Chapter 60 STRANGER DANGER PART 1
Vivienne pulled into her usual spot in the parking lot behind her building and turned off the engine.
She sat there for a moment, hands still gripping the steering wheel, scanning the surrounding. There was a blue Honda parked near the dumpster. Mrs. Chen's white minivan also sat in her usual spot by the entrance. While the maintenance guy's truck was backed up to the side door.
But the black sedan with tinted windows was gone.
That should have made her feel better. It didn't.
Because now she didn't know where it was. Who was driving it. And if it had been the blackmailer.
Vivienne grabbed her bag and got out, locking the car twice just to be sure.
By the time she reached her entrance, she could feel her pulse in her temples, steady and insistent.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside, immediately checking the living room, then walking through to the kitchen. Both rooms were empty and quiet. Just the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of traffic outside.
"Mom!" Noah's voice came from his bedroom. "You're home!"
Vivienne dropped her bag on the dining table and tried to school her face to look calm.
Rebecca appeared in the hallway, phone in hand. "Hey. How was work?"
"The same as everyday." Vivienne frowned. "Thanks for staying late."
"No problem. Noah finished his homework and we made spaghetti for dinner. There's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry."
Noah bounded out of his room, a drawing in his hand. "Look what I made! It's you fighting a dragon. See? You have a sword and the dragon has fire coming out of its mouth."
Vivienne took the drawing, Noah's signature stick figure with wild hair facing off against a green dragon. "It's amazing, baby. Did I beat the dragon?"
"Obviously! You always win." Noah grinned. "Oh, and guess what? A new kid came today and taught me a new card trick. Want to see?"
"After dinner, okay? I'm starving."
"Okay! But it's really cool. I can make the ace disappear and then it shows up in your pocket." He was practically bouncing with excitement. "Jacob said it's impossible but I did it three times!" He hugged her quickly, then ran back to his room, probably to work on another drawing.
Rebecca was watching her with a concerned look. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Vivienne set the drawing on the kitchen counter, next to the pile of mail she hadn't opened yet. "I'm really tired though."
"The car is gone, by the way. That black one I texted you about. It left about twenty minutes ago."
Something cold slid down Vivienne's spine. "Did you see who was driving it?"
"The windows were tinted. I couldn't see inside." Rebecca grabbed her jacket from the back of a chair. "Probably just someone visiting the building. I'm probably being paranoid."
"No. Always tell me if you see any strange thing at all." Vivienne walked Rebecca to the door. "Better to be careful."
After Rebecca left, Vivienne locked the door. Then checked it again. Then put the chain on.
She went to Noah's room and found him sprawled on his bed, coloring in a new picture. "What are you working on now?"
"It's Uncle Alex and Lily at the park."
Vivienne felt her smile falter. "You're not letting it go, are you buddy?"
"Do you think we'll see them again? Lily was really nice. And Uncle Alex gave me that cool mythology book."
"Maybe," Vivienne said, because she didn't know what else to say.
She kissed the top of his head and left him to his drawing, closing his door most of the way.
In her own room, Vivienne sat on the edge of her bed and pulled out her phone. The blackmailer's last message stared back at her from the screen, the attached photo of her and Alexander in the studio making bile rise in her throat.
Who could the blackmailer be? It's definitely someone who knew her real name. Someone who had access to the studio. And now knows where she lives.
She stared at the number the messages came from. Unknown. It was probably untraceable.
But maybe not at all.
Before she could second-guess herself, Vivienne hit the call button.
It rang once. Twice. Three times.
She almost hung up, almost convinced herself this was stupid, when the line clicked.
There was silence on the other end, but someone was there. She could hear breathing, slow and steady.
"I know you're there," Vivienne said, keeping her voice low so Noah wouldn't hear. "So stop hiding like a coward and show yourself."
The breathing continued, steady and calm, but no one spoke.
"You want something from me? Fine. But I'm done playing games." Her grip tightened on the phone. "You want to ruin my life? Go ahead. Do it. Because I'm not afraid of you."
The lie tasted bitter on her tongue. She was terrified. But she'd learned a long time ago that sometimes you had to pretend to be strong until you figured out how to actually become it.
"If you're not so much of a coward," she continued, "then show your face. Stop sending messages and pictures like some creep. Face me."
The person on the other end said nothing. She could only hear that steady breathing. They were listening to every word but refusing to respond.
Vivienne's hand trembled against the phone. "I have nothing left to lose. You already took everything from me once. You think I'm scared of you doing it again?"
The silence stretched on, then the line went dead.