Good for you.
Jen tightened her grip on the steering wheel and pressed her lips together. They rode the rest of the way in silence. When she turned onto Crabapple Court, she realized shed been holding her breath. She exhaled with relief as the garage door glided up, and she saw Teds BMW parked in his side of the garage. So hed come home from wherever hed been all day.
Jen had barely turned off the car when Livvy opened her door and bolted into the house. Teddy started whimpering to get out of his car seat, shoving at the restraints, and Jen hurried out of the car to help him. But even as she worked at the tangled strap, his protestations turned to frustrated tears.
Even though Jen could swear she was doing everything righteven though she was trying just as hard as she knew howthe more she strove to connect with her family, the further she seemed to drive them away.
* * *
Jen set her purse on the hall table and headed for the kitchen. She could hear Livvys footsteps racing up the stairs, and she winced, waiting for the slam of her daughters bedroom door.
Jen filled a plastic cup with snack crackers and got Teddy settled in front of the TV, his tears forgotten. She felt guilty using Dinosaur Train as a babysitter, but she just needed a few minutes to change into yoga pants and put her hair in a ponytail before she started dinner.
Jen went upstairs to her bedroom, steeling herself for whatever Ted had done to the room now. There he was, on his knees by the wall under the windows. It wasnt really all that bad. He had put a drop cloth on the bed and the nightstand, and the lengths of baseboard that hed pried away from the wall were stacked neatly. But there were several gouges and scrapes in the plaster. And there was a long, thin scratch in the finish on the walnut-stained floor.
Jen pushed her hair behind her ears as she looked around the room. Its fine, its fine.
Ted set down his pry bar and got to his feet. Hey, hon, he said, a note of guilt in his voice. I had to go to the lumber store to order a few trim pieces. Thought Id get these baseboards taken care of.
Uh-huh. Listen, I was wondering, maybe you could watch Teddy while I get changed and start dinner.
Jen... Ted ran his hand through his hair. All Im doing is trying to get this thing finished. I know youre tired of the mess. I got that message, loud and clear, and Im just trying to get it put back together.
Frustration mixed with fatigue in his voice, and Jen tried not to rise to the bait. I appreciate that youre trying to get some work done up here. I just wonder if you could have done it while Teddy was at preschool instead of going...wherever you went.
I just told you, I was at the lumberyard. And a couple of errands. Teds face darkened with anger. Look, I dont think its the end of the world if our kid watches half an hour of PBS. I guess that makes me a crappy parent on top of everything else, but I wish youd stop and think once in a while that maybe your way isnt the only way to raise a kid.
Could you keep your voice down?
Why? A little disagreements normal, Jen. Its not going to break us. Its good for the kids to hear it once in a while, instead of growing up thinking everything has to be perfect all the time.
Jen flinched. If you really want to go there, Im not going to have our daughter listening, she said, hurrying to shut the bedroom door.
Look, Ted said carefully, waiting until she came back. Im sorry if that came out wrong. But theres no need to get hysterical about every little thing.
Hysterical, Jen repeated in her mind. Was that how her husband saw her? She was trying to think of how to respond without sounding defensive when there was a knock at the bedroom door.
She and Ted both froze. Ted wiped his hand across his forehead, muttering softly.
Ill get it, Jen said.
As she crossed the room, she thought about how the smallest reminder of ones children could make a person feel guilty even when there was no rational reason. The air, charged with tension seconds earlier, was now weighted with wistful failure.
Jen put her hand on the brass knob. Later, she would remember this detail, the warmth of the old brass to her touch, the way she had to tug to clear the slight jam.
Standing in the hall was her beautiful daughter, her face exquisitely frozen, her lips parted and her long-lashed eyes wide with terror.
On her left, a man Jen had never seen before held Teddy in his arms, her little boy flailing ineffectively against his grip.
On her right, a man who looked unnervingly like Orlando Bloom pressed a gun to Livvys head.
Chapter Five
This is where you stay real quiet, the younger man snapped, jabbing Livvys skin with the barrel of his gun, making her head jerk. He was wearing gloves, his hands pale and dead-looking through the thin latex.
