Molly arrived home sometime after one in the morning. The family decided to stay with Mrs. DiNatali, knowing it would not be long before she breathed her last.
Her hands trembled when she saw three cars she would know anywhere parked outside. One belonged to Gina, who never traveled without at least three henchwomen. Another car brought a group of guys who were permanent fixtures at Kyle’s party. The third was Kyle’s dealer, a janky-toothed unibrow who Molly feared. She decided to grab an overnight bag and head out. She did not need sleep as much as she needed not to get attacked again.
She snuck in through the garage door, trying not to make her presence known. Her heart pounded and her mouth went dry as she tiptoed toward the stairs.
“Why, if it isn’t the virgin queen!” Gina exclaimed, getting up from Kyle’s lap on the couch.
Molly disappeared up the steps without a word, locking the door behind her. Her heart was jumping in her chest at too rapid a pace now, and she was sweating as she tried to think of an appropriate exit strategy. She shoved clothes into a bag, along with a few other personal items. Her palms began to grow slick with nerves.
Hating herself for disturbing him, Molly pulled out her phone and dialed Liam. Her heart nearly broke when he answered with a deep, “Hey, beautiful.”
Her voice came out pinched and high-pitched as she tried to rein in her fear. Gina started banging on her door with an evil laugh, increasing Molly’s panic. “Hey, Liam. I was just thinking that Warren might want to be with Jess tonight. Would it be okay with Jess if I went to your parents’ house and slept on the couch to be with the kids? Then Warren could go be with her. I can tell that’s where he wants to be.” The music was pounding downstairs, and was not adequately muffled through the door.
“Where are you?” Liam asked, his tone losing all lightness.
“I’m in my room. There’re people over, and I just don’t think I’ll get much sleep here. I’d rather be useful to your family, if I can.” Gina’s banging was audible through the phone, as were her threats of what would happen to Molly when she came out.
“Lock the doors. Don’t move. I’ll be there in ten.”
“No, Liam. Stay with your family. I’ll get out and go to your parents’ house, if that’s okay.”
“Molly, I can hear Gina! She almost gave you a concussion the last time she was over. I’m begging you, just stay put and I’ll be there.” He pulled his chin away from the phone. “Nate! Get your coat on. Dad, I need the keys.”
“No!” Molly pleaded, on the verge of tears. “It’s fine!”
“Molly, this is the one time you need to listen to me!” She could hear the sound of a car starting up. “Don’t hang up. I’m putting the phone on speaker so I can hear if I need to call the cops. I’m on my way.”
Gina was shaking the bedroom door, and Steph was banging on the bathroom door, their laughter matched in its heartless cruelty. Molly hated the moisture that fell down her cheeks as she shoved clothes into her overnight bag. The doors were shaking so hard; Molly was certain the locks would not hold for long. Molly had no exit anymore. Her room was on the second floor, and the jump down would ruin her ankle for sure. And then she would be out in the open, exposed to whatever they had in store for her. She would never make it to her car in time. She opened her window and popped out the screen all the same, hoping they would think she was agile enough for the jump.
Wishing she was large enough to fight her way out of the situation, Molly cringed as she barricaded herself in her closet with her phone and bag. She rigged the folding door with several bent wire hangers, anchoring the center hinges to her immovable safe.
Ten minutes, she told herself, closing her eyes in the darkness. So many times she’d hidden in her closet as a child. When Kyle’s father was in a mood, she’d rigged it in the same way to keep his angry hands at bay. When Kyle broke something, his mother always blamed her if she saw Molly within three hours of the accident. But if she hid long enough, there was a chance she did not have to take the heat. Molly’s stomach churned as memories flooded over her of her uncle-father rattling the closet door to drag her out. She sobbed as her fingers shook around the hangers. She swore she would never hide again after this.
Liam had been talking to her, but she only just now made sense of his voice. “Say something!” he cried into the phone.
“Hurry,” she croaked out. “When I get out, tell me this won’t happen anymore. Lie to me, Liam. I don’t care.”
Liam’s voice was firm with resolve. “When you get your orange grove, no one will bother you ever again. They’ll trash Kyle’s parents’ house and burn it to the ground, but no one will come onto your property. We’ll get one of those signs that say ‘Trespassers will be shot on sight’.”
Molly laughed out of sheer nervousness. “I don’t know how to use a gun.”
“I do,” he said darkly. “We’ll move into the farmhouse and get ourselves a big bathtub so I can fit in it with you.”
Molly wiped the moisture from her face. “I know you’re lying to make me feel better, but it really is working. Thanks. I can’t even picture a bathtub that big.”
She could tell Liam was speaking through gritted teeth. “I’m not lying, Molly. I’ll make sure you have a good life. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you that orange grove.”
Unable to hold back the sob of hope that she never gave credence to, Molly covered her mouth to stifle the offense. There were more fists on the door now, and Molly knew Liam would not get there in time. “Liam? I love you.” With that, she hung up the phone just as her bedroom door broke off its hinges. She braced herself, holding onto the hangers and praying her makeshift lock would hold.