I pressed my fingers to the glass. Light flashed from the back of the yard. I blinked and shaded my eyes to peer out. Another flash. Then another. The staccato blinks of a camera shutter. I yanked the curtains so hard the rod popped free. I left it hanging, stalked to my bed, and dropped onto it.
• • •
“Olivia?” My mother was at my door again. “There are people outside. More media people.”
I sat up and instinctively glanced toward the mirror, to make sure I looked calm and collected. When I caught my reflection, my stomach clenched so hard I winced.
“Olivia? I know this is a shock, but you need to deal with this.”
I needed to deal with it? Not even we.
I took a deep breath and heard my dad’s voice after his heart attack. When he knew he was dying.
She’s not like us, Livy. She just isn’t. Fair or not, you’re going to need to be strong enough for two. Can you do that?
“Is Howard still here?” I called.
“Yes.”
“Tell him I’ll be down in a minute. We’ll—”
The crash of breaking glass cut me off.
I threw open my door. A thump from downstairs. I pushed my mother behind me, shielding her.
“Howard?” I yelled.
“They’ve broken in,” my mother whimpered. “Oh my God, they’ve broken in.”
“They’re journalists, Mum, not a lynch mob. No matter how badly they want the story, they won’t break in to get it. Just hold tight.”
I started for the stairs.
She grabbed my arm. “Don’t leave me here.”
“Okay, then stay right behind me—” Damn it, that wouldn’t work, either. While I was sure we hadn’t been invaded by crazed paparazzi, I wasn’t taking my mother downstairs until I knew what was going on.
“Howard?” I called from the top of the steps.
He appeared at the bottom. “They broke a pane in the French doors to the patio.” His face was calm, but his voice quavered. “I think it was an accident. They were jostling to get a picture and a pane broke.”
“Okay, so have you called—?”
A shout from below. So loud and clear that I froze.
“Are they inside?”
“No, no. They’re just shouting for you through the broken pane. They want you to make a statement. In my professional opinion, I don’t think you should speak to them.”
“Good, because I’m not going to. Have you called the police?”
“I don’t want to raise a fuss,” my mother murmured behind me.
“There are people in our backyard, Mum. I’m raising as big a fuss as I can. Call the police now, Howard. We’re going to stay up here until someone comes.”
Howard made the call. I heard him speaking into the phone, then his voice got loud. “When you have someone free? Maybe I’m not making myself clear. Mrs. Lena Taylor—who is a generous donor to your force’s annual fund-raiser—is under siege, with hooligans breaking her windows.”
Hooligans? That made it sound like some kid jumped the fence and tossed a rock.
“Wait here,” I said to my mother. “I’ll handle this.”
CHAPTER SIX
My mother chirped in protest but stayed on the top step as I descended. When I got to the bottom, I saw three faces plastered to the broken patio door, like kids trying to catch a glimpse of an R-rated movie.
A burst of flashes blinded me.
“Ms. Jones?”
“Olivia?”
Shit. Okay, not my brightest move. I retreated out of sight.
“Ms. Jones? Could I ask you a few questions?”
“Olivia? Just a quick statement?”
“Miss Larsen? Hello! Miss Larsen?”
I stiffened.
“Okay,” I muttered. “You want a statement—”
A hand grabbed my arm. I looked back to see Howard.
“Do not engage them, Olivia. That’s what they want.”
“That’s why I’m giving it to them, so they’ll take their damned statement and get the hell off our property. I don’t like them scaring Mum.”
I unwrapped his fingers from my arm and, ignoring the flashes, walked close enough to the broken door so they all could hear me.
I held up one hand to quiet them down. “Fine, you want a statement? I just found out tonight that my biological parents are, allegedly, Pamela and Todd Larsen. I will be investigating this claim. In the meantime, I will ask that everyone respect our privacy and—”
A yelp cut me short. Someone was jostling through the crowd toward the patio doors amid shouts of “Hey!” and “Watch it!”
Then, just as suddenly, the crowd went still. The two older journalists in the front lowered their cameras and pens. One leaned over to whisper to a young woman who looked confused. Her eyes widened and she stepped back to give the newcomer room.
It was an old man. Maybe not that old—seventy or so—but tall and stooped, his rheumy eyes blazing at me.
He stuck a gnarled hand through the broken pane, reaching for the lock.
“Whoa!” I stepped forward. “This is private property, sir. You can’t come in here.”
“I can and I will,” he said. “You may have all these people fooled, but I know who you are.”
I turned to Howard, then heard a cry of, “Sir, you shouldn’t do that” from the crowd.
The old man had flipped the lock. A few journalists continued halfhearted protests, but all of them leaned forward, eyes glittering, cameras raised.
He pushed open the door and marched in.
“Get the police here now!” I said to Howard. Then I turned back to the old man. “You have five seconds to get out.”
The man continued toward me. “I don’t know how you got here, in this fancy house, but—”
“It’s my home, and you’ll get out of it now.”
He stopped right in front of me. I blanched, seeing something in his eyes I’d never seen before. Hate. Pure, unadulterated hate.
“You think you got away with it,” he spat. “Think you got yourself a fancy new life. I remember what you did. Every day of my life, I remember.”