Mom, she whimpered, and Jen didnt think, she threw herself at her daughter, her fingertips brushing Livvys arm before she was struck from the side and went crashing to the floor. The other one had kicked her in the knees, still holding her son in his arms, and as Jen pushed herself up on her hands, she saw the rough work boots he was wearing and wondered if he had broken something in her leg.
Ted was yelling: no, stop, but he stayed rooted to the spot. Which was what she should have done, because she had endangered her daughter. The young one had Livvys hair in his fist, dragging her backward, out of the range of Jens flailing feet.
That was stupid, he snarled, and gave Livvys hair a hard yank, forcing her head back and exposing the long pale expanse of her throat. Her whimpering escalated to shrieking until he put his hand around her throat and squeezed. Shut the fuck up now, he yelled, and she did.
Jen scrambled backward on her hands and knees. Ted grabbed her arm and pulled her up, holding her around the waist against him. What do you want? he demanded.
The older one held Teddy tightly, absorbing the impact of Teddys silent kicking and flailing. He looked like he was in his fifties, but he was powerfully built, his forearms roped with muscle. He, too, was wearing latex gloves. Tell this kid to calm the fuck down.
Its all right, honey, Jen gasped, thinking please please dont hurt him. Mommys here. Its all right.
But Teddy only struggled harder, trying to twist around in the older mans arms so he could see her. Jen knew how strong a four-year-old could beTeddy could grab your hand so hard you felt the bones squeeze together; he could hug you so tight it was hard to breathe.
Goddamn it, Ted said, pushing her roughly behind him, putting his body between her and the intruders. What the hell is going on here?
Take him, the man said, holding Teddy out like a sack of cement. The minute Ted grabbed Teddy, the man reached for a gun hed jammed in the waistband of his pants. It seemed to take less than a second, the movement of his arm and the way he held it still and sure, pointed right at Jens face. She gave an involuntary gasp and felt her body slacken with fear, her bladder almost releasing. She imagined the bullet striking her full in the face, shattering the bones, liquefying her brains.
Teddy wrapped his arms tightly around his fathers neck and immediately calmed. Livvy was gurgling, her neck craned awkwardly backward, the young man not seeming to care that he was hurting her. A half grin on his faceas though this all amused him, as though he was deriving pleasure from their fear.
Teddy wrapped his arms tightly around his fathers neck and immediately calmed. Livvy was gurgling, her neck craned awkwardly backward, the young man not seeming to care that he was hurting her. A half grin on his faceas though this all amused him, as though he was deriving pleasure from their fear.
Let me have her, let my daughter go, she pleaded. Please. We wont do anything. We wont go anywhere.
The young man held Livvy in place for another moment and then shoved her toward Jen. Livvys neck snapped forward; she stumbled and went down on one knee. Her hair flew across her face, obscuring her terror for a fraction of a second. Jen rushed to help her, wrapping Livvy in her arms, tensed for the bullet, waiting for the gunshot, but it didnt come.
Mom, Mom, Livvy wailed, holding her so tightly the air was crushed from her lungs. But Jen held on, dragging Livvy backward until they were standing next to Ted. Teddys shoe was wedged against her shoulder and they were all touching, jammed together in a family scrum, facing the strangers outside the bedroom door.
What do you want? Ted demanded for the second time. The question echoed through the room, which Ted had stripped of its carpets and drapes in preparation for painting.
Downstairs. Now. The older man motioned with the gun. There was a faint sheen of perspiration along his hairline, and broken capillaries marred his sallow, broad cheeks. A few flakes of dandruff rested on the shoulders of his shirt.
For a moment they didnt move. Jen felt the warmth of Teds body through their clothes, his shoulder pressed against hers.
Now! the man bellowed, and she took a step forward, still holding Livvy tightly.
The girl first, the younger man said. He reached toward her with the gun, caressing Livvys arm with the barrel while she trembled. His eyes roved up and down her body, lingering on her small breasts. Dont be scared.
He seemed relaxed, grinning faintly. He wore his hair buzzed short, and he had skipped a shave or two, but his beard grew in fine and strawberry blondthe beard of a boy rather than a man. There were tattooed spikes on his neck; the rest of the design was hidden under his collar and Jen couldnt tell what it was supposed to be. As they passed, his gaze stayed fixed on Livvy, watching her walk.
