Whatever was on the other end of Martin’s phone call had to be bad. His face fell, and he walked off, not even looking at me. Dejected, I turned back to my wardrobe. I’d been considering wearing mom’s dress to my graduation, the one she’d picked out to wear. Although she was much more blessed in some key areas, I felt I could make the dress work with some minor alterations. However, I wasn’t sure I could emotionally handle seeing myself in the mirror in mom’s dress. The pressure of the graduation ceremony, and all this nonsense with Daddy’s associates, was enough to break the strongest woman. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the blatant reminder of my mom’s absence on top of it.

The rest of that day and evening, we kept to ourselves – he in a mood in his room and me amusing myself with television, cards, and books. I’d gotten so desperately bored that I even wished for a gaming system or premium channels. So I was immensely happy when Cruz arrived the next morning with bagels and coffee. I even flung my arms around him in an exaggerated show of gratitude, which — much to my delight — placed a permanent scowl on Martin’s face.

Cruz noticed the scowl as well and abruptly peeled me off of him. He and Martin hurried off to the back room to have some private meeting, while I helped myself to the goodies. Although they were talking in hushed tones, I could make out some of the conversation, specifically the word ‘mother’. I wanted to barge in and ask if they had news about my mother’s death but thought better of it. Whatever they were doing in there, it seemed hush-hush and quite intense. I didn’t want to bring the wrath of Martin down upon me, as I was in enough trouble already after trying to seduce him. Something about his rebuff made me want him more.

Still, in the meantime, I was content smearing on gobs of strawberry cream cheese and dumping a ton of cream and sugar into the black coffees Cruz had set on the table. If we were going to be stuck having a marvelously boring time in this house, then so be it. The last thing I wanted was drama, or for Martin to have any excuse to nix my graduation. I was so close. The ceremony was tonight, and I’d be damned if I let anyone or anything stop me from accepting the diploma I’d worked so hard for.

Which is why I said nothing the first time I saw the black SUV drive slowly past the living room window. The second time, I also talked myself out of interrupting their conversation, rationalizing that we’d been getting followed by a black Cadillac, not a Pathfinder. However, by the third trip, I set down my half-eaten bagel and cold coffee, still not sweet enough for my taste, and snuck up to the window. Hiding behind the floor-length, thick, red drapes that reminded me of old-timey hotel rooms, I watched as a dark-tanned man drove by in the Pathfinder, the black-tinted driver’s window cracked enough for me to see the sunglasses on his face and the top of his nose. He definitely saw me as plainly as I saw him.

“Martin! Cruz!” I shoved the curtains closed and ran toward the hall.

Both men came barreling out of the room, shoving past each other to reach me first. “What?” they yelled in unison.

“There’s a car out there! It’s been circling the block!” Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed ahold of Martin’s arm and hid behind him, not letting go.

They jumped into action like the well-oiled machine I’m sure they were in the Navy. Cruz whipped a gun from his hip and one from his sock and ran to the door, staring out the peephole. “I don’t see anything.” I could see he was breathing hard, his head turning back and forth as he stared both ways down the road.

“I saw it, I swear,” I said from behind Martin, trembling with fear. “It wasn’t a car this time. It was an SUV. A Nissan Pathfinder.”

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, Cruz’s head spun around, and he and Martin stared at each other. It looked like they were communicating with just their eyes, forming some plan that I wasn’t aware of. Were they expecting it to be a new car?

Martin pulled me off his back and said something I didn’t catch. He shook me and tried again. “You have one minute to gather your things, then meet me in the kitchen. Go to the door leading to the garage and stay there until I tell you to move.” Then he was off, gliding across the room in less than three steps. He stopped at the door, which I watched Cruz open as I turned the corner into my room.

Without much thought, I shoved my mother’s green dress and some other clothes in a bag and ran full speed to the garage door. I stood there, shaking and panting with the effort and fear but not daring to move. I heard Cruz shout something from outside. It sounded like he was in the front yard. Then I heard an engine roar to life and peel out the driveway. Then a honk from the garage, and Martin’s voice calling my name.

I opened the door and saw Martin waving furiously at me to ‘come on.’ I ran to Rhonda, climbed in quickly, and slammed the door. Looking back, I noticed that I hadn’t even closed the door to the house. Martin said, his voice high with adrenaline, “Don’t worry about it! Get down!” Martin shoved my head down in the seat.

As we tore out of the driveway, I watched as Cruz turned one way down the street and we turned the other, right in the direction of the SUV. With my head buried, I heard squealing tires, smelled the rubber, and wondered if this was the same fear my mom had felt as she’d tumbled down the stairs to her death.