Page 52 of Shelter for Tanna

“Both of you, go. Run to the bedrooms. Close the doors and get behind the beds. Go now. Right now!” she whisper-shouted.

As she watched them run toward the bedrooms, a voice called out, “Lady, we know you’re in there. Might as well get this over with.” Tanna didn’t say a word. “I don’t want to start shooting, but I will if I have to.”

Tanna crawled behind the kitchen island and pulled out her phone. “I’m calling the cops!” she screamed.

“They won’t get here in time!” that voice yelled.

“My neighbor’s a cop! They’ll send him over!” she shouted back. Yeah, that was a lie, but she didn’t care. If it scared them away, that would be fine. Hands shaking, she pressed the emergency call function on her phone. “Yes, my name is TannaHilliard. Twelve nineteen ForresterAvenue. There are men with guns at my door, banging and yelling. Please send somebody!”

“Ma’am, stay on the phone with me. I’m dispatching a cruiser right now. Is everyone in your house safe?”

“For now, but they say they’re going to start shooting. I don’t know?”

“Get out here, bitch!” the voice outside bellowed.

Tanna could barely breathe. “Please, I need some help. Please? I…” Somewhere in the distance, she could hear a siren. “Is that for me? Is that help coming for me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the dispatcher answered soothingly. “They’re on their way. ETA of about one minute. Sit tight. Are you in a safe location?”

“I guess. I’m behind the cabinets in the kitchen.”

“Good enough. Don’t hang up. Stay on the phone with me,” the dispatcher repeated.

“You shouldn’t have done that! We’ll be back!” the voice outside yelled. She could hear the sound of the siren getting closer and closer until it sounded like it was right outside.

A different voice met her ears. “Ma’am, this is OfficerGarrett of the BowlingGreen Police Department. Can you please let me in?”

“Is that?”

The dispatcher’s voice was warm and comforting. “Yes, ma’am. That’s really our officer. You can go answer the door. It’s okay. Thank you for staying on the phone with me.”

The tears she’d managed to hold at bay coursed down Tanna’s face. “Thank you. Oh, god, thank you so much. Coming!” she shouted toward the door.

She opened it to find two officers standing there. “Ma’am, are you okay?”

Her voice was shaky when she answered with a nod. “Yes. We’re okay. But they threatened me earlier with a gun, and they must’ve followed me home.”

“May we come in and take a statement from you, ma’am? It’ll only take a few minutes.”

“Yes. Please. Come on in. Let me run and tell my boys everything’s okay.”

“Yes, ma’am. Take your time.”

Tanna shot down the hallway to her younger son’s bedroom to find the boys behind Max’s bed together, Daniel’s arms wrapped tightly around his younger brother. “It’s okay. They’re gone and the police are here,” she told them as she helped them up from the floor and hugged them tightly to her. “I love you. It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”

“Who was that?” Daniel demanded.

“I don’t know who they are. Probably had the wrong house,” she lied. She didn’t want them to know the truth. “I’ve got to go back in here with the police.”

Thirty minutes later, she’d explained to them what had happened and told them Kip had seen the men too. They promised that a patrol car would come by several times that night, but that only made her feel slightly better. She was terrified of those men and what they’d do.

By the time she’d tucked the boys in and dragged herself to the bedroom, exhaustion had set in. Then she remembered her phone and picked it up to find she’d missed two calls from Braden. Telling him was absolutely not going to happen. He’d quit his job and come to sit with her, and she couldn’t have that. She hit his contact and it only rang once on her end before he answered. “Where have you been, baby?”

“Just seeing to the kids. Forgot my phone in the car so I didn’t know you’d called until I remembered it and went out to get it. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. I just wanted to hear your voice. Have a good evening?”

Tanna prayed he couldn’t hear the tension still gripping her throat. “Uh-huh. Daniel made spaghetti for us?”

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