Livvy reached the stairs first and went down with her hand on the rail, barely pausing on the landing. Jen followed close behind. At the bottom of the staircase was the front door, heavy and solid. Jen could slip past Livvy and yank the door open. She could push her daughter out into the night, to safety. It would only take a second. One of the men might shoot her, but unless he got lucky the wound probably wouldnt kill her. As long as she made it out the door, someone was bound to see her and Livvy on the front porch. It was dinnertime on Crabapple Court, and fathers were arriving home from work and kids from sports and clubs and music lessons. Moms were returning from grocery runs and yoga classes. Jen would scream and help would come.
Except she couldnt leave her little boy behind, not even for a second, unprotected and vulnerable. She couldnt leave Ted. So she walked past the front door and into the family room, the others close behind her.
Sit. The older mans voice was terse and impatient.
Jen pulled Livvy down with her in the corner of the sectional. On the television, Dora the Explorer hid behind a cartoon tree.
You dont have to do this, Ted said. Come on.
Oh, yeah? The man turned on Ted. The two men glared at each other, something passing between them. Jen looked from one to the other, trying to figure it out. Turn that shit off.
Have you seen him before? she whispered as Ted reached for the remote on the coffee table and turned off the set.
No, never, he muttered, sitting down on the other side of Livvy with Teddy on his lap.
The two men stood in front of them, one on either side of the television armoire. The younger one slouched against it, his gun practically dangling from his hand. The older man stood ramrod straight.
Were here to do a job, he said angrily as though the Glasses had inconvenienced him in some way. You make it easy, cooperate, youll be okay. You get in our way, we hurt you.
Next to him the other man coughed, only Jen was pretty sure the cough covered up a laugh.
What do you want? she asked. Because you can have it, I dont care
You dont talk, the man snapped. I talk. Im Dan. This is Ryan. You only talk when we tell you. You got something to say?
Was she supposed to talk now? Jen tried to ignore the pounding of her heart, Im sorry. Im just scared. Please dont hurt my family. How can we help you get what you want so you can go?
Hah, Ryan said. She wants to help us. You like that, Dan?
Jen realized something deeply terrifying: they had made no effort to disguise themselves. No knitted caps or Nixon masks, which meant they didnt care if the Glasses knew what they looked like.
Theyre going to kill us, Jen thought, terror slicing through her.
Dan ignored the younger man. All you need to know right now is dont talk until I tell you to. Keep your hands to yourself. Do what youre told and dont make me ask twice.
Just tell us what you want, Ted demanded. Whatever it is, we can help you get it.
That right...Ted? Dan drawled.
How do you know his name? Jen asked. Ryan swung the gun in her direction, instantly tense.
Arent you paying attention? Shut up!
Please, Jen whispered. Im sorry. Can I ask, just one question
Go. Fast. Dan watched her impatiently.
Let the kids go, Jen said quickly, pleadingly. Please, just let the kids go. They can walk over to my sisters. Its less than a mile.
Ryan laughed, lips pulling back from slightly crooked teeth. Right! Great idea. Livvy heres gonna take her bratty little brother over to her aunts house and forget to mention that her parents are being held hostage.
Jen felt her daughter stiffen in her arms. They knew Livvys name. Teds name. Ryan spun his gun so the barrel was pointing down, reached out and caressed Livvys cheek with the grip. Livvy flinched and pulled away with a whimper, and Ryan laughed.
Get up, Dan said. Time to go downstairs.
Chapter Six
Oh, God, Livvy said, a split second after they heard the lock at the top of the stairs. She was standing apart from her parents, her arms hugging her body. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. It smells so bad down here!
Ted reached for Livvy, and she fell against him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, and she sobbed against his chest. Jen picked Teddy up and rocked him gently, whispering that he shouldnt worry about Livvy, that his sister would be just fine.
After a few moments Livvys sobs subsided and she pulled away from Ted. She went to stand near the shelf where all her trophies were lined upMini Marlins swim, eight years of soccer, a few for softball, one from the American Legion speech contest back in middle school. Jen could see her shoulders trembling.
Honey, its going to be okay, Jen said, handing Teddy to her husband and approaching Livvy cautiously. She had to keep her calm, had to make her believe she and Ted had things under control. Once they get what they want, theyll go.