Fierce pounding on the trailer door jolted Tesla out of a dead sleep, her heart thudding so violently it felt like it might burst through her ribs. She blinked at the clock.
Seven a.m.? Who the hell would be knocking like that now?
So much for sleeping in on her day off.
She shoved the covers aside and cinched the belt of her robe tightly around her waist as she stumbled toward the door. “Okay, okay, I’m coming! Who is it?”
“Police.”
Shit.
She opened the door to find one detective and two uniformed officers on the porch. After allowing her to change into street clothes, they arrested her for failing to appear in court.
The detective left in her own vehicle while the uniformed officers took Tesla downtown.
“Why’d you fail to appear in court, Miss Landry?” one of them asked.
“I wasn’t aware I needed to appear,” Tesla said, lying smoothly.
“Wasn’t aware? What do you mean?”
“Sorry. Anything else must be discussed with a lawyer present.”
They tried to pressure her into saying more, but she kept her mouth shut.
At the station she was photographed, fingerprinted, and given her one phone call. She tried her aunt, but it went to voicemail. She left a message, then sat in silence. She didn’t know a lawyer. And even if she did, she couldn’t afford one.
They tossed her in a holding cell with three other women, a sink, and a toilet.
Tesla slid down the cold painted wall and curled up, hugging her knees, sobbing.
How had they found the warrant? Why now?
Before she could spiral too deep into panic, the steel door opened again.
“Landry,” barked a heavyset Hispanic guard.
Tesla’s head shot up. “Yes?”
“Let’s go. You’re outta here.”
She scrambled to her feet. “Really?”
The guard nodded. “Someone posted your bail.”
Tesla’s confusion deepened. “Already? That’s not possible. My aunt didn’t—she couldn’t have—”
But the guard just shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s done.”
They handed her purse back along with paperwork listing her court date.
“You be sure to show up,” said the male officer behind the counter.
“I will,” she said.
She was ushered through to the main entrance.
Tesla scanned the front lobby, expecting to see her aunt. She didn’t. Just strangers. Officers. Civilians. In and out they came.
She approached a tall Black officer. “Is there any way I can find out who posted my bail?”
“If they left a name,” the officer said, but then turned to answer another officer who interrupted them.
Tesla turned toward the exit. Maybe her aunt was waiting outside? Though it didn’t make sense for her to stay in the car.
She stepped out onto the sidewalk and scanned the parked and passing cars.
Nothing.
And then—
“Tesla.”
A familiar voice.
She spun.
And froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
No. No, no, no.
It couldn’t be.
Nane.
Tesla bolted.
She didn’t care where she ran. Only that it was away.
So this was her game. Turn Tesla in just to bail her out. Just to try to win her back.
Or worse—destroy her.
“Tesla, please! I just want to help!” Nane called after her.
The hell you do, you sick twist.
Tesla’s legs pumped hard as she darted through streets, lungs burning. She looked around, panicked. Nane could be in any car, watching, waiting.
I’ve got to get back to the station. She wouldn’t dare try anything there.
Tesla turned back, keeping close to groups of people wherever she could. Safety in numbers. And witnesses.
Back at the front desk, she quickly explained everything to an officer and was allowed another phone call.
This time, Aunt Julissa picked up.
“Aunt Julissa! Thank God!”
She explained the whole situation in one panicked breath. “I can’t go home! She’ll find me!”
“Stay put. I’m on my way.”
Tesla sat on a bench, watching the flow of people thin. Even surrounded by officers, she felt exposed. That was how deep Nane’s terror had burrowed into her bones.
Her aunt arrived in less than ten minutes—but it felt like a century. Tesla rushed to meet her. They hugged tightly.
“Should we get an officer to walk us out?” Tesla asked.
“No. I’d rather just shoot her if she tries anything.”
Tesla blinked. “You have a gun?”
A month passed.
Tesla had been staying with Christiane, one of her aunt’s coworkers. Kind, laid-back, and happy to share expenses, Christiane told her she could stay as long as she needed.
But Tesla missed her trailer. Her quiet. Her trees.
“I’m scared,” she admitted to her aunt over lunch. “But I miss my little sanctuary. Dumpy or not.”
“We’ll keep the gate locked, and we’ll get you a guard dog. She won’t hike up a six-hundred-foot driveway through rough terrain, past a barking dog.”
Tesla considered it. “She could poison the dog.”
Her aunt narrowed her eyes. “And a meteorite could crash through your roof. What are you going to do, Tesla—live in fear forever?”
Tesla shook her head. “No. I’m going home.”
And she did.
No dog, though.
“If I get one,” she said, “it’ll be for love. Not fear.”
Weeks passed.
Nothing happened.
Maybe Nane had gone back to Germany. Maybe she’d given up.
The court date loomed. Tesla debated going. Maybe it was better to face it. Better than always looking over her shoulder.
But no. She’d been caged long enough.
She wouldn’t make it easier for anyone to take her freedom.
Thump.
Tesla paused mid-tidy and glanced toward the window.
A few minutes later—scraping sounds outside.
She tilted her head, listening.
Then the phone rang. She jumped a foot in the air.
It was Aunt Julissa, asking if she’d seen her runaway cat.
“No, but I think I hear something on the porch. Could be him.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s dark, and I’m not going out there.”
“Okay. I’ll let him hang out with me tonight if he’s here.”
“Good night, hon.”
“Good night.”
Tesla hung up.
She turned the lock and eased the trailer door open.
“Here, kitty kitty,” she called softly.
The country night was pitch black. No moon. No streetlights. The only illumination came from the dim kitchen behind her.
Thud.
To her right.
She turned her head fast.
Nothing but darkness.
That wasn’t a ten-pound cat.
Tesla backed up, turning—
Too late.
An arm wrapped tight around her waist.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlPLk9k0Zx
A hand clamped over her mouth.
No scream. No breath.
She didn’t need to see the face.
She already knew.
And in that instant, Tesla knew, with absolute certainty—
She would die that night.
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