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“You don’t know who it was?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “The camera didn’t pick up anything, but the alarms all went off, it was the oddest thing. Don’t worry about that. What did you see that scared you so much you felt the need to grab a knife? And don’t tell me it’s because your father and I opened the garage door.”
Since I’m in the mood to be honest, I’ll be honest. “I saw footsteps in the backyard.”
Jake hovers in the arched doorframe and frowns, and Regina appears behind him. “Where?” he asks.
My eyes dart to the backyard. “Out back. Whoever it was followed me home from town. I got freaked out when I saw them, so I grabbed the knife.”
The three of them glance out the windows, which basically take up the entire back of the house. “It could be anyone,” Jake says. “Your story is everywhere, could be the media hovering around again.”
Beth settles back into her seat, seemingly unconcerned. “It’s probably someone trying to scare us or scam us into money. I’m not giving them a penny.”
“So, my safety isn’t worth anything to you?” I counter, knowing it will piss her off.
Beth folds her arms. “It’s not like that. People always want a piece of this family. They want to take what we have earned. It’s our legacy they want.”
“And what have you had to take for your good fortune, huh? Or has our family had no wrongdoings over the past hundred years?”
Sarah Crawley’s instincts are always so spot on. And I believe in patterns. Patterns tell a story.
Beth glares at me with fire in her eyes, and Jake pulls his jacket on. “I’ll go check things out outside, then I’ll check the cameras. If someone was on this property, we’ll see them.” He exits the back door and walks toward the lake directly to the spot Nick was standing only minutes ago.
He’s so close…yet so far away it hurts.
My mom blinks at me twice. “What did you do when you saw the footprints?”
My face loses all color. “What?”
“What did you do, Layla? It’s a simple question. Sane people call the police if they believe someone is trying to break in.” She glances at my phone. “Who did you call?”
“Beth,” Regina snaps. “I will not have you comment on my patient’s sanity. Watch how you speak to her.”
Regina is probably the only person in the world who can get away with calling out my mother like that. Beth stands firm, and my jaw tightens.
“I didn’t call anyone, I panicked.” I push my phone on the counter. “Here, you can look. Snoop through everything.”
Beth’s mouth pinches. She wants to grab it. She wants so desperately to flip through it and spy on my life. But she doesn’t. Instead, she fumes, and Jake returns from outside with snow covering his jacket, he stomps his feet to get rid of the snow. “Footprints are all covered up. I’ll check the cameras.”
“If there was anyone at all,” Beth quips, glaring at me. “You already lied about being sexually assaulted. I don’t trust a word that comes out of her mouth anymore.”
“Speaking of Gabe, he called me. He will be here tomorrow, and he’s bringing your painting. I still want you to work on your art, Layla.”
My eyes shoot up to her as it all pieces together. The painting…the images circulating online of the Archer. “Mom, those paintings are private. Did you give him access to them?”
She perches her eyebrows. “You conveniently left them at home, so I conveniently gave him a key to grab them for you.”
“Shit…” I mutter. “Unbelievable.”
Beth tilts her head. “What did I do?”
I recoil, then bite my lip to stop myself from crying. I wrote the Archer at the bottom of it. It’s no surprise this archetype enemy is circulating online. The asshole leaked it.
Jake gives me a long, sad look. So much at the tip of his tongue, but as usual he says nothing. Regina sits back watching our toxic family dynamic unfold and takes a sip of her tea. One look from Regina and Beth gets the hint she’s not wanted.
Beth sighs and abruptly rises. “I’ll leave the two of you alone.” She pins a look at Regina. “Fix her, Regina. I need my daughter back by my side.” She doesn’t wait for a response. Instead, she spins on her heels, storms into the hallway and up the stairs where my father will now spend the next hour consoling her for my trauma. It’s unbelievable how good Beth is at doing that.
Once she’s gone, Regina watches me for a long, careful moment. “How have you been? Feeling settled now that you’re back at home?”
