4
My phone rang. It was Mark. His voice was
sharp.
“Lisa, what the hell? Sarah asked for a small favor. Why are you being so difficult?”
Already on edge, his accusation set me off. “Mark, who’s your wife? I have a twisted
ankle! And why did you call out sick? Where
are you?!”
દર્દ
“Sarah has pain relief spray! You’d be fine!
Besides, you know the manager has a thing
for Sarah. If she complains, it won’t be good
for either of us.‘
وو
I snorted. “Mark, you’re an asshole. If you’re
so concerned, come back and do it yourself.”
I hung up. He sent a barrage of voicemails,
which I ignored.
Through the office window, I saw Jessica
arrive. Sarah was all smiles, chatting her up.
shiver down my spine.
My phone rang again. Startled, I hesitated,
then answered.
A distorted male voice spoke. “Lisa, take
Jessica Miller on that test drive. Or else…”
A small, sweet voice cried out, “Mommy!”
Lily!
I covered my mouth, trembling. I almost
screamed but bit my tongue.
The sharp pain brought me back. I whispered,
“What have you done to my daughter?! Who
is this?!”
The voice chuckled. “Don’t call the cops.
“”
The line went dead. I redialed. The automated
voice informed me the number was
disconnected.
Tears streamed down my face. Sarah
appeared at the doorway, feigning surprise.
“Oh
my, Lisa, what’s wrong?”
I collapsed into my chair. “What… what do
L
you want?”
She handed me a tissue, then crouched down,
her small hand grasping my ankle.
Before I could react, she looked up, smiling.
“Don’t move. It’ll hurt.’
Her smile was glacial.
وو
I let her spray my ankle. Finished, she stood, her eyes devoid of warmth.
“You said you had painkillers, right? Just to
be safe, take one.
I swallowed the pill obediently. She nodded. “Give it a few minutes to kick in. I’ll go get the car ready for the test drive.”
Her hand pressed down hard on my shoulder. She leaned in, her voice a chilling whisper.
“Don’t refuse this time.‘
“”
