Page 3 of Coerced

When it came to personalities in the family, Jazzy took after Mom. They didn’t hide how they felt from anyone. Scared, happy, angry, sad, or anything in between—they shared it all. Dad and I were more reserved in that regard. It wasn’t that we were unfeeling; we simply managed our emotions better. Or maybe it was worse, depending on how you looked at it, because it took a lot for us to get emotional about anything.

“It has to be bad if he needs to go meet her,” she insisted.

“I mean, he said she was a little shaken up, but I don’t really know the specifics,” I explained. “But I think if it was really bad, he would have taken off immediately or closed for a few minutes while I came back to get you and he went to be with Mom. Either way, I’m sure she’s going to be fine.”

Whether Jazzy believed there was any validity to my words or not, I didn’t know. But she didn’t argue with me about it, either. And before I knew it, we were back at the store. We’d barely walked through the front door when Dad was zooming through it to leave. “I don’t know how long this will take, but I should be back before closing.”

“Okay. We’ll see you soon.”

A moment later, he was gone.

My sister and I held down the fort and easily managed the handful of customers that had come into the store after Dad left. I never suspected we’d have a problem, but on the few rare occasions when he would need to leave the store, Dad simply couldn’t bear the thought of any one of us—Mom, Jazzy, or me—being alone.

It was about thirty minutes before closing when my phone rang, and my dad’s name was on the display.

“Hey, Dad. Is everything okay?” I greeted him.

His voice was solemn, which was very unusual for him. “I’m just checking on you and your sister. Mom and I are just getting ready to leave, but she’s really struggling emotionally right now, so?—”

“Jazzy and I can lock up,” I assured him. “Just go home, and we’ll meet you there after we close everything down here.”

“Are you sure you two don’t mind?” he pressed.

“We’ve done it a handful of times already. We’ll be fine,” I insisted.

He let out a frustrated sigh, and I got the feeling it didn’t have anything to do with my sister and I needing to shut down the store. Maybe Mom’s car was worse than she’d indicated when she called him earlier. “Alright. We’ll see you in a little bit then. You’re coming home right after, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Be careful, Aria.”

I smiled.

That was the response I’d expected from him. My father and I might have been alike when it came to notgetting too emotional about much, but if there was one area where he struggled, it would have been with our safety. I could only imagine what was happening inside Melvin Todd’s head on a daily basis when it came to his family’s safety. He might not get worked up to the point anyone else would notice, but I could see—or hear—the terror he felt for his wife and daughters on occasion.

“We will. See you soon, Dad.”

My father and I said goodbye and disconnected. “Then, as casually as I could, I told my sister that she and I were closing the store while our dad looked after our mom and got her home. Jasmine insisted things had to be worse than Dad had indicated, because she didn’t think there was any way he wouldn’t have come to the store to lock up with us, even if he dropped Mom at home first.

I didn’t allow my sister’s wild thoughts to impact me too much. Since she was a worrier by nature, and I’d grown accustomed to her pessimistic outlook, it wasn’t terribly difficult to do. For the most part, I did okay. But there was that one part of me that recalled the sound of my father’s tone when he’d called as well as the look on his face when he got off the phone with my mom earlier, and I wondered if Jasmine’s worries held any merit.

Jasmine and I got through the next thirty minutes, both of us taking steps to make sure we’d be able to leave almost as soon as we closed. Barely ten minutes later, we pulled up outside our house.

And when we walked through the door, I instantly regretted not taking Jasmine’s concerns more seriously. I could feel the tension in the air.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

“Mom?” Jasmine called as we entered the living room and found our parents sitting on the couch, looking like the life had been drained from their bodies.

Oh, yeah. Something was terribly wrong.

Mom lifted her gaze to Jasmine, and she held her stare for several beats before she looked at me. That’s when it hit me.

Mom’s car was outside, along with my dad’s car. It was parked in the same spot it always was, looking like it usually did. Wanting to confirm I wasn’t losing my mind, I begrudgingly tore my attention from my mother’s face and moved to the window.

Sure enough, I confirmed my suspicions.