Glass separated me and my dad.

“What are you doing?” I asked him through the phone.

“What I should have done years ago. You were supposed to stay in New York and live your life. But you’re back and they think they can use you. I can’t let that happen.”

“Dad, don’t do anything. I can figure this out,” I pleaded.

“The guy called me.”

I paused, not knowing what he was talking about.

“What guy?”

“The one that works with Boeing. He still wants you. If I do this, you can have the life I squandered and marry a girl one day.”

That alarmed me. I hadn’t told him about Megan.

“Don’t look surprised. I hope to have grandkids one day.”

If Dad knew about her, so could others.

“Jimmy came by.”

He said nothing, but I could see the tremble in his hand.

“He’s worried about your safety.” I let that sink in. Dad and I had perfected the art of saying nothing, but saying everything. “He thinks I won’t be able to live with you in there.”

Though his mouth was shut, the muscles in his cheek twitched.

“He’s right. How could I live leaving you in here?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m an old man. I’m safe where I am.”

Had he made a deal?

“Sounds like a death sentence. Look, just let me take care of things.”

I left with his promise not to do anything for at least twenty-four hours. The next thing I did was call my best friend.

“Gavin, my man,” Tade said.

“I need you to do me a favor,” I said, and explained.

“You’re in love with her.”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s about time.”

He was wrong about that. The timing for everything was wrong.

“If shit goes south, make sure she’s okay and tell her…”

“You know, maybe I could talk to my dad.”

“Which one?” I asked, not quite pulling off a laugh.

“Both, they have connections.”

“I need to do this part on my own. I just hope one day she’ll forgive me.”

“Are you going to tell me all of it?”

“Not if I can help it.”

Tade sounded resigned. “Because the less I know, the better.”

I chuckled. “Exactly.”

Before the night was over, I made two more calls.

* * *

When I hadn’t heard from Gavin by lunch the next day, I got worried. By that night, I was stir crazy. He hadn’t returned any of my calls or texts.

I paced the floor, continuing to look at my screen like I’d missed a text from him and if I looked one more time I’d find it.

“Reagan, I’m worried.”

He’d left mysteriously in the middle of the night and I hadn’t heard from him since. He’d gotten a call or message from someone. And he was trying to figure a way out of his situation. Had they hurt him?

“You should come. Besides, I haven’t seen you in forever. And like I told you before, Tade said he spoke to him and he was coming over later.”

She’d said that when I first called, but hearing it again helped calm me a little.

“Do you know when he talked to him?”

Part of me wanted to hear that they’d spoken within the hour. The other part would be so pissed that he hadn’t bothered to call me.

“I don’t know, honestly. I’m sure he’s fine.”

I wasn’t, but I wouldn’t share his secrets with even my best friend.

“I hope so,” I said with a heavy heart.

If he’d been hurt in any way because I’d pressured him to choose me, I would hate myself forever.

“Please say you’ll come. I’m only here for the weekend and I miss you like crazy.”

She’d moved up north. When I’d lived in New York, we were closer. Now that I’m back in the D.C. area, it was even more impossible for us to hang out without a lot of planning.

“What made you come down?”

I hoped switching topic might help my frayed nerves.

“Duh, I wanted to see you,” she said.

What a shit friend I was being. Like it was all about me. And truthfully, being there may help distract me more. And she sounded so happy.

“Okay, fine. I’ll come over.”

“Have you eaten?” she asked.

I’d had a quick breakfast and that was it. I hadn’t been able to eat because I was too worried and my stomach was in knots.

“No,” I admitted.

“Good, I’m making dinner.”

My phone buzzed and my heart leaped only to sink again.

“Rae, that’s my mom. I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”

She agreed and we hung up.

“Hey, Mom,” I said when the call switched over.

“Megan, can you come by?”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

She seemed worried about something.

“I just need to talk to you.”

Last thing I needed was more bad news.

“Can it wait? I actually have plans with Reagan.”

“Well, Lee is off and we are hoping to talk to you together about something.”

Was it about Gavin? Had he told my mom about him? I shook that thought off. I hadn’t told Mom anything, so how could Lee know we were together?

“You can’t do it over the phone? Is it bad news?”

“No,” she said, excitement brimming in her voice. “It’s mostly good news, I hope. And it’s the kind of thing we should tell you face to face.”

Well if that wasn’t a huge clue.

“Are you getting engaged?”

“Megan, can you just come by and see Reagan after? It would really mean a lot to me.”

“Okay, I’ll stop by.”

“Good.” She sounded relieved. “It won’t take too long, I promise.”

* * *

I’d waited until after the sun went down. The neighborhood was quiet, everyone all nestled inside. I wanted to get this over with and prayed that Megan would forgive me.

I crept up to the house, which was completely dark, and something felt off. The closer I got, I noticed the door was cracked open. Nothing about this was right. But it was too late to back down. I pushed through the door and it opened without a sound until the floorboard creaked. At first I thought it was me, but I hadn’t moved.

A muffled cry sounded to the left. I darted forward and pressed my back to the wall. I counted off thirty seconds in my head by five to steady my hand before entering the dark hallway. I had no idea what I was walking into.

On thirty, I spun one hundred and eighty degrees and aimed the gun into the darkness. A light came on.

It had totally been a setup.

Jeff stood fifteen feet ahead with a kneeling woman in front of him. He shifted the aim of his gun from the back of her head to me. But then mine targeted the center of his chest.