Page 26 of Hot Mess

As quietly as I possibly could, I eased the front door open and went outside. I ran to the playground two blocks away. My breathing was all huffing and puffing when the phone rang. Caller ID said ‘Unknown.’

“Hello?” I panted hard. It seemed like the more I tried to settle my breathing, the harder I struggled.

The voice was foreign and robotic. “Kayla.”

“Yes, this is me. What do you want?”

“What do you think stupid girl?”

“Hey, if you are looking for money, then I can’t as I don’t have a job.” I couldn’t stop heavy breathing from turning into crying.

“The man in the photos does.”

There were two men. Who were they… oh, I was stupid. “I don’t know him. And those pictures don’t show what really happened.”

I don’t know why I was trying to explain anything to this person. They didn’t care.

“You will be contacted with where and when to deliver—”

“Can I make payments? Please, I don't know how to contact him. It was an accident.”

The caller on the other end of the line was silent.

They were silent for too long. I sobbed. I didn’t have a savings account with that kind of money. I didn’t even know how to get a job that would pay anything like that. I would barely be making over minimum wage. How the hell was I supposed to come up with almost a hundred thousand dollars?

“Not our concern. You have been given our offer. You will be contacted. If you tell anyone about this, the photos will be sold to the tabloids.” There was a long pause. “And sent to your mother.”

The phone call ended. They called that an offer? I couldn’t breathe. I had been given a threat. How was I supposed to come up with that kind of money? Even if I sent them everything I made, it would take me years to pay them what they wanted.

I was going to have to tell Nick. This was a threat against him as much as it was one against me. Maybe even more so. He would blame me; I knew he would. I hadn’t called him back or returned any of his messages. How would he react to this? If I called him now, out of the blue asking for money… I couldn’t do that. Could I?

How did they know if I really knew him or not? I had so many questions and even more fears. I couldn’t even think about what would happen if I didn’t do this. I sat on the end of the slide and cried. It was cold and getting dark. I was grateful for that, it meant kids were not out here playing. That would have been even more horrible, sitting out here in the cold surrounded by happy kids.

I was being stupid, and I knew it. I couldn’t stop the tears or the sobbing. I hurt in every way possible. My very bones felt the pressure of the universe bearing down on me. This threat was insurmountable. I didn’t know how I was going to survive.

My phone started ringing again. I tried to stop crying, but it only made everything worse. The call ended without me picking it up. The panic I felt over possibly missing a call from my new job just made everything worse. I had to stop crying. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. Breathe out. I pushed my air out with a whoosh and opened my eyes.

Looking up was supposed to help. The sky was white with glare and overcast with clouds. That miserable winter combination that didn’t give us blue skies. I blinked hard against the brightness.

My phone rang again.

“Hello?” I really hoped I didn’t sound like I was crying. What a crappy first impression I was making, crying while I answered the phone to my new employer.

“Is this Kayla?” I didn’t recognize the man’s voice.

“Yes. Who is this, how can I help you?”

“You are one difficult woman to get a hold of. I have got a proposition for you.”

12

NICK

“You did what?”

I stared at my phone, willing it to get better reception. I put it back against my ear. Still, all I heard was the crackling and intermittent sound of Isaac’s voice.

“Agreed…” Crackle, fuzz. “List…” Silence.

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