“Gabriella, don’t make me have to stand over you while you pee,” Richard threatens. I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing he’d stop calling me that, but rush into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. He is not going to watch me pee.
While it wasn’t ideal, it was doable. I’m washing my hands when the lights flicker off. Everything stills in the darkness except my heart trying to escape up my throat. I turn off the running water and listen, running my wet palms down my pants.
I gasp, covering my mouth with my hands, as a loud thump hits the ground outside the door. Falling back against the wall, fear takes hold of my being, shaking it to the core. The silence on the other side of the door is painstaking torture.
Is he here? Is he waiting outside the door to kill me?
After minutes of continued silence, I blow out a breath and reach for the doorknob. Squeezing the metal handle and twisting as quietly as possible, I slowly turn it. I close my eyes for a beat, thankful it didn’t make a sound. But freeze when the door squeaks as I pull it wide. Only opened a quarter of the way, I wait for a sound. Nothing.
I release the handle. Holding my breath, I wince as I move the door open the rest of the way, this time it sways with no noise.
Peeking around the door, only darkness greets me. There’s a chill in the air without the heat and a shiver runs up my spine. I glance to the bedroom with a thought of locking myself in. But the hollow wooden door wouldn’t protect me against anything.
Why isn’t Richard making any noise?
“Richard?” I whisper from the narrow hallway.
I flinch as he replies, “I’m out here.” Not expecting to hear him, I blow out the breath I was holding, leaning my head against the doorjamb. “I need you to come out here.” I hesitate, trying to decipher if the tone of his voice has changed. “Now, Gabriella.”
Nope, he’s still the demanding asshole. I grind my teeth together and walk out into the living room. A candle flickers from a side table. It’s enough to light up half the room.
And light up the man’s body laid out on the floor. My throat constricts and a sharp pain shoots through my chest as I run to the man.
“Dad!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aspen
Tears flood my vision, and I blink them back as I check for a pulse on his neck. “He’s not dead. At least, not yet.”
“What did you do to him?” I scream. Turning back, I tap my dad’s cheek. “Dad, wake up. Please wake up.” With a quick scan of his body, nothing seems wrong. A soft moan floats out of his mouth.
“Fucking bastard,” he rasps, rubbing the back of his head. I sit back on my knees, giving him room to sit up. When our eyes meet, his body deflates as he hangs his head low. The moment of silence between us feels like I just fell in a long narrow hole. It’s suffocating. “I’m so sorry, Aspen.”
Richard clears his throat and my dad shoots an icy glare at him. “Well, isn’t this nice? A family reunion, of sorts.”
“You don’t need to involve Aspen in this,” my dad’s voice clips. His eyes jump to my handcuffed hands and his expression hardens. He pushes up from all fours and stands. Richard points the gun at my dad’s head.
“It’s too late for that. Old man, you’re getting sloppy in your old age. I thought this would be harder.”
What the heck is going on? Do they know each other? I stand up too and flick my gaze back and forth between the two men. My dad’s murderous smirk affirms my fears. He knows him.
“You figured you could get away with this, didn’t you?”
He gives a sharp nod. “I did.”
Richard shakes his head and tsks. “I guess I have to finish what you started.” My dad’s chest puffs out and he takes a step to block me from Richard. “You think you can stop me?”
“What is he talking about?” I plead to my dad.
“Yeah, Tobias, tell her.”
My breath gets caught in my chest and I stumble back, slamming into the wall. I shake my head with force, an uneasy tremble flowing through my veins. “No. Tell him he’s wrong. That’s not your name.”
My father is not a killer. He’s not my killer.
His face twists with regret and I roll my lips in between