Page 98 of The Followers

A high-pitched pulse split the silence, and the sofa next to Molly rocked back, the cushion split open, plaster from the wall behind it ricocheting across the floor. Bitsy, sleeping at Molly’s feet, startled and raised her head.

A scream rose in Molly’s throat, and she put her hands to her mouth to hold it in. The man, still sitting in the armchair, had his right arm extended, a gun in his hand. She knew nothing about guns, but she recognized something on the barrel—something she’d never seen in real life, only in movies and television shows. A silencer.

“Next time it’ll be your daughter,” he said, his voice a snarl. He tucked his right arm against him, the barrel of the gun against Chloe’s back.

At her feet, Bitsy gave a low growl—a sound Molly had never heard from her gentle, dopey dog—and Molly reached down to pat her head, desperate to keep her dog from upsetting the intruder. “It’s okay,” she whispered, and the dog relaxed.

Silence descended again, and this time Molly struggled to stay quiet. Tears slid down her face and she counted the seconds in her mind, needing something to distract her from the panic rising in her stomach.

The man stayed watchful, and Chloe stayed asleep. And finally, just when Molly thought she couldn’t take the waiting for one more second, the back door in the kitchen opened and heavy footsteps crossed the floor. They came down the hall and into the living room, then paused behind her.

The intruder looked up. “Sam Howard,” he said in that same easygoing voice, as if he were greeting a long-lost friend. “Welcome home.”

fifty-five

Love reveals itself in action, in choices.

@InvincibleMollySullivan

Liv sat in the front passenger seat of the Westfalia, gripping the armrests until her hands cramped. Scott had taken Jeremiah’s Jeep and left Ella with her and Jeremiah. The little girl was curled up on the green vinyl of the backseat, asleep with one arm around Hoopi. Rain pelted the roof, the windshield wipers going at full speed.

Liv squinted through the downpour at the dark road in front of them, trying to calm herself. Molly must have been tired and overwhelmed, and that’s why she’d asked for Sam instead of Scott. A pipe had truly burst, and she wanted her husband home to help. But Liv knew this didn’t make sense. She knew, down to the marrow in her bones, that Molly and Chloe were in danger.

Scott had asked them to stay at the campsite with Ella until he contacted them. But not long after he left, Liv had looked at Jeremiah, and he had nodded. The message passed unspoken between them: We’re going.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. Liv and Jeremiah both jumped at the crash of thunder.

“Do you remember the man you saw in Kristina’s apartment that night?” Liv asked Jeremiah.

He gave her a quick, frightened glance. “Why? Do you think he’s the one in Molly’s house?”

“Maybe,” Liv said. “What did he look like?”

Jeremiah shook his head, his eyes focused on the road. “Um... white guy, tall, maybe early forties?”

“Did he have a tattoo on his scalp?”

“I don’t think so. No—wait. He had a hat on. Like a stocking cap. I remember because it was summer and that seemed odd.”

Goosebumps lifted on Liv’s skin. “Hurry.”

Jeremiah nodded and pressed on the gas, propelling them forward even faster. She could almost see the thoughts swirling in his brain, carrying him far away from her. She wondered if he was back in Kristina’s apartment, reliving the night he could never forget. Or if he was imagining what was happening in Molly’s house, terrified of what could happen tonight.

Liv’s phone buzzed.

She pulled it from the center console where it sat, lighting up and vibrating.

MOLLY SULLIVAN HAS STARTED A LIVE VIDEO

Her heart accelerated.

“What is it?” Jeremiah asked, glancing over.

“Molly’s posting a video.”

He did a double take, swerving into the opposite lane, then corrected. “How is that possible?”

Liv didn’t answer, too focused on the screen as she swiped it with her thumb. There it was: the fishbowl view of Molly’s living room she had seen the other night. But Molly wasn’t alone this time.

---