Willow didn’t respond. She walked into the kitchen, and I watched as she did the exact same stuff she would do any other morning. She put on a pot of coffee, pulled down two mugs, and started breakfast enough for two. When I was confident Willow was at least considering me for breakfast, I stood up and walked into the kitchen. I sat down at the table and just watched as Willow put together breakfast and eventually slid a plate and cup of coffee in front of me.
“Thank you.”
She ignored me and sat across from me at the table. She started on her own breakfast quietly. After about twenty minutes, she slid her phone across the table to me. I looked down at it, and there was a text from Ricky.
Hey. Just wanted you to know that
Alexis is good. The kids are with
us at the hospital, so it probably
won’t be a good idea to Facetime.
As soon as we’re in a good place
to do it, I’ll let you know. Here’s a
pic to tide you guys over.
Below the text was a picture of Alexis with her cousins. She had a bright smile on her face as she held up a puzzle with different barn animals on it. Her sweet face brought tears back to my eyes. The thought of never seeing her again made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t think Willow had it in her to use the picture as a silent threat, but she’d gotten into a fistfight with Molly because of how angry she was, so maybe that same vicious streak would have her showing me a picture for no reason other than to remind me of what I was risking if I stepped out of line. Never had I felt so cornered in my life.
Willow reached over the table and scrolled the text feed, pulling away the picture of Alexis and bringing my attention to the messages below it.
Did Marco make it?
Yeah, he got here in time. She
hasn’t popped yet. Sasha says she
held out just to make sure Marco
could be here. Women are frickin’
resilient.
Good. I’m glad. Keep me
posted on what’s going on.
I’ll see you soon.
You will? Did something change?
The texts dropped off after Ricky’s last question, and then I was certain. Willow was threatening me. She was letting me know she already had a foot out the door—all it would take is one single mistake.
I nodded. “I get it.”
Willow pulled her phone back and continued eating her breakfast in silence. In any other situation, I might actually be a little proud. That sort of silent, fear-striking threat was the most dangerous kind in my world, especially when the victim knew exactly how capable the one making the threat was of bringing it to fruition. I had to force the rest of my breakfast down after that. My stomach was too sick to handle more food, but I was too afraid of what might set Willow off. She’d still made me breakfast, even though she couldn’t even bring herself to look at me. I didn’t want not forcing down a couple pieces of bacon and some toast to be what sent her packing.
When Willow was done eating, she got up from the table and went into the bedroom. I had no idea if I should wait for her or not, but when I heard the shower in the master bathroom turn on, I knew she was getting ready. Exactly as she had still gotten up and made me breakfast, she was planning on going with me to my office. She was keeping the routine the same, but the stakes were infinitely different.
I got dressed, using the spare bathroom instead of fleeing to my office like I normally would, and sat on the couch to wait for Willow to come out. She presented herself about ten minutes after I was ready, dressed in all black. She typically only wore black and white as a rule since she wasn’t a huge fan of bright colors, but today, it seemed like she was in mourning. Maybe it was the solemn expression on her face or the fact that she still wouldn’t look at me, but it was as if we were headed to a funeral, not off to another typical day of work. She stood, waiting, still avoiding eye contact, and when I finally stood to move toward the door, she followed. I opened it for her to pass through and then locked it behind us. We made our way down to my office, where Gabriel, Stacy, and Molly were already waiting.
“Where’s Luca?” I asked.
“He went looking for who tried to kill Marco,” Molly replied.
I wanted to broach a complaint about it, but I didn’t have it in me. Everyone else seemed as exhausted as I felt, so I just nodded and moved to unlock the door to my office. I went over to my chair, Willow took hers next to me, and Gabriel and Stacy sat on the couch across from my desk. Molly took Luca’s typical seat and seemed more out of sorts than normal.