Howard said, “He’s clearly disturbed, Olivia. Go back upstairs.”
“Disturbed?” the old man roared. “You’re the crazy one, for harboring this she-bitch—”
• • •
“Olivia?” My mother was at my door again. “There are people outside. More media people.”
I sat up and instinctively glanced toward the mirror, to make sure I looked calm and collected. When I caught my reflection, my stomach clenched so hard I winced.
“Olivia? I know this is a shock, but you need to deal with this.”
I needed to deal with it? Not even we.
I took a deep breath and heard my dad’s voice after his heart attack. When he knew he was dying.
She’s not like us, Livy. She just isn’t. Fair or not, you’re going to need to be strong enough for two. Can you do that?
“Is Howard still here?” I called.
“Yes.”
“Tell him I’ll be down in a minute. We’ll—”
The crash of breaking glass cut me off.
I threw open my door. A thump from downstairs. I pushed my mother behind me, shielding her.
“Howard?” I yelled.
“They’ve broken in,” my mother whimpered. “Oh my God, they’ve broken in.”
“They’re journalists, Mum, not a lynch mob. No matter how badly they want the story, they won’t break in to get it. Just hold tight.”
I started for the stairs.
She grabbed my arm. “Don’t leave me here.”
“Okay, then stay right behind me—” Damn it, that wouldn’t work, either. While I was sure we hadn’t been invaded by crazed paparazzi, I wasn’t taking my mother downstairs until I knew what was going on.
“Howard?” I called from the top of the steps.
He appeared at the bottom. “They broke a pane in the French doors to the patio.” His face was calm, but his voice quavered. “I think it was an accident. They were jostling to get a picture and a pane broke.”
“Okay, so have you called—?”
A shout from below. So loud and clear that I froze.
“Are they inside?”
“No, no. They’re just shouting for you through the broken pane. They want you to make a statement. In my professional opinion, I don’t think you should speak to them.”
“Good, because I’m not going to. Have you called the police?”
“I don’t want to raise a fuss,” my mother murmured behind me.
“There are people in our backyard, Mum. I’m raising as big a fuss as I can. Call the police now, Howard. We’re going to stay up here until someone comes.”
Howard made the call. I heard him speaking into the phone, then his voice got loud. “When you have someone free? Maybe I’m not making myself clear. Mrs. Lena Taylor—who is a generous donor to your force’s annual fund-raiser—is under siege, with hooligans breaking her windows.”
Hooligans? That made it sound like some kid jumped the fence and tossed a rock.
“Wait here,” I said to my mother. “I’ll handle this.”
CHAPTER SIX
My mother chirped in protest but stayed on the top step as I descended. When I got to the bottom, I saw three faces plastered to the broken patio door, like kids trying to catch a glimpse of an R-rated movie.
A burst of flashes blinded me.
“Ms. Jones?”
“Olivia?”
Shit. Okay, not my brightest move. I retreated out of sight.
“Ms. Jones? Could I ask you a few questions?”
“Olivia? Just a quick statement?”
“Miss Larsen? Hello! Miss Larsen?”
I stiffened.
“Okay,” I muttered. “You want a statement—”
A hand grabbed my arm. I looked back to see Howard.
“Do not engage them, Olivia. That’s what they want.”
“That’s why I’m giving it to them, so they’ll take their damned statement and get the hell off our property. I don’t like them scaring Mum.”
I unwrapped his fingers from my arm and, ignoring the flashes, walked close enough to the broken door so they all could hear me.
I held up one hand to quiet them down. “Fine, you want a statement? I just found out tonight that my biological parents are, allegedly, Pamela and Todd Larsen. I will be investigating this claim. In the meantime, I will ask that everyone respect our privacy and—”
A yelp cut me short. Someone was jostling through the crowd toward the patio doors amid shouts of “Hey!” and “Watch it!”
Then, just as suddenly, the crowd went still. The two older journalists in the front lowered their cameras and pens. One leaned over to whisper to a young woman who looked confused. Her eyes widened and she stepped back to give the newcomer room.
It was an old man. Maybe not that old—seventy or so—but tall and stooped, his rheumy eyes blazing at me.
He stuck a gnarled hand through the broken pane, reaching for the lock.
“Whoa!” I stepped forward. “This is private property, sir. You can’t come in here.”
“I can and I will,” he said. “You may have all these people fooled, but I know who you are.”
I turned to Howard, then heard a cry of, “Sir, you shouldn’t do that” from the crowd.
The old man had flipped the lock. A few journalists continued halfhearted protests, but all of them leaned forward, eyes glittering, cameras raised.
He pushed open the door and marched in.
“Get the police here now!” I said to Howard. Then I turned back to the old man. “You have five seconds to get out.”
The man continued toward me. “I don’t know how you got here, in this fancy house, but—”
“It’s my home, and you’ll get out of it now.”
He stopped right in front of me. I blanched, seeing something in his eyes I’d never seen before. Hate. Pure, unadulterated hate.
“You think you got away with it,” he spat. “Think you got yourself a fancy new life. I remember what you did. Every day of my life, I remember.”
Howard said, “He’s clearly disturbed, Olivia. Go back upstairs.”
“Disturbed?” the old man roared. “You’re the crazy one, for harboring this she-bitch—”
