did she even know when and if he might leave the next day? She didn’t!
Oh God, her hands were starting to shake. Keep cool! Details . Think. Second option was Chad shared a common wall with his neighbor. Gem knew she was an elderly woman whose husband had died a couple of years ago. She was hard of hearing. There was an air duct. Maybe she could get it open, get through it, and shimmy into granny’s place. No way. First off, she may have been petite but her ass had always been akin to Jennifer Lopez’s. Getting the butt through an air shaft would be impossible and even if she did, she could wake granny up and scare the poor thing to death. No real option there. The only one left then was to wait until the freak fell asleep. Gem would have to go out the same way she had come in.
She waited for almost two hours. The television had gone off. She thought her bladder might explode. Her heart still raced at a clip that made her certain she could have a heart attack at any moment. She’d heard him clamor up the stairs, run water in his sink, a toilet being flushed, and then the click of a light being turned off. And then she waited some more, praying she timed his REM sleep pattern just so.
Two hours into it, Gem knew she had to take that chance. She slowly and as quietly as possible, with the knowledge that her, life could very well be on the line, slid herself out from under the day bed. She stood steadying herself on the wood side of the bed. She took a deep breath.
Three steps down the stairs a creak rang out under her the foot she had just stepped down on. She sucked in her breath and listened. Nothing. She took each step with measure and caution. What felt like an eternity she finally reached the bottom step and stood downstairs in Chad’s family room. She heard movement upstairs and threw caution to the wind. As quickly, carefully and quietly as she could she made it to the sliding glass door, slipped the lock and got outside where she sprinted across to her home where she went around to the front door where even if Chad was up he could not see the front door of her place. She’d been wise to leave all of her lights off. She reached underneath a potted plant that she kept to the side where she had an extra key. She slid the key quickly into the door and made it into her place where she turned around and bolted the door.
She dropped to her knees and felt the tears wanting to come. She had made it out alive! A few seconds later she finally made it to the bathroom without ever turning on a light and she peed like a freaking race horse. She walked back into her kitchen, and hands shaking, she grabbed the entire bottle of Pinot. Screw the glass! She marched upstairs into her darkened room and sat back against the headboard of her bed where she took several swigs off the bottle of wine until her heart finally stopped racing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Before Tony could get both feet in the door, his mother asked where he’d been all night.“Your papa fell asleep an hour ago, and you don’t answer your phone. That phone is hooked to you like glue. Why didn’t you answer?” Her clipped Italian accent was thick with worry and frustration.
“Oh, Mom.C’mon. I’m sorry. We have had this discussion…I don’t know how many times. If I’m not answering your calls, it’s because I’m on a case.”
“How do you know it’s not an emergency when I call? How do you know Papa isn’t in the hospital or Luke isn’t hurt?”
“Mama…” Tony sighed. “I am tired.”
“Hmmph.”She straightened out her long, silver-streaked hair. Her large brown eyes flashed in anger. He gentled his voice. She was, after all, his mother and deserved respect.
“Mom, no one needs to wait up for me. It’s after midnight. Come on. I am a big boy.” He glanced over at his father, snoring open-mouthed in his leather recliner, the television blaring. His mother’s poodle, Franco, lay on the old, green shag carpet Tony kept
Oh God, her hands were starting to shake. Keep cool! Details . Think. Second option was Chad shared a common wall with his neighbor. Gem knew she was an elderly woman whose husband had died a couple of years ago. She was hard of hearing. There was an air duct. Maybe she could get it open, get through it, and shimmy into granny’s place. No way. First off, she may have been petite but her ass had always been akin to Jennifer Lopez’s. Getting the butt through an air shaft would be impossible and even if she did, she could wake granny up and scare the poor thing to death. No real option there. The only one left then was to wait until the freak fell asleep. Gem would have to go out the same way she had come in.
She waited for almost two hours. The television had gone off. She thought her bladder might explode. Her heart still raced at a clip that made her certain she could have a heart attack at any moment. She’d heard him clamor up the stairs, run water in his sink, a toilet being flushed, and then the click of a light being turned off. And then she waited some more, praying she timed his REM sleep pattern just so.
Two hours into it, Gem knew she had to take that chance. She slowly and as quietly as possible, with the knowledge that her, life could very well be on the line, slid herself out from under the day bed. She stood steadying herself on the wood side of the bed. She took a deep breath.
Three steps down the stairs a creak rang out under her the foot she had just stepped down on. She sucked in her breath and listened. Nothing. She took each step with measure and caution. What felt like an eternity she finally reached the bottom step and stood downstairs in Chad’s family room. She heard movement upstairs and threw caution to the wind. As quickly, carefully and quietly as she could she made it to the sliding glass door, slipped the lock and got outside where she sprinted across to her home where she went around to the front door where even if Chad was up he could not see the front door of her place. She’d been wise to leave all of her lights off. She reached underneath a potted plant that she kept to the side where she had an extra key. She slid the key quickly into the door and made it into her place where she turned around and bolted the door.
She dropped to her knees and felt the tears wanting to come. She had made it out alive! A few seconds later she finally made it to the bathroom without ever turning on a light and she peed like a freaking race horse. She walked back into her kitchen, and hands shaking, she grabbed the entire bottle of Pinot. Screw the glass! She marched upstairs into her darkened room and sat back against the headboard of her bed where she took several swigs off the bottle of wine until her heart finally stopped racing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Before Tony could get both feet in the door, his mother asked where he’d been all night.“Your papa fell asleep an hour ago, and you don’t answer your phone. That phone is hooked to you like glue. Why didn’t you answer?” Her clipped Italian accent was thick with worry and frustration.
“Oh, Mom.C’mon. I’m sorry. We have had this discussion…I don’t know how many times. If I’m not answering your calls, it’s because I’m on a case.”
“How do you know it’s not an emergency when I call? How do you know Papa isn’t in the hospital or Luke isn’t hurt?”
“Mama…” Tony sighed. “I am tired.”
“Hmmph.”She straightened out her long, silver-streaked hair. Her large brown eyes flashed in anger. He gentled his voice. She was, after all, his mother and deserved respect.
“Mom, no one needs to wait up for me. It’s after midnight. Come on. I am a big boy.” He glanced over at his father, snoring open-mouthed in his leather recliner, the television blaring. His mother’s poodle, Franco, lay on the old, green shag carpet Tony kept
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