Page 3

The laugh disappeared and a cold, hard knot took up residence in my stomach. “She did?”

“Yep. She said she misses me.” Nodding so her curls bounced, Nora continued dancing.

Of course Alina said she missed Nora. My sister had an impressive talent for missing people without doing any of the inconvenient work required to actually be in their lives.

“When?” I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to ease the ache building there. “Did she talk to Miss Helen?”

“Before dinner. She called my tablet.”

I closed my eyes and focused on breathing so I didn’t risk saying something I would regret in front of Nora. She was a sponge, hearing everything and repeating it at the worst possible time. Alina knew better. Three months ago, after our last spectacular fight, I’d told her that if she wanted access to Nora, she went through me. No surprise calls. No gifts appearing at the apartment. No promises she wouldn’t keep. Apparently boundaries remained one of those social customs my twin considered optional.

And every time I tried to stop her by putting blockers on Nora’s tablet, she found a way around them.

“Mommy?”

I opened my eyes and focused on Nora, whose smile had disappeared. “I’m here, bug. What did Auntie say?”

“She said she loves us.”

God that hurt. I knew she meant it in her own way, but damn it all if part of me didn’t rage at my sister for being so insensitive to mine and Nora’s needs. “Yes, she does.”

It was the truth. Alina loved fiercely, she just had a habit of leaving wreckage wherever that love landed. I’d spent most of my life running behind her with a metaphorical broom, sweeping up whatever she’d broken and wondering why I was always surprised to find out she’d hurt me too.

Nora licked her lips, smearing the purple frosting. “Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”

“You kicked me last time.”

“I was dreaming.” She pouted, turning her angelic face into one that would make angels weep. “Pretty please.”

Miss Helen laughed in the background, and I checked the time. “Give me twenty minutes to finish closing, then I’ll be home. Let Miss Helen get you ready for bed. No excuses.”

She blew me a sticky kiss and the screen went dark, leaving me standing in the bakery staring at my reflection in the black phone screen. The life I’d built wasn’t glamorous, but it was ours.

The bakery barely broke even most months, and my apartment was small enough that opening the oven heated half of it. I had to check my bank balance before buying anything that wasn’t necessary, and sometimes even when it was. None of that mattered when Nora climbed into my lap with a picture book or announced that my cinnamon rolls were better than Miss Helen’s, a comparison Miss Helen pretended was a personal attack because we would both do anything to make Nora safe, happy, and full of laughter.

I spent years learning that quiet could be a good thing. Predictable was beautiful. Alina had never understood that.

I locked the register, carried the remaining pastries to the back, and tried not to think about my sister. By the time I switched off the kitchen lights, the man with the lemon tart had almost become a funny story I’d turn into a cute bedtime tale for Nora. Stepping outside through the employee door into the alley with my purse over my shoulder and the bakery tote banging my hip, I paused to look left and right. The September night was warm, the air thick with exhaust and the lingering fragrance of bread from the wholesale place two blocks down. A black SUV idled at the mouth of the alley.

The door clicked and locked behind me, and I hesitated before making my way toward my car. I’d parked in my usual place, a few feet into the wide alley so I wouldn’t be in the way of traffic. The SUV could belong to anyone, and I was probably being ridiculous, but four years in the bakery and I’d never had anyone blocking the alley when I came out at night. I tried to shake off the eerie feeling, telling myself I’d consumed too much true crime TV while decorating cupcakes after midnight.

But then the rear door opened and two men spilled out. Two large men with masks.

“Oh, hell no.” I dropped the tote and ran. I’d never been a screamer, and I sure as shit wasn’t a runner, but I had nothing I could use as a weapon and panic on my side. If I could reach the other end of the alley, I’d find help. My flats slapped the cracked pavement as I bolted, and less than a dozen strides in a sharp pain pinched my side.

Footsteps pounded behind me. “Nowhere to go, thief.”

The anger in the voice almost dropped me to my knees, but I refused to give up. I had to survive. No matter what, I had to get out of this alley. My vision tunneled until all I could see was the end of the alley in front of me. I tucked my chin and pumped my arms, running through the pain.

Something grabbed the back of my neck and yanked. My cardigan caught, then tightened around my throat, dragging me backward. I twisted hard, came out of one sleeve, and drove my elbow backward, using every ounce of panic searing my veins.

A man cursed, and I used the moment of distraction to stomp his foot, twisting hard enough in the opposite direction that I broke free. I lunged for the mouth of the alley, but an arm banded around my waist. “Get off me!” I threw my head back. Bone cracked against my skull, followed by another curse. My heel connected with a shin, and I clawed at the forearm crushing my ribs. Never let them take you to a second location. Warnings I’d heard my entire life put fire in my movements. If they wanted me, they’d have to kill me, because I was not going to be a passive bystander. I opened my mouth to scream. A gloved hand covered it, and I bit down hard.

“Jesus Christ, you fucking bitch.” He jerked away, shaking out his hand.

I screamed even though the alley was yards away. I screamed and screamed until I lost my voice, Nora’s name dying in the back of my throat. She was the only thing that mattered.

One of the men grabbed my hair. My head snapped back, and a cold sting pierced the side of my neck.