Chapter 7: The Enemy Next Door
The first thing I did was lock every door in the house.
The second thing I did was make tea for my daughter.
Daniel watched me from the kitchen doorway like he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.
“You’re making tea?””
I looked at him.
“Yes.””
“Someone just threatened your daughter.””
“I know.””
“And you’re making tea?””
I placed the mug in front of Lily.
“She’s eleven years old.””
Daniel went quiet.
That was something people often forgot about fear.
Fear didn’t always look like screaming.
Sometimes fear looked like a mother calmly preparing a drink because she refused to let someone else decide what kind of night her child would have.
Lily wrapped both hands around the mug.
“Who is he?””
Her eyes moved toward Daniel.
I sat across from her.
“Someone from my past.””
“That’s what you said about the phone call.””
I swallowed.
She was right.
I had spent years protecting her from the truth.
But now the truth had broken into her bedroom.
“I was in the military,” I said.
She nodded slowly.
“I know.””
The answer surprised me.
“You know?””
“I found your medals.””
My heart sank.
“When?””
“Last year.””
I stared at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
She looked down.
“Because I thought you didn’t want me to know.””
That hurt more than I expected.
Because she had understood my silence as a wall.
Not protection.
I reached across the table.
“I never wanted you to think I was hiding from you.””
“Were you?””
I didn’t answer immediately.
And that was answer enough.
Lily looked away.
Daniel stepped forward.
“She saved people.””
My eyes moved toward him.
“Daniel.””
But he continued.
“She saved people when nobody else could.””
Lily looked at him.
“Is that true?””
“Yes.””
He looked at me.
“I saw it.””
The room became quiet.
Because Daniel wasn’t talking about a mission.
He was talking about a person.
A person I had forgotten I was.
I stood.
“Lily, I need you to do something.””
Her expression changed.
“What?””
“I need you to pack a bag.””
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
“Lily.””
“I’m not leaving.””
“This isn’t a discussion.””
“Yes, it is.””
I froze.
Because she had never spoken to me like that before.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I don’t want to keep running because of something you won’t explain.””
The words hit harder than any attack could have.
I sat down again.
“You’re right.””
Daniel looked surprised.
I ignored him.
“I should have told you more.””
Lily wiped her face.
“Why didn’t you?””
Because I remembered too much.
Because every night I woke up from dreams where I was back overseas.
Because I knew what violence could do to people.
Because I wanted my daughter to grow up believing the world was safer than I knew it was.
“I thought if I hid that part of my life, I could give you a normal one.””
She looked at me.
“But you still had that life.””
“Yes.””
“And it found us anyway.””
I had no answer.
Because she was right again.
A knock came from the front door.
All three of us froze.
Daniel immediately moved.
I grabbed his arm.
“No.””
He looked at me.
“What?””
“This is my house.””
His eyes narrowed.
“Exactly.””
I moved toward the door.
Not quickly.
Not nervously.
Carefully.
I checked the window.
The person outside wasn’t hiding.
It was Rachel.
My sister stood on the porch.
Alone.
I opened the door but kept the chain locked.
“What do you want?””
Her face looked different.
No confidence.
No anger.
Just exhaustion.
“Can I come in?””
“No.””
The answer surprised her.
“Please.””
“Rachel, your husband threatened me in front of my daughter.””
Her eyes filled.
“I know.””
That stopped me.
“You know?””
She nodded.
“I saw what happened.””
“You were there.””
“I know.””
“And you did nothing.””
Her face collapsed.
“I was scared.””
I almost laughed.
“You were scared?””
“Yes.””
She looked over her shoulder.
“Because Marcus isn’t the person you should be worried about.””
The air changed.
“What does that mean?””
She stepped closer.
“I found out what Warren has been doing.””
I stared at her.
“Doing what?””
She lowered her voice.
“Using Marcus.””
“For what?””
She looked toward the house.
Then back at me.
“To get close to you.””
My grip tightened around the door.
“Why?””
Rachel looked terrified.
“Because Warren knew who you were before today.””
Silence.
That sentence was worse than any threat.
“How?””
“I don’t know.””
“You’re lying.””
“I’m not.””
Her voice cracked.
“He started asking questions about you months ago.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What kind of questions?””
She looked down.
“About your military background.””
I felt something cold settle inside me.
“Rachel.””
She looked up.
“I didn’t think it was serious.””
“Because?””
“Because Warren told me he just wanted to prove you weren’t as perfect as everyone thought.””
I stared at my sister.
“And you believed him.””
Tears formed in her eyes.
“Yes.””
A long silence followed.
Then Daniel stepped into view.
Rachel froze.
Her face went pale.
“Who is that?””
I watched her reaction carefully.
Because she recognized him.
Not immediately.
But enough.
“You know him.””
She shook her head.
“No.””
Too fast.
A lie.
Daniel stepped forward.
“You remember.””
Rachel looked terrified.
“I don’t.””
Daniel’s expression changed.
“You were there.””
My sister stepped back.
“What are you talking about?””
I looked between them.
“Rachel?””
She didn’t answer.
And that silence told me everything.
She knew more than she admitted.
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
This time, from Warren.
*Bring the drive to my house. Alone.*
A second message appeared.
*Or ask your sister what happened the night Daniel Reed disappeared.*
I looked at Rachel.
She was crying now.
And I knew.
May you like
Whatever happened years ago…
My sister had been closer to it than I ever imagined.
