Page 70 of This for That (The Edge of Retaliation 1)
“Maybe,” I say, crossing my arms, “but at least I’ll have tried. At least I’ll know. I deserve to be able to put this to bed. Someone is bothering me, Ethan. I’m sick of it. I’m tired of it. I want freedom. I want to breathe without pain.”
“I told you to go to the police. Let them handle that.”
“They’re not going to handle anything and you know it.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t do it, Callie. Don’t uncover things you don’t want to know.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
I don’t even care. I’m going.
“I’m leaving, Ethan. I hope you get over whatever it is you’re hanging onto, because I’d like my friend back.” I grab the door handle, and he calls out my name.
“Callie, don’t go into that house.”
I don’t look at him when I say, “I’m doing it. Not a single thing you can say will stop me. Talk to you later, Ethan.” I open the door.
“Callie?”
I turn and stare at him.
“I’m sorry.”
Sorry.
“Yeah, me too.”
Then I step out and close the door.
It’s time.
“ARE YOU SURE ABOUT this?” Jo asks, sitting in the car as we stare at the big house.
“Yes. This is the best chance I’ll get while it’s dark, and nobody is home. I won’t be long, Jo. You call me if you see anything. I’ll find a way out, but I don’t want to get caught if they come home.”
She nods. “I’ll have my eye on the house every second. How are you going to get in?”
I hold up my lock-picking kit. “This little baby. It’s a lock-picking kit.”
“You know how to pick a lock?”
“Prison, honey. You learn a lot.”
“They teach you how to do that in prison?” she asks, eyes wide.
“You’d be surprised what you learn in that place. Okay, I can’t waste any time; they’ve just left and I don’t know how long they’ll be gone for. Keep your eyes out for me. My phone is in my pocket.”
“On silent?”
“Yep, but vibrating. I’ll feel it if you call. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, honey. Be quick.”
I nod, pulling a head lamp onto my head and climbing out of the car. I jerk my hoodie down over my head so my face is blocked from any view. We parked the car in the shadows, hopefully not to be seen. I run across the road, keeping my eyes peeled, looking at everything. It’s quiet out. The street is dark and silent. That’s exactly what I want. I sneak around the back of the house, opting for the back door as it’ll be less risky.
I reach it and stare at it. It’s fairly basic—a standard lock. The windows all have screens and locks, so they’re not low on security. I flick on the light that is on my head, specifically for this occasion, so I don’t have to turn on any lights from the house, and I get right into picking the lock.
It takes a lot longer than I’d hoped. I mean, we learned how to do it but it wasn’t as if we could practice getting out of anything. We’d occasionally break into storage rooms in the garden and have a cigarette, things like that. I’m certainly not pro. In fact, I’m no way near as good as I first thought.
Twenty minutes later, I finally get in. I push the door open and then close it behind me, locking it again. I don’t want anything to look suspicious if Celia’s parents come home. A door being unlocked would ring all kinds of alarm bells for them. I tighten the gloves on my hands by pulling them up, and glance around. I’ve walked into a massive kitchen, with its multiple island counters. It’s a stunning house, inside and out.
I get to it. I walk through the kitchen and straight down the hall, glancing around as I go. The house is tidy, and homely, a few lights on in the living area and dining room. I avoid those areas for now, and walk towards the bedrooms. There are six in total, and the first three I go into are the master, and two spare rooms. Finally, I reach a fourth one that’s locked. I’d bet anything this is Celia’s room.
Using my lock-picking skills, I get into it pretty quickly; being that it’s a bedroom, it’s a lot easier to work with. I push the door open and walk straight over to the window, closing the curtains and blinds so no light spills out, then I find the switch and turn on the light in the room.
I stare for a few minutes, my eyes scanning over the seemingly untouched space. There’s gorgeous plush grey carpet, and a huge queen bed in the middle of the room with dusty pink covers and a few old teddy bears. A desk is to the right, with a laptop and some pens and paper. A walk-in closet is to the left, filled with clothes. This room is beautiful. Any girl would dream of such a space.
