I screech through three stop signs and a red light, barely even noticing them. I’ll be in trouble if a cop sees me, but there’s nothing I care about more than getting home and saving Ana and Rachel.
“Jesus!” Cody screams from the passenger seat, clinging to the door as I round a corner, almost colliding with the car coming out of it. The other driver lays on the horn, but I don’t slow down.
We skid to a halt outside my house and I mount the car onto the pavement. I don’t even turn off the engine, already opening the door before we even fully stop. I see a couple of curtains twitching in the neighbor’s houses but make a break for my own.
My stomach lurches when I see Ana dangling from the window. I feel sick and stumble, but Abbie’s hand on my arm steadies me. We rush forwards and I manage to catch Ana’s swinging legs.
“Baby it’s mommy, it’s okay, mommy’s here!”
When she hears my voice, Ana stops struggling and drops down into my arms. We fall to the ground and I squeeze her hard. We’re both sobbing now, and I push her hair out of her face and look at her hard.
“Are you okay? Ana, are you hurt?” I urge her, and my mind fills with relief when she shakes her head.
“Rachel,” she whimpers, pointing to the house. Just then, there’s an almighty crash and someone screams.
No, not someone. Rachel.
“Go, I’ve got her,” Jess grabs Ana and pulls her away from the house. She clings to Jess, sobbing hysterically. Jess already has her phone out and is dialing 911.
I turn to the other girls, who all nod to me, and then race into the house.
The kitchen is a mess of glass and broken crockery, and my beautiful big window overlooking the park is smashed. We follow the noise through the living room and into the entry hall.
A man is pounding and kicking at the door to the bathroom, yelling in rage and slamming his body against it. The door is starting to buckle under his weight, and I hear Rachel screaming from the other side.
“Hey! You fucking dick, what do you think you’re playing at?” Okay so it’s not my greatest plan ever, but I have to get him away from Rachel.
As the intruder turns to face us, I gasp. I recognize him and my heart constricts in my chest. Todd Wilson, one of the staff members I had to let go when the company hit a rough patch almost a year ago.
I know there’s bad blood and I’ve even seen the interviews some of my ex-employees have given to the daily rags who thrive on sad faces and sensationalist gossip, but I never thought that someone could be so angry with me that they would hurt my family.
Todd lunges forward and as I see the steely glint of metal in his hand I realize he has a knife. I duck beneath and around him, and he stumbles slightly in surprise. As he turns to face me again, I’m ready.
I channel all my rage and my terror for my daughter and the woman I love and punch him hard in the jaw. He staggers backwards but Cody is waiting for him and brings her knee up sharply into the small of his back. He cries out in pain and drops the knife.
Jess quickly kicks the knife away as Cody brings Todd down and then sits on his back to keep him there. His screams are muffled by the thick carpet in the hall and Jess glares smugly at him.
I turn and knock softly on the bathroom door.
“Rachel? Rachel, it’s Tiffany, it’s okay to come out. Are you okay, Rachel, I’m so sorry?”
I’m babbling into the wood of the door when I hear the familiar sound of the lock being pulled back and Rachel rushes into my arms. She’s sobbing and I cling to her, needing her to know how I feel.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry and I love you and I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry and I love you too and I thought I’d never get to tell you how much I love you because I thought I was going to die.”
Our apologies run over each other, loud and messy. Rachel tries to draw back to look at me, but I refuse to let go.
“No Tiffany, listen. I got Ana out through the window but I don’t
know where she is. I told her to run, we have to find her.”
I shake my head, still not loosening my grip. “No, no, it’s okay Rachel. She’s outside.”
“We pulled up as she was getting out. She’s with Abbie now,” Jess adds, rubbing Rachel’s back soothingly.
“I love you so much. You mean so much to me,” I whisper to Rachel, and she laughs weakly.