clear, but I can’t read her mind.
Jordan throws her hand up when I take another step. “No, just give me a few minutes to finish talking to my mom and change and I’ll be right out.”
Okay, so she doesn’t want me to come up, but why? “You want me to wait down here?” It’s a weird enough question that it will clue her in that I know something is up. Normally I’d just go right on up there. I’m not about to tell her about the car in the lot. I’ve got a feeling she’s also figured out Sydney’s in the house, and is afraid if I come up it will escalate the situation. My entire body goes cold, my limbs stiffening, as another possibility flashes in front of me.
Jordan shakes her head vigorously at my suggestion of waiting downstairs. I take out my phone, trying to convey somehow with my eyes that I’m calling for help. I don’t know what else to do. Jordan’s smart, and she clearly thinks it’s better if I leave. Weirdly enough, my instincts are telling me to listen to her, even if it’s not easy to step away.
“Okay, say hi to your parents for me. I’ll be waiting at the pool.”
I walk backward to the door, holding her frenzied gaze the entire time. I’m fairly confident she knows I’m aware something’s up. The second the door to the condo shuts behind me, I hit 9-1-1.
Chapter Nineteen
Jordan
I turn on shaky legs back into my bedroom. “He’s gone.”
“I heard,” she says, still standing in my closet, gun pointed at me.
“I don’t know how long he’ll wait though before he wonders what’s taking so long.”
“He won’t want to interrupt your phone call with your parents, we’ve got a few minutes to talk.”
Fliss’s hands are remarkably steady. My entire body and my voice are vibrating with fear, but she seems entirely at ease. It’s her comfort with this situation that is the most alarming thing of all. The gun too, but the way she’s so calm is really unnerving.
When we heard the door open a minute ago, she didn’t appear rattled. I opened my mouth to yell out but she immediately raised the gun, stopping me. Then she whispered in a steady voice,